Scott Moriak, Florida State University
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Six incoming student-athletes have signed their National Letters of Intent to play for the Florida State softball team starting in the 2014-15 academic year.
Morgan Klaevemann (Refugio, Texas/Refugio HS), Jessica Warren (Tampa, Fla./Alonso HS), Korina Rosario (Pensacola, Fla./West Florida HS), Katie Baker (Tallahassee, Fla./Chiles HS), Savannah McCormack (St. John’s, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) and Megan McReynolds (Winter Garden, Fla./Lake Highland Prep) are prepared to help the Seminoles continue to be one of the top programs in the ACC and the country.
“As a coaching staff, we’ve been really diligent about being on the same page with our recruiting efforts and we’re really excited about this current class coming in,” said head coach Lonni Alameda. “We have a lot of areas to fill with the seniors that will be leaving, but we have built a solid foundation and have a good character to our program. We have known the kids that are coming in for a long time, and they know what this program is all about.”
Klaevemann comes to FSU from the softball-rich state of Texas. The 2013 District 30-AA Offensive Player of the Year was also named to several All-State and All-Region teams this past season. She batted .500 with a .667 average with runners in scoring position, swiped 32 bases and scored 42 runs in 28 games for the Bobcats.
An explosive player for the Texas Bombers Gold travel team, Klaevemann was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game. A three-time Academic All-District honoree, she also excelled at basketball and track for Refugio High School. Klaevemann selected FSU over offers from many schools including LSU, Texas and defending national champion Oklahoma.
Warren has been a leader for the Alonso Ravens for several years. Named All-Hillsborough County as a freshman, All-Western Conference as a sophomore and an All-American as a junior, she has steadily become one of the best players in the country. Warren has also been a member of the Principal’s Honor Roll and the A-Team at Alonso High.
Warren’s softball instincts also have helped her be successful for her travel team, the Tampa Young Guns, led by Sherman Johnson Sr., father of Sherman Jr. and Brandon who have played for FSU baseball. Warren was recruited by several other schools, most notably Michigan.
Rosario has played a key role for the West Florida Jaguars as both a pitcher and a hitter. In 2013, she batted .467 with 12 doubles and 16 RBIs. In the circle, she went 9-4 with a 1.58 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 97.1 innings of work en route to being named Florida’s District 1 5A Player of the Year.
Rosario has also played for the West Florida Elite travel team, batting .356 with 22 runs scored and was 14-2 with a 2.26 ERA in 2013. She chose to be a Seminole over offers from Jacksonville, South Alabama and UWF among others.
Baker has been a four-time first team All-Big Bend and two-time first team All-State selection for the Chiles Timberwolves. A .442 hitter with eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 15 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 2013, Baker was named Chiles’ Offensive MVP, an award she also won in 2012.
She has played for Team North Florida since 2009, a travel team that placed ninth at the 2012 16U ASA Nationals. Baker has deep ties at Florida State, with her mom, Julie Larsen-Baker, having played for FSU in the 80’s. Her father has worked with the FSU Baseball program for 30 years and is currently the Director of Baseball Operations.
McCormack comes to Tallahassee as a powerful hitter from St. John’s, Fla. A two-time All-Conference selection, she set a new school record in 2013 with 12 home runs as she went on to receive All-State honors.
She has also been a member of the Florida Storm Gold Shepherd team for several years and finished 25th at the 2013 ASA Gold Nationals. McCormack has led the team in home runs, slugging and batting average each of the last four seasons. She had been recruited by Arkansas, FAU and FIU, among others.
McReynolds is another solid offensive player that will look to make an immediate impact for the ‘Noles. She has played six years of varsity softball for Lake Highland and was named the Offensive MVP the past three seasons. McReynolds has also been a member of the Highlanders’ swimming and golf teams.
McReynolds has also played for the Windermere Wildfire travel team. The Wildfire has been ranked the No. 1 18U team in Florida the past two years. She had offers from Furman, South Carolina and Harvard, among others.
“With the ability that we have this season to continue to push the next levels of being a top-10 program, we are very confident that Mo, Jessica, Korina, Katie, Savannah and Megan are going to come in here and continue to work toward those goals and build on that foundation,” added Alameda.
While we are still a year away from seeing these six players wear the Garnet and Gold, the 2014 team opens their season in three months with a tournament on February 7-9, 2014 at New Mexico State.
Stay tuned to Seminoles.com as well as Florida State softball’s Twitter handle (@FSU_Softball) and Facebook page (Facebook.com/FSUsoftball) to keep up with all the offseason coverage heading into the 2014 season.
