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Softball huddle intrasquad scrimmage fall 2020
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Softball

Softball signs eight in '21 recruiting class

ACU Softball and head coach Abigail Farler have announced their 2021 recruiting class. The Wildcats bring in eight players coming from across the country, with players coming from Hawaii, California, Oregon, Georgia, and Texas. In just her second recruiting class at the helm of the program Farler has once again put together a solid class that will help propel the program both on and off the field. 

This is an exciting class for ACU softball. All of these student athletes are driven on the field and in the classroom. They chose ACU because they can earn degrees in challenging fields of study while competing at the highest level with softball. All of these athletes are completely bought into the vision for our program and our style of softball. We look forward to getting all of them to Abilene and integrated into our family. They will arrive ready to grow academically, athletically and spiritually with us! Go 'Cats!
Head Coach, Abigail Farler
Hannah Benavides pitching

Hannah Benavides | 4-11 | RHP | R/R | Deer Park, Texas / Deer Park HS

  • Lettered four years in softball
  • Part of a bi-district championship team that went 28-9
  • Part of a regional championship team that went 34-6
  • Named Academic All-District
  • Member of the honor society and Mu Alpha Theta
  • Plans to major in Biology
Hannah is extremely competitive and will bring in so many assets for us as a pitcher. She has incredible command of her pitches along with great deception. We are excited to see Hannah grow and compete over the next 4 years. We love Hannah's fire and internal drive! She comes from a great club program where she has been well coached and trained for years.
Coach Farler
Alivia Benavidez at bat

Alivia Benavidez | 5-9 | OF | R/R | Salem, Ore. / South Salem HS

  • Led Oregon HS Class 6A in batting average, on base %, RBI, wins, and strikeouts in 2019
  • Mountain Valley Conference (MVC) first team outfielder in 2018 and 2019
  • MVC Most Improved in 2018
  • Part of a team winning Winter Indoor Championship (2019), July Celebration USSSA Championship (2019), Portland Classic USA Softball Championship (2018), and Flame Invite Championship (2018)
  • All-Academic team in 2017 and 2018
  • Plans to major in Occupational Therapy
We are thrilled to bring Alivia into this program from Oregon. Alivia is an extremely skilled hitter and is going to bring a strong bat into our 2021 class. Alivia is a high character, high energy teammate who will add so much value to the culture of our team. I've known Alivia for several years, coaching her at camps and clinics up in Oregon and am thrilled to get to continue coaching her in college!
Coach Farler
Mckenley clark at bat

Mckenley Clark | 5-7 | OF | L/R | Waco, Texas | Midway HS

  • 3x first team all-district 
  • Team made playoffs in each of her three seasons
  • Part of district and regional championship teams 
  • Named Academic all-state
  • Member of the National Honor Society and student council
  • Plans to major in Biology
Mckenley is an exciting slapper who brings us a lot of tools in the batters box. She stood out at camp last year as a kid who was aggressive and smart. She is sneaky and is able to challenge defenses with her bat and speed on the bases. We are excited to watch her speed and range in the outfield. Mckenley is a bright kid who will excel in the classroom at ACU.
Coach Farler
Logan Gaspar at bat

Logan Gaspar | 5-5 | SS | R/R | Kapolei, Hawaii / Maryknoll HS

  • Member of the softball, paddling, and bowling teams in high school
  • Earned ILH honorable mention in 2018 and 2019
  • Named to the Principal's List in 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Plans to major in Pre-Health
Logan is coming to us all the way from Hawaii! She stood out to us because she has a lot of quickness and versatility. She has a high softball IQ and is extremely driven on and off the field. We are excited to see her come and compete in all areas of the game! We feel that Logan is going to be a great teammate to play alongside and a fun player to coach for four years with a very high ceiling!
Coach Farler
Rose Gonzales action photo

Rose Gonzales | 5-7 | SS | R/R | Grand Prairie, Texas / South Grand Prairie HS

  • Batted .500 as a junior
  • Member of the National Honor Society
  • Plans to be a Pre-Med major
Rose is a very tough competitor who will bring versatility to our infield. She stood out to us at camp because she played with a lot of fire and passion. She has good reads on the ball and a great arm. We also look forward to seeing what she can do at the plate. Rose's drive on the field is contagious and will be fun for our fans to watch!
Coach Farler
miranda lista behind the plate

Miranda Lista | 5-4 | C/UT | R/R | Chino Hills, Calif. / Santa Margarita Catholic HS

  • Member of the softball and volleyball teams
  • Made playoffs with Ayala HS in 2018-19
  • Started the season 12-0 at Santa Margarita in the shortened 2020 season
  • Earned honors designations in Biology, Math and English classes
  • Plans to major in Business
Miranda is a great pickup for our program. Coming from southern California she brings in a lot of years and innings of very competitive club experience. She is a true utility player who will provide a lot of versatility for us behind the plate and in the infield. We are excited about her arm, competitiveness and softball IQ. We look forward to watching her compete as a Wildcat!
Coach Farler
Isabel martinez at the plate

Isabel Martinez | 5-5 | OF | L/L | Dale, Texas / Cedar Creek HS

  • Member of the softball, volleyball, track, powerlifting, and cheerleading teams
  • Named the defensive MVP and All-District Honorable Mention in 2018
  • Diamond Thief Award and All-District first team in 2019
  • Led team in HR's before the 2020 season was cut short
  • 3x Academic All-District
  • Member of the National Honor Society, Student Council and FCA
  • Plans to major in Psychology
We recruited Isabel from camp last year and are are thrilled to bring her athleticism to our outfield next season. She is a true outfielder and has a cannon for an arm. She will fit right in with our talented group of outfielders, and we are counting on her to compete from day one!
Coach Farler
mikhia volley at bat

Mikhia Volley | 5-6 | INF | R/R | McDonough, Ga. / Ola HS

  • Member of the softball, track, and basketball teams
  • .435 BA
  • 3x 5A first team All-Region
  • Made playoffs in each of her first three season, going 24-8 in her most recent year
  • Named to the honor roll all four years
  • Member of the National Honor Society
  • Plans to major in Nursing
We are excited to bring Mikhia into the program from Georgia. She is an extremely gifted athlete who will be able to compete in multiple spots in the infield for us. She stood out because of her energy and swagger on the field. Mikhia has played under great coaching and is a high energy ball player who fits well with our style of play!
Coach Farler
20-21 sb recruit map

The 2021 class will converge on Abilene from all over the country next fall. The athletes will have traveled over a combined 7,969 miles to get to campus.