Greenville, S.C. – Furman softball will welcome nine new faces for the 2021-22 school year, Paladin head coach Wally King announced this week.
 
Emme Buzhardt (Saluda, S.C.), Bella Cear (Monroe, N.Y.), Caitlin Goldwait (Sugar Land, Texas), Amanda Gull (Riverside, Calif.), Katy Hicks (Lakeside, Calif.), Genevieve Ovsak (Hopkins, Minn.), Ashlyn Pisciotta (Marietta, Ga.), Lauralee Scott (Greenwood, S.C.), and Avrey Wolverton (Howell, Mich.) will join the Paladin program for the 2022 season.
 
"Our two goals for the 2021 class were pitching and power, and we couldn't be more excited to announce this extremely talented group of young women," said King. "We are adding five athletes with the ability to throw and throw at a high level, while every single one of these kids are hitting in the top/middle of their high school and/or club team batting orders. We have tapped into different parts of the country, created new recruiting inroads, and we feel that this group can take us back to the top in the SoCon."
 
Buzhardt is a standout pitcher and first baseman at Gray Collegiate. Despite losing last season to the pandemic, she is a two-time High School Sports Report All-State selection and paced the War Eagles to a region championship as a sophomore. Buzhardt has also earned all-state honors in volleyball and basketball. She plays travel ball for Carolina Elite SC 18U National.
 
"Emme is one of the best pitchers in South Carolina," said King. "She's strong and has a hard dipper that, with solid infield play, will garner a ton of outs for us in the circle. Coming from one of the best programs in the region, Emme is battle tested and will come in immediately ready to compete for innings with a deep and talented staff."
 
Left-handed pitcher and power-hitting first baseman Bella Cear, a native of Monroe, N.Y., is a senior at Monroe-Woodbury High School. She has played travel ball recently for Rockets Gold U18 and NC Challengers Premier U18. On the mound, Cear posted a 2.40 ERA and recorded 12 wins this past year, while batting .308 with 18 RBI.
 
"Bella is your prototypical 'mix and match' type hurler, who can throw at three different speeds," according to King. "Not only will she be the only southpaw on staff, Bella brings a strong bat from the left side and will vie for at-bats in RBI situations right away."
 
Goldwait is a senior at Clements High School and plays her travel ball for Texas Blaze United 18U. The outfielder batted .512 with 15 RBI as a junior while pacing Clements in on base percentage (.596), runs (21) and stolen bases. A two-time academic all-district choice, the Sugar Land, Texas, native posted the second highest batting average and on base percentage this year for Texas Blaze United. She helped her team to a third-place finish in the state of Texas this summer and qualified for the Texas Fastpitch Championship this fall.
 
"Caitlin is a triple threat speed kid that is tough to defend offensively," King said. "With a high-level skill set in the box, she will cause a lot of issues for opposing defenses. In the outfield her athleticism allows her to squeeze hitters while maintaining the ability to track anything to the wall. Her arm strength will limit opposing teams from taking extra bases and her big engine will be an asset to our team on a daily basis."
 
Gull, who hails from Riverside, Calif., is a prep catcher for Martin Luther King Jr. High School. A three-time Big VIII Conference All-Academic selection she led her squad to the CIFSS Division 2 finals as a freshman and a CIFSS state playoff appearance as a sophomore. Gull batted .333 as a junior before her team's season was cut short by the pandemic. Playing travel ball for Firecrackers Brashear-Hicks 18U Gold, she has hit .478 with three homers and eight RBI through 15 games this fall.
 
"Amanda is an elite catcher in the 2021 class," King said. "She's a nationally ranked athlete in the class by multiple publications with freaky power at the plate and a hose behind the dish. We expect her to come in and immediately challenge for a starting spot behind the plate and in the middle of the order."
 
The daughter of Firecrackers Brashear-Hicks 18U Gold head coach Bill Hicks, Katy Hicks is a travel ball teammate with fellow signee Amanda Gull and played her prep softball at El Capitan High School. After earning All-CIF honorable mention honors and batting .667 in the CIF state playoffs as a freshman, Hicks garnered all-league and All-East County honors as a sophomore while leading El Capitan to the Grossmont Valley League championship. The Lakeside, Calif., product is a two-time team captain.
 
