West Harford, CT – University of Hartford softball coach Todd Randall announced the signing of second baseman Amber Andrews (Greenwood, DE/Milford Senior) and pitcher Kaitlyn Meade (Melville, NY/Ward Melville) to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. The duo will join the Hawks' roster for the 2011 season.
“Amber and Kaityln are solid student-athletes from good backgrounds,” commented Randall. He continued, “They understand what is expected of them academically, socially and athletically once they arrive at the University of Hartford and become part of our family.”
Andrews attends Milford Senior High School where she is a varsity athlete in three sports – softball, field hockey and swimming. The second baseman is a two-time All-State honoree and three-time Henlopen All-Conference selection. Last season, she helped her high school team to a Delaware state championship. In addition, Andrews has garnered Academic All-Conference honors for three-straight years.
During the summer seasons, Andrews has played ball for the New Jersey Mystics Gold 18U team. Once at Hartford, she will enroll in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions and major in early childhood education.
“We are very pleased to add Amber to our program,” stated Randall. “She fills the need we have for a middle infielder and projects to be a solid contributor in the future. In addition, she has been well-schooled by an outstanding summer program.”
Meade enters her final season at Ward Melville High School where she has been a pitcher for the varsity softball team for three seasons. For the past two seasons, she captained the team and was named all-league, all-division and an all-county pitcher. As a junior, Meade was also selected to the all-tournament team and has been deemed Ward Melville's Most Valuable Player for two-straight years. During her 2009 stint, the hurler recorded 217 strikeouts and sported an ERA of 0.91 while compiling six shutouts and a no-hitter.
Meade throws for the Long Island Fire & Ice Pride Gold team during the summer seasons where she recorded an 0.56 ERA in 86 innings and recorded three no-hitters last season. Additionally, Meade has been a two-year member of the volleyball and basketball teams at Ward Melville. At Hartford, she will enroll in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions and major in education.
“Adding Kaitlyn to our pitching staff is a definite positive,” said Randall. “She has tremendous upside and we are looking for her to develop into a winner in the circle.”
Randall is entering his 15th season as head coach at Hartford. Last season, he led the Hawks to a 19-22 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in America East play. The 2010 edition of the Hawks returns 11 letterwinners including five positional starters and two starting pitchers.
