Pyron Signs Three From Lake Land College

When it comes to starting a new athletic program at a university a coach knows that they will need a mix of talent and experience. Head Murray State Softball Coach Jay Pyron has helped that mix by signing three players from Lake Land College, a member of the NJCAA in Illinois. The trio will bring important collegiate playing experience and leadership to the first year of the Racers' softball program.

“We knew going into this recruiting process that we wanted to blend incoming freshmen with some transfers to start the program off. I feel like we will have a nice balance in our first year,” Pyron said. “We have a great mix of youth, experience and leadership in the players that we have signed.”

The Lakers finished the 2007-08 campaign with a 36-9 record and advanced to the Region 24 Tournament with all three new Racer players contributing greatly as freshman.

2010 Lake Land College Signees

Megan Glosser, Mattoon, Ill. (Lake Land College/Mattoon)

Stephanie Mattocks, Momence, Ill. (Lake Land College/Momence Community)

Chelsey Sullivan, Shelbyville, Ill. (Lake Land College/Casey-Westfield)

Megan Glosser will be a sophomore this season on the Lake Land College roster. In her freshman campaign she was strong player for the Lakers, hitting .425, scoring 58 runs, and stealing 17 bases.

“I think Megan can make an immediate impact for Murray State with her offensive skills, speed, and ability to get on base,” said Denny Thorneburg, Lake Land College head softball coach. “She is an excellent student and cares deeply about her grades.”

Before heading to Lake Land College, Glosser spent four seasons as a member of the Mattoon High School varsity program. The Greenwave earned a sectional championship her freshman campaign and then claimed the Big 12 Conference championship and regional championship her senior season.

“Being a part of a new program is probably what I am most excited about coming to Murray State,” said Glosser. “Getting the chance to do something that no other group can do is awesome in itself. There will be a lot of firsts and hopefully a lot of high standards for teams following to live up to.”

Glosser was named to the Decatur All-Area and Big 12 First Teams as a sophomore and Big 12 First Team as a senior. Her final season with Mattoon she led the team with a .693 slugging percentage and earned Special Mention All-State Chicago Area honors.

“Megan is a great athlete who has the ability to play virtually anywhere on the field,” said Pyron. “She will be an offensive spark for our team and has the ability to make things happen with her speed. I am excited to see how her intensity and competitiveness spill over to our other players and how she helps lead us to wins.”

As a prep she also participated in basketball for four seasons, cross country for two, and tennis for one. An excellent student as well, Glosser was a member of the National Honor Society, class president (four years) and earned the Big 12 Scholar/Athletic Award all four seasons with the Greenwave.

Stephanie Mattocks earned Region 24 All-Tournament Team honors with Lake Land College. She finished the season with a .408 batting average, four home runs and 35 RBIs.

“Stephanie is an absolute delight to coach. She always has a smile on her face and is eager to be the best player she can be,” Thorneburg said. “Extremely versatile defensively with the ability to catch, she is definitely a leader on our team both on and off the field.”

Before attending Lake Land College, Mattocks spent four seasons playing on the Momence Community High School varsity squad where she earned all-conference and all-area honors her final two seasons. Finished her senior campaign with 36 runs scored, 28 RBIs, a .349 batting average, and a .435 on base percentage.

“I chose to be a Murray State Racer because I really liked the school and everyone there made me feel very comfortable,” said Mattocks. “We can also set traditions for the teams to follow and no other team will have the impact on the Murray State legacy as the first team will.”

Mattocks is a strong student as well, earning a 4.06 GPA on a four-point scale. She was a member of the National Honor Society, and was a Wendy's High School Heisman Award nominee.

“I love watching Stephanie play softball. I am not sure if I have ever seen too many other players who seem to enjoy being on the field and playing hard as much as her,” commented Pyron. “Right away I knew I wanted the opportunity to coach Stephanie and to have her as a part of our program. She is very athletic and I think she is going to be a very dynamic player. She can make throws from any angle and has really good bat speed.”

A standout on the Redskins basketball team as a prep, she helped her team to three regional and one sectional championship. She ended her four-year varsity career with over 1,000 career points and was an all-area, all-conference and RVC All-Tournament team selection all four seasons.

The final member of the Lake Land College roster to sign with Murray State during the early signing period is Chelsey Sullivan. Sullivan was named to the All-Region 24 Team and the GRAC All-Conference Team in her first season with the Lakers. She finished the season with a 20-2 record in the circle, an ERA of 2.10, and 120 strikeouts.

“Chelsey is a very smart pitcher who understands the game and also the mechanics of pitching,” Thorneburg said. “One of the leaders of our team, Chelsey is probably the most vocal of our leaders. She has great control and knows how to work the count.”

Sullivan was a First Team All-Conference selections all four years in high school with Casey-Westfield. Her senior campaign the team earned conference, regional, sectional, and super-sectional championships on their way to a runner-up finish at the Illinois state finals. The pitcher also earned All-Area honors her final three seasons and all-state and state all-tournament team honors as a senior.

“I think being part of the first Murray State softball team makes it playing enjoyable, we are going to have to work hard to prove ourselves since it is our first year, but I think living up to the expectations is the exciting part ,” said Sullivan. “I think that the support from the town and school has already started to show and that makes it even more exciting.”

Sullivan finished her career with 1,000 stirkeouts, while also participating in volleyball for four seasons, basketball for one year as a prep. In her lone season of basketball, she earned all-conference and team MVP honors, while recording the most rebounds on the team.

“Pitching is always a big piece of the puzzle for any team and starting a program from scratch you want to make sure you have a pitching staff that you can build a team around,” said Pyron. “Chelsey knows what it's like to win games. I like her attitude and I feel like she will bring a presence and leadership that will steer our program in the right direction.”

“I am happy that Stephanie, Megan and Chelsey all chose to help build our program because they bring so much more to the table than their ability to play the game well,” Pyron added. “All three players are energetic and passionate about playing softball. I know they will help us take the program where we want it to be.”

Glosser, Mattocks, and Sullivan join Stephanie Edwards, Kaitlyn England, Brittany Ester, Toree Rogers, Ellyn Troup, and several more to be announced over the coming weeks as the first signing class for the Racer softball program.

2010 Signing Class

Stephanie Edwards, Bowling Green, Ky. (Allen County)

Kaitlyn England, Springfield, Ill. (Glenwood)

Brittany Estes, Greensburg, Ky. (Green County)

Megan Glosser, Mattoon, Ill. (Lake Land College/Mattoon)

Stephanie Mattocks, Momence, Ill. (Lake Land College/Momence Community)

Toree Rogers, Murray, Ky. (Calloway County)

Chelsey Sullivan, Shelbyville, Ill. (Lake Land College/Casey-Westfield)

Ellyn Troup, Placentia, Calif. (El Dorado)

Murray State University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos