Softball announces 2021 signees
November 11, 2020 | Softball
Five new top recruits to join Badgers next fall
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin softball head coach Yvette Healy announced the 2021 signing class on Wednesday. The Badgers will welcome five new players to Madison, including Ellie Hubbard, Brooke Kuffel, Grace O'Brien, Kate Linkletter and Larissa Ortiz.
"We are thrilled to announce the signing class of 2021," Healy said. "This talented group has athleticism, speed, power and great defense."
From Wheaton, Illinois, Ellie Hubbard is a 5-foot-9 infielder for Wheaton North High School under coach Zach Peterselli.
She's earned numerous honors including, being a three-year starter and earning all-conference, all-state, all-area honorable mention honors and was also named team MVP in 2019.
Hubbard plays club ball for the Chicago Cheetahs and coach Brian Bowman. Before that, she competed for the Naperville Diamonds and coach Bill Kugelberg. With the Diamonds, her team won the 2019 USA Northern National Championships.
Hubbard is a decorated dual-sport athlete, as she's a four-year letter winner in basketball. She earned numerous accolades including, Dukane all-conference honorable mention (2020), Lyons Township Thanksgiving All-Tournament Player (2018), DuPage Valley Conference Champion (2018) and Regional Champion (2018, 2020).
Off the field and in the classroom, Hubbard is a member of both the High Honor Roll and the National Honors Society, earning all-academic conference honors in 2019 and 2020 (the award is not available to freshmen). She intends to major in psychology.
Healy on Hubbard: "Ellie Hubbard is power hitting shortstop with great size and strength. She's a standout basketball player from Wheaton North High school, who knows how to win in big moments, playing her best games under pressure. Ellie's big personality and confident leadership make her really fun to watch. As lefty power hitter, she's one of the top players to compete for Bill Kugelberg's Naperville Diamonds organization."
Brooke Kuffel and Crystal Lake South High School won the Regional Championships in 2019 under head coach Patrick Kelly. Kuffel had a breakout sophomore season, with a .429 batting average, 13 home runs, nine doubles, 52 RBIs, 64 runs scored and throwing a no-hitter. As a freshman, she had a .459 batting average, six home runs, seven doubles, three triples, 46 RBIs and 55 runs scored. Her versatility has led to several accolades, earning all-conference, all-area and all-state (honorable mention) honors.
Off the field, Kuffel is a letter winning member of the varsity basketball (All-Conference and All-Area) and volleyball teams and achieving high honors including, her work as the Chairman of the National Honors Society and executive board member for both Gator Buddies and Gator Leadership Crew. She intends to major in Biology.
Kuffel also plays club ball for Gerry Quinn's Illinois Chill team, which was named Demarini Champions in 2020.
Healy on Kuffel: "Brooke Kuffel is a power hitting ss/third basemen from Gerry Quinn's Illinois Chill program. Brooke is physical, agile, and has tremendous power. She has a big heart and dynamic personality. She makes everyone around her better, and can change a game in one swing."
Wisconsin native, Grace O'Brien, is staying home. As a sophomore, the Hudson native and Hudson High School won the Big Rivers Conference Championships (the first outright championship for Hudson) under coach Jim Revoir. That year as captain, O'Brien started every game and had a .500 batting average and .565 on-base percentage on the season; and a .543 batting average and .590 on-base percentage in conference play. She received all-state second-team, all-district first-team and all-conference first-team unanimous No. 1 selection honors in 2019.
As a freshman, O'Brien started every game and had a .397 batting average and .449 on-base percentage on the season; and a .421 batting average and .488 on-base percentage in conference play. She received all-district first-team honorable mention and all-conference first-team honors in 2018.
O'Brien is a talented dual-sport athlete, as she's a two-year letter winner in basketball. A talent in the classroom and ranked second in her class, O'Brien is a member of the National Honors Society, receiving academic all-conference honors three straight years and is a three-time academic letter winner. She intends to major in mechanical engineering.
