Lady Eagle Softball Signs Six During Early Signing Period

Nov. 21, 2007

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- - Southern Miss softball coach Howard Dobson announced the signing of six players, Ashley Razey of Lawrenceville, Ga., Britney Dinelt of Tacoma, Wash., Leslie LeJune of Houston, Texas, Casey Jo Matthews of Acworth, Ga., Stephanie Shiflet of Sugar Land, Texas and Chanell Thurman of Yuba City, Calif., to national letters of intent and grants in aid for the 2008-09 academic year.

"We are real excited about getting these individuals as our first official recruiting class for this staff," Dobson said. "With the talent we brought in, our team speed increases along with our power. We solidified our defense. These kids had a chance to go other places, but they decided to take a chance on Southern Miss to help build where we need to go."

Razey, a catcher and corner infielder, earned four letters in softball, two at Central Gwinnett High School and two at Buford High, where she helped lead the team to the 2007 AA State Championship. She batted .510 with 10 home runs and 47 runs batted in as a senior - all single-season records at Buford. She recorded a slugging percentage of .961 and an on-base percentage of .598. In her two seasons at Buford, Razey set the career records for batting average (.441), home runs (16), slugging percentage (.775) and on-base percentage (.515).

"Ashley is one of the better hitters in the country," Dobson said. "She can hit for average as well as with power. She was one of the players who were highly recruited and we are fortunate to get her. She can just hit, whether its good pitching, bad pitching - doesn't matter what kind it is - she can just hit."

Razey was named the 2007 Atlanta Journal Constitution Player of the Year and Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the Year and was selected for Sports Illustrated "Faces in the Crowd." She was tabbed a preseason "Super 6" and received Gainesville Times Athlete of the Week honors. She earned first-team all-county honors three times by the Gwinnett Diamond Club, honorable mention all-area by the Gainesville Times, and honorable mention all-state.

Razey, daughter of David and Kelly Razey, currently plays travel ball with the Gold Coast Hurricanes Gold (Fla.) for Coach Marty Cooper. Last summer, she played with the Georgia Elite Gold.

Dinelt, a shortstop, is a four-year letterwinner for Coach Ron Balmer at Woodrow Wilson High School, where she helped the team to three Narrows League championships. She earned all-Narrows League honors for three straight years and was tabbed the New Tribune all-area player as a sophomore and junior, while earning all-state honors.

"Britney is a very good athlete who can play the infield or outfield," said Dobson. "We look for her to play middle infield for us. She is a solid shortstop with good hands. She can hit for average. She will be solid defender for us up the middle, whether it's in the outfield, second base or shortstop."

Dinelt, daughter of Joe Dinelt and Tonya Mushallo, plays travel ball for the Washington Ladyhawks Gold for Coach J. T. D'Amico. She also earned three letters in volleyball.

LeJune, an outfielder, is a three-year letterwinner for Coach Tina Young at Memorial High School, where she batted .453 with 43 hits, including eight doubles, eight triples and a home run, which was a game-winning grand slam. She was named the 2006 Newcomer of the Year and helped lead her team to two undefeated district championships, earning district MVP honors. She also earned first team All-Greater Houston and was voted her team's captain.

"Leslie is a left-handed hitting outfielder, who has a cannon for an arm," Dobson said. "She is one who can do a little bit of everything. She can slap, bunt and also hit the ball out of the park. We are looking to put her in the middle of the lineup to where she becomes a pain for the defense to figure out how they want to play her."

LeJune, the daughter of Brian and Susan LeJune, currently plays travel ball with the Texas Storm-DeMarini Gold, batting .359 with 11 hits including two doubles and a triple.

Matthews, an outfielder, lettered four years in softball, one at Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, and three at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., for Coach Deanna Stewart. She batted .355 as a senior and helped her team to its second regional championship. She was voted her team's captain. As a sophomore, she led the team in batting with a .385 average and was a second team all-region selection.

"Casey Jo is a kid who can run," said Dobson. "She is an outfielder who has really good wheels. She will be able to steal some bases for us and put some pressure on the defense. She is a lefty-hitter who will help our team speed tremendously."

Matthews, daughter of Deron and Kelly Matthews, currently plays travel ball with the East Cobb Bullets Gold. She played for Georgia Xtreme Black in 2006, placing third in the ASA Nationals. She then played for Georgia Xtreme Gold and batted .406 with 57 hits, including 15 doubles and nine triples.

Shiflet, an outfielder, was a three-year letterwinner at Fort Bend Clements for Coach David McCorkle. She earned first team all-district honors as a sophomore and junior. An All-Greater Houston third-team member as a junior, Shiflet led Greater Houston in combined total stolen bases for the last three seasons with a total of 334 which includes high school and 18U Gold level play.

"Stephanie will come in and be the fastest player on our team," Dobson said. "She just adds more speed to our team. She can put pressure on the defense with her bunting and slapping. She can also stand in and swing away." Shiflet, daughter of Allan and Sherry Shiflet, currently plays travel ball for the Houston Power Gold for Coach John Glowacz, batting over .400 during her career.

Thurman, a middle infielder, is a three-year letterwinner at Sutter Union High School for Coach Raoul Singh. She led her team to a 25-7-1 record as a junior, batting .496 with 44 hits, including nine doubles, three triples and a team-leading six home runs with 40 runs batted in. She was a first team Butte Valley All-League honoree after leading the league in home runs and runs batted in. She also was named her team's outstanding offensive player. She finished her sophomore season with a .481 batting average with 25 hits, including five doubles, two triples and a home run with 21 runs batted in. Over the past three seasons, she owns a batting average of .409 with 97 hits and 17 runs batted in.

"Chanell is a big-time hitting, middle infielder," said Dobson. "She will be able to come and add power to the middle of our lineup, as well as being a solid defender. She has the potential for a huge upside with the way she hits and plays defense."

Thurman, daughter of Anthony and Erma Thurman, currently plays travel ball with the Capital City Comets Elite Gold for Coach Kirk Laux.