Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Signs Five to National Letters of Intent
12/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Dec. 3, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan announced today (Dec. 3) the signing of five future Wildcats to National Letters of Intent. Sammy Albanese (Belmont, Calif./Castilleja), Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park), Mari Majam (Pine Valley, Calif./Mountain Empire), Jenny Tyler (Glendale, Ariz./Deer Valley) and Lauren Tyndall (Edmond, Okla./Edmond Memorial) comprise the class, which will matriculate to Evanston in the fall of 2010.
"On behalf of the Northwestern Softball family, we welcome Sammy, Marisa, Mari, Jenny and Lauren, and their families, to our program," Drohan said. "Our families have chosen each other because we share the same vision -- to get the very best collegiate education in an environment that will support and challenge these young women in our daily commitment to win a National Championship. My staff and I are very excited about the future of our program."
Albanese won the 2009 ASA 18U Gold Nationals with her club team, Sorcerer Gold. She led all of California as a prep junior with a 0.06 ERA and 18.2 strikeouts per seven innings, earning herself a Faces in the Crowd entry in the May 11, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated.
"Simply put, Sammy is a competitor," Drohan said. "She has tremendous drive and focus in all areas of her life and because of that shear will, she has developed into one of the best pitchers in her class. Sammy has great spin and can efficiently break the ball on all planes. We are excited to hand her the ball."
Bast is rated one of the nation's top-10 shortstop recruits by OnDeck Softball and earned a top-10 junior rating from the Orange County Register. A three-time All-Century League selection, Bast has been her high school's offensive leader in every season of her prep career. She plays club with the SoCal Explosion Gold.
"Marisa is a dynamic player who has the ability to control the game both offensively and defensively," Drohan said. "She is a true leader on the field who plays with strong respect for the game and her teammates. Marisa is a right-handed power hitter with great hands in the infield. We are very excited about her incredible softball skill set and the intangibles she will add to our team."
Majam comes from a softball family with two sisters who have played at the Division I level. She has played 18U Gold club ball since the age of 14, helping SoCal Breakers Gold to 13th at the 2007 ASA Gold Nationals. With her high school team, Majam batted .545 with a 1.205 slugging percentage and .630 on-base percentage as a junior last season.
"Mari comes from a great softball family and it was clear to us very early on how well she understands the game," Drohan said. "Mari can play several different positions and she can change the complexion of the game from the left handed batters box with her power and her speed."
Tyler is a two-time all-state selection in Arizona who boasts big game experience, leading her team to the state semi-finals in 2008 and the title game in 2009. In her seven years of club ball with the Arizona Storm Gold, she has won ASA State and Hall of Fame titles while taking fifth at ASA Nationals in 2008.
"We are very excited Jenny chose Northwestern and she will have an immediate impact on our pitching staff," Drohan said. "She brings great speed and command of her pitches along with excellent poise. With Jenny's fierce work ethic, she will be a stand-out Big Ten pitcher."
Tyndall's background in competitive athletics is expansive, but she excels the most on the softball diamond. A 2009 all-state selection in Oklahoma, Tyndall's one year of club ball with Ultimate Gold yielded the 2008 18U state title and a top-10 finish at the 2008 18U Firecracker Open.
"Lauren is a true student-athlete," Drohan said. "Lauren excels in all areas academically from Chemistry to Art and has played nearly every sport invented. We knew right away that we wanted to see Lauren in purple and we are looking forward to the impact she will have on the culture of our program."
Complete bios for Northwestern's signees are as follows:
Sammy Albanese
Belmont, Calif./Castilleja
5-8 • P
High School: Three-time first-team high school all-American ... Also three-time all-state, West Bay Athletic League MVP, All-Mercury News Team and All-Daily News Team ... As a junior, led the state of California with a 0.06 ERA and 18.2 strikeouts per seven innings ... Through three seasons of high school, is 58-10 with 821 strikeouts, nine perfect games, 27 shutouts, an .096 opponent's batting average and a 0.38 ERA ... Career batting average is .561 with a 1.002 slugging percentage ... Appeared in the May 11, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated as a Face in the Crowd after fanning 37 of 47 batters in a 14-inning, 3-2 win ... High school has won the league title in all three of her seasons ... Plays club for Sorcerer Gold ... Won the 2009 ASA 18U Gold National Championship with the Socerer's ... Also won the 2008 Independence Day Tournament title in Boulder, Colo. ... Participated in seven ASA National Tournaments since the age of 10 ... Elected to student government in each of the past two years.
Personal: Born Samantha Leigh Albanese on 7/10/1992 ... Daughter of Craig and Laura Albanese ... Has a sister, Melanie ... Father played lacrosse at Washington & Lee University ... Has studied tap, jazz and modern dance for the past 13 years ... From the same hometown as NU pitching coach Tori Nyberg ... Chose Northwestern over California and Stanford ... Plans to major in finance or economics.
