The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Softball Announces Missy Dickerson's First Signing Class
11/22/2005 | Softball
Nov. 22, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - First-year Ole Miss head softball coach Missy Dickerson has announced the signing of eight players to national letters of intent, to complete her first full signing class.
Ashley Dowdy (Olive Branch, Miss.), Courtnie Ghinaudo (Lake Jackson, Texas), Lauren Grill (Tualatin, Ore.), Alyssa McGovern (Southlake, Texas), Becky Nye (McKinney, Texas), Aly Presswood (Keller, Texas), Emily Sarver (Beaumont, Texas) and Amber Tramp (Keller, Texas) will join the Rebels for the 2007 season.
Presswood and Tramp helped lead coach Moe Fritz's Keller High School Indians to the 2005 USA Today/NFCA National Championship after a 37-0 season. McGovern, Nye, Presswood and Tramp all currently play for former Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees star outfielder Mel Hall on the Wicked club team.
"I'm very pleased with this class," said Dickerson, who led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances in her most recent coaching stop. "This group of girls is going to give us an added dimension in terms of offensive production, as well as bring solid defensive skills. They are definitely going to help build momentum for the future of Ole Miss Softball."
"Since Missy got here, she and her staff hit the recruiting trail and have been absolutely tenacious going after the best talent in the country," said Senior Associate Athletics Director Lynnette Johnson. "Missy has looked at the areas where we need improvement, and seems to have fulfilled several needs with this class in addition to adding to the talent we already have."
Ashley Dowdy is the lone Mississippi native in the class. As a junior, she helped the Eagles of St. Benedict (Cordova, Tenn.) to a 34-10 record and TSSAA Division II state championship runner-up finish. In the state championships last year, Dowdy showed off her talent, batting .316 with five RBI and four stolen bases in six games of the Division II tournament.
The 5-5 shortstop/catcher was named Division II All-State by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association as a utility player in 2003 and a catcher in 2004. She was also honored as one of the "Best of the Preps" by the Commercial Appeal.
"Ashley is a very talented infielder and a local kid from the Olive Branch area that will help showcase the softball talent in Mississippi," Dickerson said. "She also will bring some defensive and offensive skills that we need in our program."
Courtnie Ghinaudo is a speedy center-fielder from Brazoswood High School in Lake Jackson, Texas. The left-handed batter has helped the Lady Bucs to a district and area championship, along with making the region semifinals.
Ghinaudo was a District 24-5A honorable mention center-fielder in 2005, and has played for the Humble Cobras and Texas Peppers Gold (with fellow signee Emily Sarver) club teams. She has also won a state silver medal in girls powerlifting.
"Courtnie gives us speed and quickness in the outfield, as well as quickness and bunting abilities at the plate," Dickerson said. "Courtnie, Emily and Alyssa will give this team some speed that we are currently lacking."
Lauren Grill is an infielder/outfielder with loads of playing experience as a Tualatin, Ore., native. As a junior, the All-League power hitter batted .432, scored 23 runs and knocked in 21 RBI in 74 at-bats, helping her Tualatin Timberwolves squad to a 21-4 record and first-place finish in the Pac-9 region.
Grill was equally impressive as a 10th-grader, garnering Class 4A All-State third team honors from The Oregonian, while leading her club to a 27-4 record and runner-up finish in the Class 4A State Championships. Her extensive experience dates back to a 2000 Little League World Series Softball Championship Game appearance with the Tualatin City League team. She has also made it to the national championships with her Tualatin Twins club team, and played for the Oregon Silver Bullets 18U club team.
"Lauren is going to give us some added stability in the infield with her defensive play and also add a power/line-drive hitting attack to our offense," Dickerson said.
A 5-3 speedster, Alyssa McGovern has been a force for Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. Last year, she led the Lady Dragons to a District 5-5A runner-up finish and a Region I semifinals appearance. For her efforts, she was named First Team All-District 5-5A shortstop by the Dallas Morning News.