O'Brien also plays club ball for Sean Hall's Midwest Speed.
Healy on O'Brien: "Grace O'Brien is one of the most impressive senior student-athletes in the state of Wisconsin. An All-state shortstop from Hudson, WI, she's been a standout versatile athlete for Sean Hall's Midwest Speed. She has a rocket arm at short-stop, covers a ton of ground and is never afraid to leave her feet. Grace's speed on the bases makes her threat to score every time she reaches base. Grace is a brilliant student with tremendous grades and service leadership."
One of the top infielders in the country, Kate Linkletter, is bringing her talents to Wisconsin.
The Johnsburg, Illinois native had back-to-back impressive years for Johnsburg High School under coach Jamie Smeigh. As a sophomore, Linkletter had a .467 batting average, .510 on-base percentage, .957 slugging percentage; including: 1.466 Ops, 18 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 38 runs, 27 RBIs, 14/15 SB in 28 games. She received all-state, all-area and all-conference honors in 2019. In her freshman season, Linkletter had a .500 batting average, .897 slugging percentage, seven home runs, 10 doubles and 28 RBIs in 25 games. She received all-state, all-area and all-conference honors in 2018, including being named Offensive MVP for the Skyhawks.
Linkletter plays club ball for Illinois Chill and coach Gerry Quinn. She ranks among On-Deck Softball (four-star), No. 15 in Fast Pitch Network's Best Third Basemen in the country, and Extra Inning Softball's Top 100 Recruits both in 2019 (No. 91) and 2020 (No.90).
Linkletter is a talented dual-sport athlete, as she's a two-year letter winner in volleyball. Also excelling in the classroom, Linkletter is a member of the National Honor Society, High Honor Roll, and Student-Athlete Leadership Council. She intends to major in Psychology.
Healy on Linkletter: "Kate Linkletter a fiery, energetic leader on and off the field. She'll bring a tremendous amount of spirit and pride to Madison. It's been a thrill watching Kate grow in Gerry Quinn's Illinois Chill program. She plays hard, and loves to dive. She's a vocal leader that can play both corners. Kate has power, loves to compete, and a is a great teammate."
From Romeoville, Illinois, Larissa Ortiz is a 5-foot-7 catcher and utility player for Romeoville High School.
Ortiz and her team won the Clinton High School Spring Tournament in 2018 under coach Amy Ligamanowski. She earned numerous accolades including, being named to the Southwest Prairie all-conference team and Joliet Herald News all-area team as both a sophomore and a freshman. Her sophomore year, Ortiz batted a .512 batting average. The year prior, she hit 13 home runs with 35 RBIs and was ranked in the Top Five in the state for the number of home runs hit.
Ortiz plays club ball for the Beverly Bandits and coach Bill Conroy. She ranks No. 75 in the nation by FloSoftball.
Ortiz is a talented dual-sport athlete, as she's a two-year letter winner in volleyball. Ranked within the top 50 in her class, Ortiz is a member of the National Honors Society and earned the Seal of Biliteracy for the state of Illinois as a junior. She intends to major in business.
Healy on Ortiz: "Larissa Ortiz is a power-hitting catcher from Bill Conroy's Beverly Bandits program. She has great power to all fields, hitting memorable home runs with the game on the line. Larissa knows how to bring out the best in the pitchers she catches, calling great games and holding down the run game, with her powerful arm."
"We are thrilled to announce the signing class of 2021," Healy said. "This talented group has athleticism, speed, power and great defense."
Ellie Hubbard
From Wheaton, Illinois, Ellie Hubbard is a 5-foot-9 infielder for Wheaton North High School under coach Zach Peterselli.
She's earned numerous honors including, being a three-year starter and earning all-conference, all-state, all-area honorable mention honors and was also named team MVP in 2019.
