By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Now with a full season under her belt, Tennessee Tech softball head coach Michelle DePolo took stock of the Golden Eagle roster and looked for pieces to start the team back skyward.
Scouring the region and beyond, DePolo found several players she felt would make a great fit with what is presently on the roster to make a push for the team's 13th Ohio Valley Conference championship and eighth NCAA Regional appearance.
The newcomers include:
Tyler Erwin (P, Wilsonville, Ala.) – A standout at Chelsea High School, Erwin was a highly decorated player, earning nods as the Alabama High School Athletic Association Athlete of the Week, a pick to the All-County team and a selection to the Birmingham Region High School Softball Terrific 20. Erwin was named to the ASWA All-State and All-South Metro teams, while also taking home the Kool 96.9 Chelsea Girls Diamond Award and the Chelsea Varsity Slugger Award. She helped lead her team to a championship in the Stanhope-Elmore Tournament as well as an Area 8 championship.
In her fall travel ball campaign, she batted .510 with nine homers and 20 RBI, collecting a .509 on-base percentage. She also had a 1.40 ERA in the circle. In the spring season, she posted a 2.40 earned run average with 156 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched. She was also a force at the plate, driving in 46 and hit eight home runs among a .433 batting average.
Makayli Harris (OF, Eastover, N.C.) – With three years at Jack Britt HS, Harris earned all-region, all-district and all-state honors, while also being named a Golden Glove and Offensive Player of the Year. Harris also helped lead the JBHS team to an NCHSAA 4A state championship.
After missing her junior season to injury, Harris transferred to Berean Baptist Academy, which did not have a softball program. Harris continued to play in travel ball and came back in a big way, collecting a .486 batting average with five home runs and 12 stolen bases. She also posted .519 on-base and .986 fielding percentages in her fall travel season.
Jordan Key (UTIL, Cookeville, Tenn.) – A standout at Livingston Academy for former Tennessee Tech catcher (2002-2005) and Lady Wildcat head coach Kacy Bennett, Key helped lead LA to a District 8-AA title, while claiming numerous district awards, including Freshman of the Year, All-District, Defensive Player of the Year and tournament MVP. Key was also named to the TNSCA Middle Tennessee All-Star team and All-State, while also picked to the Rocky Top West All-Star Team. She also helped lead the Tennessee Mojo club team to the ASA National Championship and won the USA Jo Cup national title.
This past season, she batted .500 with a .571 on-base percentage, while collecting 20 RBI, 29 runs, three home runs, 10 doubles and a triple. She ended her prep career with 154 total hits and 67 RBI. She is the sister of Jarrett Key, who currently plays for the Golden Eagle football team.
Abby Buettner (UTIL, Denton, Texas) – A transfer from Maryland, Buettner put together a fantastic prep career at Billy Ryan High as she was a three-time MaxPreps All-American, while also earning a trio of appearances on the TSCA All-State team, Texas Sports Writers Association All-State team and the Dallas Morning News and Dallas-Fort Worth All-Area teams. Earning district defensive player of the year and Denton Record-Chronicle Offensive Player of the Year honors, Buettner set career records in hits, home runs, RBI, doubles, batting average and on-base percentage, while standing second in program history in triples and stolen bases.
She ended her prep career with a .608 batting average, 156 runs scored, 48 doubles, 12 triples, 32 home runs, 254 RBI, 122 stolen bases and 43 intentional walks.
Kaylan Cole (UTIL/P, Newport, Tenn.) – A transfer from Tennessee, Cole was part of a talented Lady Vols team. She saw action in nine games, recording a .200 average with an RBI and four runs scored among her five plate appearances.
The former The King's Academy standout was a highly-decorated player, earning three Knoxville News Sentinel All-PrepXtra team selections, three all-county selections with two MVP nods, three all-district picks, three all-region team and two MVP honors, and was a three-time all-state selection. She led her team to two state championships.
A Gatorade Player of the Year nominee, Cole collected an 84-11 record in her three-year career with a 2.06 ERA and 586 strikeouts. She also had tremendous numbers at the plate, hitting .490 with 134 RBI, 25 home runs, 38 doubles and 15 triples.
Sydney Dukes (UTIL, Knoxville, Tenn.) – A transfer from Walters State CC, Dukes finished the most recent season hitting .358 as she drove in 35 RBI, hit six home runs and stole five bases. She put up similar stats as a freshman with a .387 clip, 37 RBI, two homers and five steals.
At Hardin Valley Academy, Dukes helped lead the team to district and region titles in 2015 and 2016, while reaching the TSSAA state tournament in 2015. She batted .430 in her senior season with four home runs, an uptick from her junior campaign with a .385 average and four homers. Dukes was twice named all-district and earned TSCA all-state honors.
Savannah Talley (C, Carbondale, Ill.) – A transfer from Chattanooga State CC, Talley finished the 2021 campaign with a .425 batting average as she hit 15 home runs and 10 doubles. She also recorded a .533 on-base percentage. She was named the TCCAA Player of the Year and a third-team All-American, while also earning all-region second team and all-conference honors.
In high school at Carbondale Community High, Talley earned three first-team all-conference selections, as well as a conference MVP honor. The two-year team captain earned a pair of all-state picks and was named to the Southern Illinois Select team for three seasons. She helped lead the team to a regional championship in 2019, hitting .567 as a senior with nine home runs.