As a sophomore, McGovern helped Carroll to a 30-5-1 overall record and a first-place finish in District 7-5A. She has also played for the Beach Girls Gold club team with fellow signee Aly Presswood.
"Alyssa is extremely versatile and could play infield and outfield for us," Dickerson said. "She can also switch-hit, and has the kind of speed and quickness at the plate and on defense that we are looking for."
The lone pitcher of the group, Becky Nye is a top pitching prospect from McKinney, Texas. Through her first three seasons at McKinney North High School, the fireballer has set school records for most career wins (48), most wins in a season (18) and most strikeouts in a season (218), while posting a career 0.53 ERA and racking up 29 shutouts and 623 career strikeouts.
In 2005, the District 9-4A Pitcher of the Year (Dallas Morning News) went 15-0 with an 0.27 ERA and 181 strikeouts. She posted back-to-back perfect game and no-hitter performances on Feb. 24 and 25 last year. She has led the Lady Bulldogs to two straight district championships, while being named District 11-4A MVP in 2004 and garnering Conference 4A All-State accolades in 2004 (Texas Girls Coaches Association) and second team All-Area honors in 2005 (Dallas Morning News).
"Becky is going to give us a foundation on the mound that will carry us into the future," Dickerson said. "After we red-shirt her next year, she is definitely going to be one of the leaders on the mound for us while she is in Oxford."
First baseman Aly Presswood brings with her an impressive championship resumé. She is a member of the No. 1 nationally-ranked Keller High School softball team (USA Today/NFCA) that has won two Texas state championships in three years (2003 and 2005) and was named National Champion after a perfect 37-0 record last year.
Presswood has been a valuable member of the championship Indians squad, being named a First Team Class 5A All-State infielder by the Texas Sports Writers Association and the Texas Girls Coaches Association. She was the Dallas Morning News' pick for District 5-5A Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 after fielding at a .981 clip and batting .377 with two home runs and 19 RBI. She has been a member of the Beach Girls Gold club team with fellow signee Alyssa McGovern. Presswood is also a standout volleyball player, having earned All-District 5-5A Setter of the Year and First Team honors by the Dallas Morning News.
"Aly brings not only defensive experience, but a power-hitting ability that will help us drive in some much-needed runs," Dickerson said of the NFCA All-America Scholar-Athelte. "She has won championships at the high school level, and we are hoping she can carry that through and help us take this program to the next level."
Emily Sarver has been a starter since her freshman year at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas. The versatile infielder is a .400 career hitter and helped the Bruins to postseason play in both 2003 and 2005.
Sarver has been honored for her stellar play, being named All-District as a freshman in 2003 and as a sophomore in 2004. She has also been a member of the Texas Peppers Gold club team with fellow signee Courtnie Ghinaudo.
"Emily is a multi-talented defensive player," Dickerson said. "Her versatility gives us a lot of options, and her speed and quickness at the plate will help boost our offensive production."
A catcher who played with Presswood for the national-champion Keller Indians, Amber Tramp was named the Co-Newcomer of the Year for District 5-5A in 2005 (Dallas Morning News) after transferring to Keller.
Tramp was clutch for the Indians down the stretch, being named to the University Interscholastic League State Championships All-Tournament team as a catcher in 2005.
"Amber will give us some offensive production and will definitely help us behind the plate in the future," Dickerson said.
"Overall, this is definitely the best recruiting class I have had as a coach," Dickerson added. "I'm very excited about adding these girls to the talent we have now, and seeing Ole Miss Softball develop into a championship program."
The Rebels will kick off the 2006 campaign with a pair of early February road tournaments in Lafayette, La., and Boca Raton, Fla., and four straight trips away from home before returning to Oxford to take on Southeastern Louisiana in the home opener on March 8 in the newly renovated Ole Miss Softball Complex.
