WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Hartford head softball coach Diana Consolmagno and her staff announced the commitment of four top high school student-athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Hawks starting in the fall of 2013. The quartet of players will join the Hawks as members of the Class of 2017.
Marisa Ferguson (Danbury, Conn.), Mackenzie Obert (Fairless Hills, Pa.), Danielle Regina (Pompton Lakes, N.J.) and Lexi Wilkerson (Roseville, Calif.) will take the field for Hartford and don the scarlet and white uniform for Consolmagno come the 2013-14 season.
A four-year varsity starter and two-year varsity captain at Danbury High School, Ferguson, the lone representative from the Nutmeg State on the roster, is a versatile softball player who has seen time at shortstop, centerfield, third base and inside of the circle as a pitcher. During her high school career, she helped lead Danbury to the program's first conference tournament appearance in 17 years, as well as a pair of appearances in the Connecticut Class LL State Tournament in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, Ferguson was named to the All-FCIAC Softball Second Team as a hurler
Ferguson has spent the last four off-seasons summers playing ball for The Wicked Softball organization out of Newtown, Conn., where she has served as an infielder, outfielder, pitcher and catcher for the squad. In 2012, she closed out the fall season batting .375 with seven doubles, one triple, a home run and 15 RBI.
Obert, an infielder, comes to Hartford from Pennsbury High School located in Fairless Hills, Pa. A three-year starter on the varsity squad, she has received All-Suburban One recognition all three seasons, including first team honors as a sophomore in 2011. Last spring, she was a second-team All-Suburban One League National Conference pick and second-team Courier Times Golden Team choice. That season, she helped lead the team to the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals.
Obert played summer ball for the Newtown Rock 18-Gold team where she saw time at both second base and shortstop.
A versatile athlete who is capable of playing any position defensively, Regina is a two-sport varsity athlete at Pompton Lakes High School. A two-time Second Team All-County selection, she also garnered First Team All-League honors as a sophomore in 2011 after batting .435 and driving-in 24 runs.
Last year, Regina helped lead Pompton Lakes to the semifinal round of the Passaic County tournament and was named to the All-Region I Third Team at the end of the season. Regina also played four seasons of field hockey and earned the MVP award following the 2012 fall season. A native of Pompton Lakes, N.J., she also plays ball for the Jersey Inferno Elite Gold squad.
Wilkerson is a right-handed hurler who hails from Woodcreek High School, where she also spent time manning both corners of the infield. As a junior in 2012, she compiled 11 wins in 12 starts, finishing with an impressive 0.88 ERA in 71.2 innings. She also excelled at the plate that season, batting .309 with 25 hits, 16 runs scored and 17 RBI.
A two-time all-league award winner and an ESPN Cal-Hi Sports All-State Softball nominee in 2012, Wilkerson has helped lead her team to two-straight Sac-San Joaquin tournament appearances and was a member of the DII Section championship squad as a junior. During the summer season, she currently plays for the California Breeze 18-Gold squad.
The Hawks will lose four student-athletes to graduation following the 2013 campaign, including infielders Jordan Haines, Melani Maxwell and Kate Wacyk as well as Erica Phelps, a fifth-year outfielder.
