Softball Inks Pair of Signees
6/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss softball signed a pair of student-athletes to National Letters of Intent over the week, adding Lauren Holifield and Beth Taylor to the upcoming roster. Holifield joins the Golden Eagles after a two-year career at Jones County Junior College, while Taylor will be a true freshman from Robertsdale High School in Robertsdale, Ala.
Holifield was named the 2015 NJCAA Division II Softball Player of the Year, as well as First Team All-American and All-Region 23. She helped JCJC to a 41-6 overall record and a ranking no lower than No. 3 in the national polls. With 78 hits on the season, Holifield boasted a .503 batting average that ranked 16th in the nation and led Region 23 - earning her one of the region's two Marucci Elite Hitter awards. She led the NJCAA with 28 home runs and a 1.174 slugging percentage. Holifield totaled 20 doubles on the year and drove home 82 RBI - 5th most in the DII ranks. She posted five multi-home run performances, including hitting two home runs in back-to-back games in the final contests of the regular season. In the classroom, Holifield was named the JCJC Female Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award winner, having a 4.0 GPA - the highest GPA in 2014-15 of any JCJC female student-athlete.
Taylor lettered at Robertsdale HS, helping the Golden Bears to the postseason each year of high school, including a 6A Area 2 Championship in 2014. She was named First Team All-Area as a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. Taylor batted .349 or higher as a sophomore, junior and senior, notching a career high .458 as a senior. She posted a career batting average of .372, going 210-for-564 with 36 doubles, 12 triples, 10 home runs, 138 runs scored, 114 RBI and 64 stolen bases. As a senior, Taylor went 66-for-144 with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 40 runs scored and 22 RBI, while stealing 21 bases. During her junior season, she went 58-for-166 (.349) with nine doubles, three triples, three home runs, 40 runs, 45 RBI and 21 stolen bases. Taylor went 55-for-146 (.377) with 15 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 38 runs, 30 RBI and 12 stolen bases as a sophomore. She recorded double-digit steals each year with 21 stolen bases as a junior and senior. Taylor also played volleyball and basketball. She was named All-County and Team MVP in volleyball.
Holifield and Taylor join the 2016 signing class that consists of Tori Dew, Brielle Grubbs, Samantha Papp, Sydney Pollock and Kamryn Vanlandingham.