Nov. 15, 2011

RUSTON - Louisiana Tech head coach Sarah Dawson announced Tuesday the addition of five high school prep stars to her program as Claudia Cantu, Anna Cross, Bailee Kaderka, Courtney Lowe and Kristen Miles all signed national letters of intent during the early period.

"I am excited about our 2012 class," Dawson said. "They are a group of young ladies who value and respect the tenants of our softball program. They have each excelled academically in high school and have separated themselves from their peers on the softball field."

Cantu (Celina, Texas/Celina HS) played centerfield and pitched for the Bobcats while helping lead the program to three straight district titles and the Texas 3A state title game as a freshman and junior.

"Claudia will come in and replace some of the talent we are graduating from our outfield at the end of this season," Dawson said. "She brings another left handed bat to our line up and a strong defensive presence."

She batted .479 with two home runs as a junior while earning all-district, all-state and all-state tournament team honors this past year. Cantu also lettered in volleyball and ran track at Celina winning the district title in the 1600-meters last year.

"The biggest factor is the trust the coaching staff had in me," Cantu said. "When I had my shoulder surgery, many of the schools recruiting me backed away. It is great knowing coach Dawson had faith that I would bounce back. Four girls from my travel ball team are already at Louisiana Tech as well as one of the sisters of one of my high school teammates. The traditional football town atmosphere is also appealing since I come from the high school with the most state titles in football."

Cross (Cross Roads, Texas/Cross Roads HS) has been an offensive force and one of the top pitchers during her career with the Bobcats as she helped lead the program to the District 21-1A title in 2009 and 2011.

"Anna is a great athlete," Dawson said. "She is strong, quick and a fast learner. She really impressed the staff at camp this last summer both at the plate and on the mound. Primarily Anna will be used as a pitcher but I also see her contributing at the plate."

As a junior, she batted .600 with eight doubles, four triples and six home runs while driving in 42 runs and scoring 34. She was 12-of-13 in stolen bases. She was named the District 21-1A Newcomer of the Year in 2009 and the MVP in 2010 and 2011. She is a two-time all-state selection who also lettered in volleyball, basketball, track and field and golf.

"I love the campus," Cross said. "I really fell in love with the softball program and the coaches. Louisiana Tech is the perfect sized school for me."

Kaderka (Keller, Texas/Keller HS) helped lead the Indians to the District 7-5A title in 2011 and the District 5-5A title in 2010 while doing her damage in the circle.

"Bailee is coming off a knee injury, but once she is healthy she will also bring depth to our pitching staff," Dawson said. "She also has the ability to play first and be a power producer at the plate."

She led Keller to a 32-7 record last year and the regional quarterfinals and was named all-district as both a sophomore and junior.

"I love the coaches," Kaderka said. "I fell in love with the community atmosphere. It's a smaller campus and that was a big factor in my decision. Louisiana Tech also offers kinesiology which is what I want to study."

Lowe (Junction City, Ark./Junction City HS) pitched and played infield for the Dragons while helping lead the program to the District 8-2A title the past three season. She also helped lead Junction City to the Arkansas 2A state title game in 2010.

"Courtney is a great local product," Dawson said. "She is another gifted athlete with a lot of promise. Courtney has grown so much in her skills and knowledge of the game over the last year and I know she will continue to blossom once we get her on campus. We look for Courtney to play a corner position for us."

She was named all-state for three straight years while being tabbed the El Dorado News Times Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011. Lowe batted .501 with 21 doubles, five home runs and 46 RBI as a junior while also scoring 40 runs.

"I chose Louisiana Tech because I've grown up watching them play," Lowe said. "I have always wanted to be a part of the program. It is a great school and the coaching staff is awesome."

Miles (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior HS) played outfield and second base for the Wildcats while helping the program capture the District 8-5A title and advance to the Texas 5A state semifinals and the Texas Region 1 championship as a junior. The team finished ranked nationally, including No. 10 in the NFCA and No. 14 in ESPN Rise.

"Kristen is another outfielder who will help fill gaps defensively for 2013," Dawson said. "She has explosive speed that will be a weapon in the outfield and will put a lot of pressure on the defense when she is at the plate."

As a junior, Miles batted .538 with a school record 85 hits. She scored 50 runs and was a perfect 26-of-26 in stolen bases. She was named NFCA 1st team all-region, Texas Sports Writers Association first team all-state and the District 8-5A Offensive Player of the Year.

"I chose Louisiana Tech because I wanted to play softball at a high level while pursuing my degree," Miles said. "After visiting the campus, I knew this is where I wanted to be."

Claudia Cantu

OF/Pitcher

Celina, Texas (Celina HS)

High School: Lettered three years for coach Billy Coleman at Celina High School in Texas ... Played centerfield and pitched for the Bobcats ... Helped lead the program to three straight district titles, including the 2009 and 2010 District 9-3A title and the 2011 District 10-3A title ... Led the Bobcats to the Texas 3A state championship game in 2009 and 2011, winning the title in 2011 ... Led Celina to a 34-6 record as a junior while batting .479 with two home runs ... Named honorable mention all-district as a freshman and junior ... Named honorable mention all-state in 2011 as well as honorable mention on the Texas Sports Writers Association team ... Named to the state all-tournament team ... Also played volleyball and ran track in high school ... Was the district champion in the 1600-meters with a time of 5:43 ... Named the Broadcasting Student of the Year in 2010-11 ... Played travel ball for Dan Adkins and the Texas Glory Gold ... Personal: Full name is Claudia Danielle Cantu ... Daughter of Vicki and Steve Cantu ... Has two sisters, Grace and Sarah ... Born Nov. 23, 1993 in Greenville, Texas.

