Northwestern University Athletics
Kaley Winegarner Signs With The Wildcats
4/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan announced today the addition of Kaley Winegarner (Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica) to the incoming Class of 2019 after the talented pitcher accepted an offer of admission to attend Northwestern.
Winegarner joins Paulina Anasis (Santa Ana, Calif./Canyon), Kenzie Ellis (Indianola, Iowa/Indianola), Morgan Nelson (Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Prep Academy) and Lily Novak (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) to finalize an outstanding class of incoming Wildcats.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kaley Winegarner into the Northwestern softball family," Drohan said. "She is a talented and proven pitcher who has won championships on the biggest stages with both the OC Batbusters program and Pacifica High School. Kaley's commitment puts the finishing touches on an incoming class of truly remarkable young women who will impact our program for years to come."
Winegarner has won the 16u and 18u PGF national championships, the 2012 and 2013 Boulder Independence Tournaments and the 12u ASA national championship as a member of the OC Batbusters. With Pacifica High School, Winegarner pitched her team to the 2014 CIF Division I championship.
Winegarner will form a 1-2 punch in the circle alongside classmate Ellis, who is a power pitcher in the small-town, Midwestern vein of current NU junior Kristen Wood. A starting varsity pitcher at Indianola High School as an eighth grader, Ellis led her high school to a state title as a freshman before focusing solely on club ball following the 2013 season.
Winegarner is a current club teammate with Anasis, an infielder who led Canyon High School to the CIF semifinals in 2014. Named by the Orange County Register as both a top-five freshman and sophomore in softball-rich Orange County, Anasis has averaged a .398 clip at the plate with 22 runs, 26 RBIs and four home runs per high school season.
Nelson, who rounds out the original three NLI signees in this class, brings an incredible athleticism as the Arizona state 100-meter track champion and bronze medal winner in the long jump while finishing second in the state with her high school's sand volleyball team. Her father, Wayne, who played baseball in college, has trained her since she was four years old.
Novak joined the Class of 2019 when she accepted an offer of admission in January. Novak -- a local Winnetka, Ill., product who described Northwestern as her dream school since she was four-years-old -- has a .425 career batting average and was named her school's Defensive Player of the Year while patrolling the middle infield.
Winegarner's commitment this month completes the class. Her full bio is below.
Kaley Winegarner
5-9 • P • R/R
Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica
High School: Six-year veteran of the OC Batbusters club program, winning the 16u and 18u PGF national championships, the 2012 and 2013 Boulder Independence Tournaments and the 12u ASA national championship ... 2012 Max Preps Freshman All-American ... Empire League Pitcher of the Year ... ESPN Rise All-State second team ... 2012 OC Varsity all-county, All-Empire League and Pacifica Rookie of the Year ... Pacifica won the 2014 CIF Division I championship ... High school also won the Empire League in 2011, was a 2012 CIF Southern Section quarterfinalist and 2013 CIF Southern Section semifinalist ... Compiled a 23-6 record with a 1.12 ERA, 236 strikeouts and 16 shutouts in her high school career ... Also was a varsity swimmer with Pacifica ... Principal honor roll member from 2012-15 ... Won the student scholar athlete award in 2012.
Personal: Born Kaley Nicole Winegarner ... Daughter of Trisha Winegarner and Craig Winegarner ... High school teammate of current Wildcat Brooke Marquez and club teammate with future Wildcats classmate Paulina Anasis ... Chose Northwestern over Auburn, Texas A&M, Stanford, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, Baylor, LSU and Washington ... Career interests include marketing.
