HANCEVILLE – Wallace State softball sophomores Brooke Kinsey and Kaitlyn Whitehead signed with the Blue Mountain (Miss.) College Lady Toppers on Monday.
Kinsey, a first baseman from Monticello, Fla., had five homers and 14 RBIs in 44 at bats last season for Wallace State.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to further my softball career at Blue Mountain,” Kinsey said. “I’m also excited about my final season with Wallace State. I’m can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish this season.”
Whitehead saw limited action as a freshman, but recently completed an impressive fall season for the Lady Lions, including a game where she gunned down five potential Mississippi State base stealers. The Holly Pond graduate is slated to be Wallace State’s starting catcher in February.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster to know Blue Mountain was interested in me playing for them next season,” Whitehead said. “I’m thrilled to join them and excited to get our Wallace State season underway. We want to be as successful as teams in the past.”
Wallace State coach Jayne Clem expects both Kinsey and Whitehead to assume leadership roles during their final seasons with the Lady Lions.
“We’re counting on them a lot this season, and they’ll make an immediate impact on the Blue Mountain program, which is on the rise,” Clem said. “Brooke Kinsey has no fear when she’s at the plate, no matter who’s on the mound, and Kaitlyn Whitehead did a great job during the fall of stepping up and taking the catching role we were looking to fill. No one tried to steal on her after all of those Mississippi State runners were thrown out.”
Wallace State finished 44-26 and won its ninth consecutive Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) North Division title last season with Kinsey and Whitehead as freshmen. The two-time national champion Lady Lions will enter the 2015 season seeking their ninth conference championship.
Kinsey and Whitehead will join former Wallace State teammate Paige Browning at Blue Mountain. Browning was 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA for the Lady Lions last season.
“I feel that both Brooke and Kaitlyn are going to be tremendous assets to our team. I know they’ll come in and make a difference right away. I know they both can contribute for us offensively, and that’s an area we think they’ll really help us improve in as we work towards winning championships at Blue Mountain,” said coach Kevin Barefield, who has led the Lady Toppers since their inception in 2010.
Blue Mountain, located in Blue Mountain, Miss., competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Southern States Conference.
Kinsey and Whitehead are the latest among Wallace State student-athletes to sign with four-year institutions. Wallace State baseball players Chad Smith (Ole Miss), Landon Hughes (Georgia Southern) and Chris Blakey (UNA) signed two weeks ago and men’s basketball star Lee Moore inked with UTEP in early November.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.