Hubbard plays club ball for the Chicago Cheetahs and coach Brian Bowman. Before that, she competed for the Naperville Diamonds and coach Bill Kugelberg. With the Diamonds, her team won the 2019 USA Northern National Championships.
Hubbard is a decorated dual-sport athlete, as she's a four-year letter winner in basketball. She earned numerous accolades including, Dukane all-conference honorable mention (2020), Lyons Township Thanksgiving All-Tournament Player (2018), DuPage Valley Conference Champion (2018) and Regional Champion (2018, 2020).
Off the field and in the classroom, Hubbard is a member of both the High Honor Roll and the National Honors Society, earning all-academic conference honors in 2019 and 2020 (the award is not available to freshmen). She intends to major in psychology.
Healy on Hubbard: "Ellie Hubbard is power hitting shortstop with great size and strength. She's a standout basketball player from Wheaton North High school, who knows how to win in big moments, playing her best games under pressure. Ellie's big personality and confident leadership make her really fun to watch. As lefty power hitter, she's one of the top players to compete for Bill Kugelberg's Naperville Diamonds organization."
Leading off for the #Badgers...
— Wisconsin Softball (@BadgerSoftball) November 11, 2020
Welcome to the family, Ellie! 🦡👐❤️#NationalSigningDay » #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/wqcdbccAS3
Brooke Kuffel
Brooke Kuffel and Crystal Lake South High School won the Regional Championships in 2019 under head coach Patrick Kelly. Kuffel had a breakout sophomore season, with a .429 batting average, 13 home runs, nine doubles, 52 RBIs, 64 runs scored and throwing a no-hitter. As a freshman, she had a .459 batting average, six home runs, seven doubles, three triples, 46 RBIs and 55 runs scored. Her versatility has led to several accolades, earning all-conference, all-area and all-state (honorable mention) honors.
Off the field, Kuffel is a letter winning member of the varsity basketball (All-Conference and All-Area) and volleyball teams and achieving high honors including, her work as the Chairman of the National Honors Society and executive board member for both Gator Buddies and Gator Leadership Crew. She intends to major in Biology.
Kuffel also plays club ball for Gerry Quinn's Illinois Chill team, which was named Demarini Champions in 2020.
Healy on Kuffel: "Brooke Kuffel is a power hitting ss/third basemen from Gerry Quinn's Illinois Chill program. Brooke is physical, agile, and has tremendous power. She has a big heart and dynamic personality. She makes everyone around her better, and can change a game in one swing."
Signed, sealed, delivered. 🖋🤗
— Wisconsin Softball (@BadgerSoftball) November 11, 2020
Welcome to the family, @bkuffel7! 🦡😍#NationalSigningDay » #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/kpqRK1fDIf
Grace O'Brien
Wisconsin native, Grace O'Brien, is staying home. As a sophomore, the Hudson native and Hudson High School won the Big Rivers Conference Championships (the first outright championship for Hudson) under coach Jim Revoir. That year as captain, O'Brien started every game and had a .500 batting average and .565 on-base percentage on the season; and a .543 batting average and .590 on-base percentage in conference play. She received all-state second-team, all-district first-team and all-conference first-team unanimous No. 1 selection honors in 2019.
As a freshman, O'Brien started every game and had a .397 batting average and .449 on-base percentage on the season; and a .421 batting average and .488 on-base percentage in conference play. She received all-district first-team honorable mention and all-conference first-team honors in 2018.
O'Brien is a talented dual-sport athlete, as she's a two-year letter winner in basketball. A talent in the classroom and ranked second in her class, O'Brien is a member of the National Honors Society, receiving academic all-conference honors three straight years and is a three-time academic letter winner. She intends to major in mechanical engineering.
O'Brien also plays club ball for Sean Hall's Midwest Speed.