Marisa Bast
Orange, Calif./Villa Park
5-7 • IF
High School: Rated by OnDeck Softball as one of the nation's top-10 shortstop recruits ... Four-year starter at shortstop for high school, leading team in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBIs and runs scored as a sophomore and junior ... Batted .459, slugged .902 and had a .521 OBP as a junior ... Orange County Register top-10 junior, making the All-County All-Junior team ... All-Century League first team selection as a sophomore and junior ... Second-team choice as a freshman ... Has been team's offensive player of the year in all three of her high school seasons ... Also a two-time Most Outstanding Player of the Year winner and team MVP as a junior ... Also played a year Rated a OnDeck Softball top 2008 National Elite Futures Recruit, earning invitations to San Diego Elite Futures in 2007, TPS TOP96 in 2008 and Elite Sports Classic in 2008-09 ... Has played club with the So Cal Explosion Gold for two years ... Coached by Joe Weddle ... Team placed 25th at the 2009 ASA Gold Nationals ... National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation member ... AP Scholar ... Magna Cum Laude ... Has earned the Renaissance Award, honor roll and scholar athlete status all four years of high school ... National Society of High School Scholars member and People-to-People Student Ambassador.
Personal: Born Marisa Kiyomi Bast on 2/3/1993 ... Daughter of Mike and Patti Bast ... Chose Northwestern over Stanford, Notre Dame, San Diego, Princeton and Virginia ... Anticipated major is undecided.
Mari Majam
Pine Valley, Calif./Mountain Empire
5-4 • U
High School: All-San Diego CIF Division 4 and All-Coastal South League first time selection from 2007-09 ... San Diego Tribune All-Academic first team in 2009 ... Team's Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and Team MVP in 2009 ... Batted .545 with a 1.205 slugging percentage and .630 on-base percentage as a junior ... Has played club with the SoCal Breakers Gold since 2006 ... Team tied for 13th at the 2007 ASA 18U Gold Nationals, tied for fifth at the 2008 Boulder Independence Day Tournament and tied for 33rd at the 2009 ASA 18U Gold Nationals ... Class valedictorian and Honors Society member ... 2009 Junior Banner Bearer ... Editor of high school yearbook and president of Youth For Christ (2008-09 and 2009-10) ... Member of BEWISE (Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering).
Personal: Born Mari Kalina Majam on 4/15/1992 ... Daughter of Ros and Pat Majam ... Sister, Allison, plays softball at Colorado State and sister, Kelly, plays softball at Hawaii ... Father, Ros, played baseball at San Diego State ... Chose Northwestern over Hawaii, Missouri, Colorado State and Stanford ... Plans to major in engineering.
Jenny Tyler
Glendale, Ariz./Deer Valley
5-8 • P
High School: Two-time all-state selection and three-time all-region first team honoree ... All-Big City team ... Recorded 126 strikeouts in 98 innings in 2007, compiled 186 in 111 innings in 2008 and 164 in 108 innings in 2009 ... Had a 0.45 ERA and a .385 batting average in 2009 ... High school has won the regional championship in all three of her seasons, making the state semifinals in 2008 and the title game in 2009 ... Also ran four years of cross country and played two years of soccer ... Played seven years of club with the Arizona Storm Gold ... ASA State and Hall of Fame champions ... Took fifth at ASA Nationals in 2008 ... Member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society and Principal's List.
Personal: Born Jennifer Breanne Tyler on 8/4/1992 ... Daughter of Brian and Patty Tyler ... Has two sisters who also are collegiate athletes ... Chose Northwestern over Virginia, Stanford and Alabama ... Plans to pursue pre-medicine studies.
Lauren Tyndall
Edmond, Okla./Edmond Memorial
5-9 • OF
High School: Batted .434 with a .651 slugging percentage and .510 on-base percentage in 2009 ... Edmond Memorial home run leader, All-Region 8 outfield and all-state selection in 2009 ... All-Star Triple Crown team, All-Edmond second-team and Mid-state honorable mention in 2008 ... All-Edmond honorable mention and team home run leader in 2007 ... Academic Achievement Award in 2007-09 ... Has played one year of club with Ultimate Gold, winning the 2008 18U state title and finishing in the top-10 at the 2008 18U Firecracker ... Finished in the top-5 with a 14U team at the Colorado Fireworks in 2007 ... National Honor Society, 2009 Latin Outstanding Student and 2009 Scholastics Silver Key Award ... 2008 Outstanding Pre-AP Chem student, Outstanding Performance in the Visual Arts and National Society of High School Scholars ... Four years on the honor roll.
Personal: Born Lauren Katherine Tyndall on 3/26/1992 ... Daughter of Robert and Karen Tyndall ... Has participated competitively in sailing, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, basketball, soccer and gymnastics as a youth ... Chose Northwestern over Stanford and Florida State ... Plans to major in engineering.
