KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan head softball coach Kathy Leitke has announced the signing of five future Broncos to National Letters of Intent on Thursday, Dec. 1. Logan Carter (Fenton, Mich. /Fenton), Samantha Coffel (Orland Park, Ill. /Carl Sandburg), Sophia Ehlers (Granville, Ohio /Granville), Reily Galloway (Laporte, Ind. /Laporte) and Sydney Stefanick (Johnstown, Ohio /Ohio).
 
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"I am excited about the blend of strengths in this 2017 class and the quality individuals that we have joining us," commented WMU head coach Kathy Leitke. "They each possess a combination of physical strengths and competitiveness that we look forward to having in our program.  All of them have been standout players on their respective teams and I look forward to each of them staying hungry to be the best players in our program as well.  This will be the key factor as to how soon they have an impact in our program.  They all are quality people from good families and have had experience in winning programs and even championships."
 
Logan Carter / Fenton, Mich. / Fenton / R/R / C
Three-year letter winner in softball at Fenton Senior High School … plays travel ball with Finesse Fastpitch … two-time District champion … two-time Flint Metro League champion … 2014 All-League Honorable Mention … 2015 All-League Second Team … 2016 All-League First Team … First Team All-State … Fenton Softball Offensive Player of the Year … holds the MHSAA homerun record in a single game and the homerun record in a season … career high 153 put outs … career high 11 HR … career high 48 RBIs … career high .495 AVG … daughter of Daniel and Sherri Carter.
 
Leitke on Carter: "Logan is a confident player that keeps growing her game and we are excited about seeing that in our program as well.  She has been a consistent force in the box and behind the plate. She has been a key part of her high school and travel teams that will continue to push her to higher performance standards.  Logan prides herself on doing things well and seems to keep upping her game at each level."
 
Samantha Coffel / Orland Park, Ill. / Carl Sandburg / R/R / OF
Three-year letter winner in softball at Carl Sanburg … plays travel ball with the Illinois Sparks … helped her high school team to an overall 55-16 fall and spring season in 2016 … 2016 member of the sectional and regional championship team at Carl Sanburg … 2016 All-Southwest Suburban Conference … 2016 honored to the All-Region team … All-State recognition in 2016 … National Honor Society Member … daughter of Jill who played softball at Northern Illinois and was a member of the U.S. National Team (1985 – '95).
 
Leitke on Coffel: "Sam has a quiet demeanor but carries a strong bat and is a true outfielder. She is aggressive in the outfield defensively and in the batter's box. She comes from a travel program that is hard-nosed and played a key role having experience in winning a 16U PGF Platinum National Championship. Sam and is a player we know will keep working at her game to be the best and has the ability to make a definite impact in our program."  

Sophia Ehlers / Granville, Ohio / Granville / R/R / 3B/SS
Three-year letter winner in softball at Granville in Granville, Ohio … plays travel ball with Cincy Static 18u …  2015 Licking County League First Team … 2015 Ohio Central District Second Team … 2015 Newark Advocate First Team … 2015 Columbus Dispatch Honorable Mention … 2016 Licking County League Second Team … member of the 2014 Granville softball state finalist … member of the 2015 Granville softball state champions … two year letter winner in soccer at Granville … two-time soccer state runner up … two-time Granville High School Merit winner … two-time Granville High School Honor Roll member … daughter of Alan and Gina Ehlers.
 
Leitke on Ehlers: "Sophia is a strong, versatile athlete that plays the game in an aggressive manner. She primarily excels in the infield defensively but is capable of outfield play as well.  Sophia has been a consistent threat in the batter's box.  Her athleticism and determination has been instrumental in her soccer and softball teams advancing to the state championship finals (Softball State Champs in 2015). 
 
Reily Galloway / Laporte, Ind. / Laporte / R/R / P
Three-year letter winner in softball at Laporte High School … players travel ball with Michiana Mystique … 2016 All-State First Team … 2016 All-Conference … 2016 Laporte Softball MVP … recorded 308 strikeouts in 2016 junior season … daughter of Greg and Sandy Galloway.
 
Leitke on Galloway: "Reily displays a strong pitching presence in the circle.  She is in the early stages of taking her game to the highest level.  She has used good speed and movement to dominate hitters this past season and we look forward to her taking it up a notch this year. We are excited about her joining our team and feel she will be a force in our pitching staff."
 
Sydney Stefanick / Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown / R/R / P/UTL
Three-year letter winner in softball at Johnstown High School … plays travel ball with Cincinnati Static Elite … member of the 2016 Johnstown softball district and regional champions … member of the 2016 DIII State Final Four Johnstown softball team … three-time LCL All-Conference First Team … two-time JMHS Varsity Team MVP … 2015 Ohio Underclass Fastpitch All Star Central District … 2016 received Johnstown HS Award of Distinction … Newark Advocate Licking Memorial Athlete of the Week on May 10, 2016 … Columbus Dispatch Athlete of the Week in 2016 … averaged .516 batting average with 47 RBIs and a 1.1 ERA in 2015 … also lettered in basketball at Johnstown … daughter of Julie and Steve Stefanick.
 
Leitke on Stefanick: "Sydney is an overall great athlete.  She is a competitor in the circle but also gets it done in the batter's box.  She has good movement and speed and does whatever it takes to keep hitters off of the bases.  Sydney has a lot of power that can help our offensive line-up.  Sydney has experience of leading teams in strong post-season finishes and we look for her to contribute to Western Michigan in that same manner."