Coach Berg Welcomes Six Signees to Oregon State Softball

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Six Signees to Oregon State Softball

(CORVALLIS, Ore.) - Oregon State head softball coach Laura Berg has announced a six-player signing class.

They are: Jenna Birch (Loomis, Calif./Del Oro HS), Madyson Clark (Claremont, Calif./Claremont HS), Kaiea Higa (Maple Valley, Wash./Tahoma HS), Morgan Howey (Arcadia, Calif./Arcadia HS), Shaylen McDowell (Roseville, Calif./Roseville HS) and Sydney Saenz (El Paso, Texas/Americas HS), all have signed their National Letters of Intent.

Birch, a right-handed infielder, hit .368 with nine home runs, six doubles and 26 runs batted in during her junior season at Del Oro High School. Birch is ranked 34th amongst the 2022 overall prospects and was a member of the California Breeze club team that finished second at USA Nationals in July 2020.

The Loomis, Calif. native was also named All-League first team (2019,2021), All-Sacramento Metro First Team and Cal Hi Sports – All State Underclassman in 2021. Birch chose OSU because of the campus, coaches and players and knew she wanted to spend her college career in Corvallis.

Clark preps at Claremont High School and plays travel ball with the California Cruisers. The right-handed short stop was named First-Team All-League and Division Four All-CIF Southern Section during her junior season.

Clark got it done in the classroom as well after being named to the Honor Roll every year in high school. The Claremont, Calif. native chose OSU because of the campus' atmosphere and community along with the degree opportunity Oregon State provides.

Higa, a right-handed infielder, is ranked 29th by the 2022 Extra Elite 100 Player rankings and played in the PGF Futures All-American game in 2021. The Tahoma High School all-time and single-season home run record holder was named All-State First Team, MaxPreps Freshman All-America, the News Tribune – All-Area First Team and was a member of the Seattle Times All-Star Team. Higa chose OSU because not only is it the best college town in the Pac-12 but she enjoys the coaching staff.

Howey hit .538 for Arcadia High School during her junior season with 41 runs batted in and 32 runs scored in 22 games, adding 11 extra base hits and two home runs. She was named First Team All-League and All-Area along with an All-CIF South Section Division 3 nod. Howey was named the top hitter in the 2021 Alliance 16U Tier 1 National Championships and helped her club team finish third at the 2021 Boulder IDT 16U.

In the classroom, Howey has been a member of the Honor Roll since freshman year. Howey chose OSU because of the academic opportunities along with the opportunity to compete at the highest level of softball with the amazing coaching staff.

McDowell, the speedster, hit .507 with 10 doubles, 16 stolen bases, four home runs and 28 runs batted in during her junior campaign with Roseville High School. The team's most valuable player led the league in batting average, stolen bases, RBI and on-base percentage to help her team win the league title and earn All-League first team last season.

She chose OSU because of the overall school environment, community and college town while having the degree she wants to pursue and the Oregon State softball program.

Saenz is coming off a junior season in which she hit .540 with 12 home runs, 16 extra base hits, and 47 runs batted after batting .381 as a sophomore with five home runs and 22 RBI. In 2021, she was named third team All-State, helping Americas to a 22-8 overall record and 16-5 league record to claim Bi-District and Area Champions in the state of Texas.

In the classroom, Saenz is a member of the National and Spanish Honor Society along with being an AVID President and A/B Honor Roll. She chose OSU because of the beautiful and welcoming campus and is excited to play for the softball program.

Source: Oregon State Athletics