Healy on O'Brien: "Grace O'Brien is one of the most impressive senior student-athletes in the state of Wisconsin. An All-state shortstop from Hudson, WI, she's been a standout versatile athlete for Sean Hall's Midwest Speed. She has a rocket arm at short-stop, covers a ton of ground and is never afraid to leave her feet. Grace's speed on the bases makes her threat to score every time she reaches base. Grace is a brilliant student with tremendous grades and service leadership."
She's staying home and officially a Badger. 🦡😍
— Wisconsin Softball (@BadgerSoftball) November 11, 2020
We can't wait for you to get here, Grace! #NationalSigningDay » #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/1gDsacejbP
Kate Linkletter
One of the top infielders in the country, Kate Linkletter, is bringing her talents to Wisconsin.
The Johnsburg, Illinois native had back-to-back impressive years for Johnsburg High School under coach Jamie Smeigh. As a sophomore, Linkletter had a .467 batting average, .510 on-base percentage, .957 slugging percentage; including: 1.466 Ops, 18 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 38 runs, 27 RBIs, 14/15 SB in 28 games. She received all-state, all-area and all-conference honors in 2019. In her freshman season, Linkletter had a .500 batting average, .897 slugging percentage, seven home runs, 10 doubles and 28 RBIs in 25 games. She received all-state, all-area and all-conference honors in 2018, including being named Offensive MVP for the Skyhawks.
Linkletter plays club ball for Illinois Chill and coach Gerry Quinn. She ranks among On-Deck Softball (four-star), No. 15 in Fast Pitch Network's Best Third Basemen in the country, and Extra Inning Softball's Top 100 Recruits both in 2019 (No. 91) and 2020 (No.90).
Linkletter is a talented dual-sport athlete, as she's a two-year letter winner in volleyball. Also excelling in the classroom, Linkletter is a member of the National Honor Society, High Honor Roll, and Student-Athlete Leadership Council. She intends to major in Psychology.
Healy on Linkletter: "Kate Linkletter a fiery, energetic leader on and off the field. She'll bring a tremendous amount of spirit and pride to Madison. It's been a thrill watching Kate grow in Gerry Quinn's Illinois Chill program. She plays hard, and loves to dive. She's a vocal leader that can play both corners. Kate has power, loves to compete, and a is a great teammate."
IT'S OFFICIAL ✍️
— Wisconsin Softball (@BadgerSoftball) November 11, 2020
Welcome home, @klinkletter3! 🦡🥰#NationalSigningDay » #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/lqEaNUBBeO
Larissa Ortiz
From Romeoville, Illinois, Larissa Ortiz is a 5-foot-7 catcher and utility player for Romeoville High School.
Ortiz and her team won the Clinton High School Spring Tournament in 2018 under coach Amy Ligamanowski. She earned numerous accolades including, being named to the Southwest Prairie all-conference team and Joliet Herald News all-area team as both a sophomore and a freshman. Her sophomore year, Ortiz batted a .512 batting average. The year prior, she hit 13 home runs with 35 RBIs and was ranked in the Top Five in the state for the number of home runs hit.
Ortiz plays club ball for the Beverly Bandits and coach Bill Conroy. She ranks No. 75 in the nation by FloSoftball.
Ortiz is a talented dual-sport athlete, as she's a two-year letter winner in volleyball. Ranked within the top 50 in her class, Ortiz is a member of the National Honors Society and earned the Seal of Biliteracy for the state of Illinois as a junior. She intends to major in business.
Healy on Ortiz: "Larissa Ortiz is a power-hitting catcher from Bill Conroy's Beverly Bandits program. She has great power to all fields, hitting memorable home runs with the game on the line. Larissa knows how to bring out the best in the pitchers she catches, calling great games and holding down the run game, with her powerful arm."
It's a great day to be a Badger. 😍
— Wisconsin Softball (@BadgerSoftball) November 11, 2020
Welcome home, @_larissaortiz! 🦡👐#NationalSigningDay » #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/FHhmFD4tWX
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