DETROIT -- Wayne State University head softball coach Gary Bryce, who will embark on his 38th season leading the Warrior softball program this spring, has signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the signing period last month.

Joining the WSU softball program in the fall of 2019 will be Becky Hodder (Orangeville, Ont.), Gabby Kaple (Galion, Ohio), Emily Morrow (Rochester, Mich.), Brooke Nadolny (Clinton Twp., Mich. / L'Anse Creuse) and Breanna Paolatto (Belle River, Ont.).

"We are looking forward to working with our five new recruits," said Bryce.  "They are versatile and will continue to help us move forward with our softball program."

Hodder is a 5-4 left-handed hitting catcher, who will graduate this spring from Orangeville District Secondary School.  She also played rugby for the Bears, and served as a team captain.  Hodder played summer ball for the Toronto Fastpitch Club, where she batted .485 with a .564 on-base percentage.  Hodder earned Academic Honor Roll recognition each of her first three years.  Becky is the daughter of Woodrow and Shelley Hodder and plans to major in Kinesiology.



Kaple is a 5-5 left-handed hitting outfielder, who will graduate this spring from Galion High School.  She will be a four-year letterwinner for the Tigers.  Kaple batted .482 as a junior with eight doubles and 12 stolen bases in 22 games.  She earned All-District accolades each of her first three seasons (Honorable Mention in 2016, First Team in 2017, and Second Team in 2018).  Kaple also earned three letters in basketball and received Second Team All-District recognition as a junior.  She served two years as a team captain in both softball and basketball.  A member of the National Honor Society, she was recognized with all A's each of her first three years at GHS.  Kaple played summer ball for Team Ohio Black, which compiled a 57-14-3 record.  She batted .527 in helping TOB to a runner-up finish at the USA Softball Eastern Championships after her squad won the Ohio Championships.  Gabby is the daughter of Greg and Missy Kaple and plans to major in Biomedical Engineering.



Morrow is a 5-9 utility player, who will graduate this spring from Rochester High School.  She will be a four-year varsity letterwinner for the Falcons, where she played for coach Laura Guzman, a former WSU letterwinner (2005-08).  Morrow batted .438 as a junior with six home runs to finish third in the league in batting.  She already is a three-time all-conference selection and also received Second Team All-District recognition following the 2018 campaign.  In addition, Morrow played basketball for RHS.  She served as a softball team captain as a junior.  Morrow played summer ball for Motor City and coach Rick Troy, where she batted .410 with four home runs as the starting third baseman.  Emily is the daughter of Bryan and Michele Morrow.  Her father is in the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame and is currently the Warriors men's tennis coach.  She is undecided on an academic major.



Nadolny is a 5-7 pitcher/infielder, who will graduate this spring from L'Anse Creuse High School.  She will be a four-year letterwinner for the Lancers.  Nadolny batted .521 as a junior with an MHSAA record 26 home runs and a 1.286 slugging percentage in helping LACHS to a 29-8 record and its third consecutive Macomb Area Conference (MAC) Division title.  She compiled a 10-3 pitching mark in 2018 with 113 strikeouts in 91.1 innings.  Nadolny hit .583 as a sophomore with a then MHSAA record 22 home runs, a 1.343 slugging percentage and a .638 on-base percentage along with a 4-4 record as a pitcher with 52 strikeouts in 2017.  She batted .421 as a freshman with six home runs, while compiling a 6-3 mark in the circle with 47 strikeouts.  Nadolny earned All-Region and All-District accolades each of her first three seasons.  She has also earned two letters in volleyball and received Academic All-MAC recognition each season.  Nadolny, who served as a softball team captain as a junior, already is a three-time Academic All-State selection and is a member of the National Honor Society.  She played summer ball for the Michigan Batbusters and coach Jim Beard, where she batted .466 with 14 home runs in the summer of 2018 helping the Batbusters to a 25-11-2 record.  Nadolny also struck out 154 batters in 173 innings, while compiling a 21-9 record.  Brooke is the daughter of Steven and Karen Nadolny and plans to major in Sports Marketing or Management.



Paolatto is a 5-9 shortstop, who will graduate this spring from St. Anne Catholic High School.  She played summer ball for the Windsor Wildcats and coach Rob Drouillard.  Her squad was the silver medalists at both the 2018 Ontario qualifier and the 2018 Canadian Nationals.  Paolatto lettered in basketball for SACHS, and served as a team captain.  She also received Academic Honor Roll recognition.  Breanna is the daughter of Darren and Connie Paolatto and plans to major in Psychology.



Wayne State begins its 2019 campaign at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. on Feb. 8.  After the five games in the Sunshine State, WSU will play five contests at the Lewis Dome Invitational in Chicago from Feb. 22-24.  The Warriors commence league play on March 20th at home against Ferris State.