"The biggest factor is the trust the coaching staff had in me. When I had my shoulder surgery, many of the schools recruiting me backed away. It is great knowing Coach Dawson had faith that I would bounce back. Four girls from my travel ball team are already at Louisiana Tech as well as one of the sisters of one of my high school teammates. The traditional football town atmosphere is also appealing since I come from the high school with the most state titles in football."

Anna Cross

Pitcher/Infielder

Cross Roads, Texas (Cross Roads HS)

High School: Lettered four years for coach Steve Tardiff at Cross Roads High School in Texas ... Helped lead the Bobcats to the District 21-1A title in 2009 and 2011 and a third place finish in the state tournament in 2010 ... As a junior, batted .600 with eight doubles, four triples and six home runs ... Scored 34 runs and drove in 42 ... Was 12-of-13 on stolen bases ... Named the District 21-1A Newcomer of the Year in 2009 ... Named the District 21-1A MVP in 2010 and 2011 ... Named the Player of the Year for Henderson County in 209 and 2010 ... Named all-state in 2011 ... Named to the 2010 All-East Texas Team ... Lettered four years in volleyball , two years in basketball, two years in track and three years in golf ... Named the 2009 District 21-1A MVP Hitter in volleyball ... Named All-Henderson County in 2009 in volleyball ... Named all-state in 2009 and 2010 in volleyball ... Named first team all-district in basketball in 2008 ... Played travel ball for coach David Cotton and the ASA A Nationals for three years ... Personal: Full name is Anna Elizabeth Cross ... Daughter of John Cross and Alison Bristow ... Has two sisters, Lorin and Lindsey ... Born July 19, 1994 in Athens, Texas.

"I love the campus. I really fell in love with the softball program and the coaches. Louisiana Tech is the perfect sized school for me."

Bailee Kaderka

Pitcher

Keller, Texas (Keller HS)

High School: Lettered three years for coach Lindsay Strong and Keller High School ... Helped lead the Indians to the District 7-5A title in in 2011 and the District 5-5A title in 2010 ... Also helped lead the program to the bi-district and area championship ... Led Keller to the regional quarterfinals ... Named second team all-district as a junior and honorable mention all-district as a sophomore ... Played travel ball for the DBAT Mustangs Chambers and coach Scott Chambers ... Personal: Full name is Bailee Ann Kaderka ... Daughter of Kim and Rodney Kaderka ... Has one sister, Dylann ... Born July 3, 1994 in Arlington, Texas.

"I love the coaches. I fell in love with the community atmosphere. It's a smaller campus and that was a big factor in my decision. Louisiana Tech also offers kinesiology which is what I want to study."

Courtney Lowe

Pitcher/Infielder

Junction City, Ark. (Junction City HS)

High School: Lettered three years for coach Kendall Hutcheson and coach Steve Burroughs at Junction City High School ... Helped lead the Dragons to the District 8-2A title in 2009, 2010 and 2011 ... Also led the program to the Arkansas 2A state runner-up title and the Arkansas South Region championship in 2010 ... Named Arkansas 2A all-state three straight years ... Named the El Dorado Times Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011 ... Named All-Arkansas by the Arkansas Democratic Gazette in 2010 and 2011 ... Named All-District 8-2A in 2010 and 2011 ... Batted .501 with 21 doubles, five home runs and 46 RBI as a junior ... Also scored 40 runs ... Played travel ball for the American Freedom Gold and coach Alyson Trout ... Personal: Full name is Courtney Nicole Lowe ... Daughter of Robby and Ellen Lowe ... Has one brother, Joseph ... Born Sept. 21, 1993 in El Dorado, Arkansas.

"I chose Louisiana Tech because I've grown up watching them play. I have always wanted to be a part of the program. It is a great school and the coaching staff is awesome."

Kristen Miles

Outfielder/Second Base

Plano, Texas (Plano Senior HS)

High School: Lettered four years for coach Cynthia Zea at Plano Senior High School ... Played outfield and second base for the Wildcats ... Helped lead the program to the District 8-5A title, the Texas 5A state semifinals and the Texas Region I championship as a junior ... Team finished ranked nationally in numerous polls, including No. 10 in National Fastpitch Coaches Association and No. 14 in ESPN Rise ... Also finished third in Texas in the Texas Girls Coaches Association ... As a junior, batted .538 with 85 hits, 50 runs and 27 RBI ... Was a perfect 26-of-26 in stolen bases ... The 85 hits was a school single season record ... Named NFCA 1st team all-region ... Named Texas Sports Writers Association 5A 1st team all-state and 5A state all-tournament team ... Named to the Dallas-Ft. Worth all-area team ... Named All-VYPE softball first team and the District Offensive Player of the Year ... Earned the program's MVP and Defensive POY award and Wildcat Team Leadership Award ... Named a NFCA Scholar Athletes three straight years ... Played travel ball for the Texas Glory and coach Kevin Shelton ... Personal: Full name is Kristen Miles ... Daughter of Tom and Janet Miles ... Has one brother, Shawn ... Has two sisters, Nikki and Katie ... Born Dec. 3, 1993 in Plano, Texas.

"I chose Louisiana Tech because I wanted to play softball at a high level while pursuing my degree. After visiting the campus, I knew this is where I wanted to be."