"Katy has the size and talent to be a difference making corner infielder and power hitter in the SoCon," said King. "She runs extremely well for being a 6-footer, throws 70-plus overhand and is athletic enough to give us multiple options for her defensively. She and Gull have competed and excelled against the best of the best on the west coast." 
 
Genevieve Ovsak is a pitcher from Edina High School in Hopkins, Minn. The right-hander is ranked No. 84 in FloSoftball's Hot 100 Class of 2021 rankings and has been tabbed as the No. 56 ranked pitcher in the class of 2021 by Extra Inning Softball. A two-time all-conference and three-time all-section pick, Ovsak was named Sun Current Newspaper Athlete of the Year in 2019 after posting a 1.15 ERA and striking out 115 batters. She led her team to their first Lake Conference championship as an eighth grader and back-to-back Class 6AAAA Section titles as a freshman and sophomore.
 
"Coach Vail has known Genevieve since she was 12 years-old," King remarked. "She is a hard-throwing righty with a devastating change-up. Genevieve has beaten some of the best teams in the country and wrapped up last summer winning the USSSA World Series championship game for the Midwest Speed and head coach Sean Hall."
 
A left-handed hitting outfielder, Ashlyn Pisciotta plays her prep softball at Walton High School in Marietta, Ga. She paced the Lady Raiders and ranked ninth in AAAAAAA softball in Georgia with a .453 batting average as a sophomore before missing her junior season due to injury. Her father, Scott, played professional baseball after being drafted in the second round of the 1991 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos.
 
"Ashlyn adds tremendous athleticism to our 2021 class," said King. "Having a father who played professional baseball and playing for a talented Georgia Power travel ball team, she has a high softball IQ and the ability to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. Ashlyn will put a ton of pressure on opposing defenses and, as evidenced by her high-ranking offensive average, she will be expected to compete for a top spot in our order as a dual threat lefty."
 
 
Lauralee Scott, a product of Emerald High School and Greenwood, S.C., is a two-time all-region choice, who earned all-state honors and Greenwood Index-Journal Player of the Year accolades as a freshman for the Vikings. She fanned 121 batters in 80 innings and batted .406 as a sophomore to lead Emerald to the school's first playoff victory. As a freshman, the right-handed pitcher batted .521 and struck out 137 batters. 
 
"Another one of the best pitchers in the state of South Carolina, Lauralee comes in with the ability to throw the ball with elite velocity," said King. "She's a bulldog that wants the ball in her hand and plays highly competitive club ball for the Stars National Bellfield, where every player on that team is ranked in the Top 200 in their respectively classes. Lauralee has faced some of the best hitters in the country and will no doubt compete for innings immediately in 2022."
 
Avrey Wolverton, a second team NFCA All-American as a sophomore and two-time NFCA All-North Region choice, is a senior at Howell High School. A native of Howell, Mich., Wolverton has earned all-state, all-county, all-region and all-district honors as a freshman and sophomore before her junior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"Avrey is a big-time get for us," said King. She may be one of the strongest power hitters in the country. Although only 5-foot-6, Avrey has hit some towering shots in her career, including a couple of dozen balls over our scoreboard at camp. Coming from one of the top programs in Michigan, Turnin'2 18U National, Avrey will be an immediate impact bat in the middle of our order. She also has the ability to step into the circle and has shut down some of the best club teams in the country."
 
 
 
Furman Softball Signees
Name                           Pos.      Ht.       B/T      Hometown                   High School
Emme Buzhardt            P/1B     5-11     R/R      Saluda, S.C.                  Gray Collegiate Academy
Bella Cear                    P/1B     5-5       L/L       Monroe, N.Y.               Monroe Woodbury H.S.
Caitlin Goldwait           OF       5-8       L/R      Sugar Land, Texas        Clements H.S.
Amanda Gull                C          5-6       R/R      Riverside, Calif.            Martin Luther King H.S.
Katy Hicks                   1B/3B  6-0       R/R      Lakeside, Calif.             El Capitan H.S.
Genevieve Ovsak          P/1B     6-0       R/R      Hopkins, Minn.             Edina H.S.
Ashlyn Pisciotta            OF       5-6       L/R      Marietta, Ga.                 Walton H.S.
Lauralee Scott               P          5-3       R/R      Greenwood, S.C.           Emerald H.S.
Avrey Wolverton          P/1B     5-6       R/R      Howell, Mich.               Howell H.S.