By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With Danielle Penner's first season in the books at the helm of the Tennessee Tech softball program, she's looking to fill some important needs on the roster. With the additions of transfers Sofia Carroll, Kassidy Harper, Sydney Kirby, Lennon Spicer and Payton Wagner, the Golden Eagles will add strong bats and capable arms in the circle for the 2024 campaign.
Carroll, who comes to Cookeville after a season at Seattle, played outfielder and saw action in eight games as a pinch runner in 2022, scoring seven runs. In prep play, she helped her Brea Olinda High team qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation tournament in 2019.
As a junior in 2021, Carroll posted a .377 batting average, then improved her numbers as a senior, hitting .494. She was the team's offensive player of the year in 2021 and 2022, while also earning first-team All-League and MVP honors.
Harper, who was a utility player with time behind the plate as catcher and in the infield as a shortstop, hit .374 last season as a member of the Southwestern Community College team. She was a first-team all-conference selection and won the team's Jaguar Award.
She lettered for three seasons at Santana High School in California and put up fantastic numbers. In her freshman campaign in 2019, she batted .441 with a .974 fielding mark. Following the COVID-blanked year of 2020, she returned as a junior with a .391 average and a flawless 1.000 fielding mark. In her senior season, Harper batted .420 and had a .983 fielding percentage, while also hitting eight home runs, 11 doubles and three triples among 34 hits, while driving in 32.
Harper was a first-team all-league pick in 2021 and 2022, while she was the All-East County MVP in 2022 to go with a first-team selection. She played club ball with PowerSurge.
Kirby, who was born in Cookeville, played two seasons at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, and put together tremendous numbers as the first baseman batted a combined .406 with 72 RBI, 48 runs scored, 12 home runs, a .496 on-base percentage and a .761 slugging percentage. This past season, Kirby ranked in the top 50 nationally in doubles (21, 36th), on-base percentage (.558, 19th), walks (31, 33rd) and was 52nd in batting average (.462).
With a .993 fielding percentage at first base, she was selected by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner for the NJCAA Division I level and a West All-Region first-team pick. She was also a second-team all-conference selection by the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference.
In 2022, she helped led MCC to a NTJCAC championship, a Region V North championship and a NJCAA Division I runner-up finish. MCC was also selected as the 2022 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.
In both of her seasons at MCC, she was an Academic All-Conference selection and a NJCAA first-team Academic All-American. In her sophomore campaign in 2023, she was named to the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District.
In high school at Cypress Woods High in Cypress, Texas, Kirby posted a career .399 batting average with 112 hits, 25 doubles, six triples, 10 stolen bases and 91 RBI. She had 43 RBI during her sophomore campaign.
Spicer is a name familiar to those who follow Ohio Valley Conference softball as the Charlotte, Tenn., native comes to Tech by way of a three-year stint at Morehead State. Recognized as an OVC Pitcher of the Week during conference competition in her career, Spicer has 16 wins overall with a 4.43 ERA. She has compiled 204 total strikeouts. Spicer also has 35 complete games in 75 appearances with four shutouts and one save to her credit.
During her prep days at Creek Wood High School, Spicer helped lead the team to two district titles in 2018 and 2019, a region championship in 2019 and third-place finishes during the TSSAA Spring Fling tournaments in 2017 and 2019. As a junior in 2019, Spicer recorded a career-best 1.53 earned run average, while also hitting .413 with eight home runs and 32 RBI. The previous year, Spicer also hit 11 home runs and drove in 42 RBI.
Spicer played on the club level for So Cal Athletics.
Wagner comes to Cookeville after two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson University. In the circle, she posted a 2-8 record with a career 4.22 earned run average as she walked 31 and struck out 37. In limited plate appearances with the Knights, she had three hits and an RBI, while also coming around to score nine times.
A native of Simi Valley, Calif., Wagner had solid numbers on the prep level as she batted over .300 all four seasons as a shortstop and outfielder. She was a first-team all-league selection twice and was the grouping's Most Valuable Player in 2021. Wagner helped lead Chaminade College Preparatory School to a California Interscholastic Federation championship in 2018.
Wagner recorded a prep-career 2.55 earned run average, while also compiling a .928 fielding percentage. She ranked third in the Mission League in slugging percentage with a .808 mark.
On the club level, she competed with Athletics Jendro.
