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BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech head softball coach Scot Thomas announced the addition of three standouts to the Tech softball team with the signing of National Letters of Intent. Taylor Barnes, Taylor Clark, and Carrie Eberle make up the class and enroll in the fall of 2016.

“I think this is a really good class. Sometimes classes they kind of complement other classes. They’re not what you would call ‘big impact classes’ where you would bring in five or six. In this case, we’re bringing in three quality players. They’ll impact in their own way because they’ll bind the classes together and fill in the gaps. It’ll be nice because we have a couple players that could be pitchers or do some other things. Overall, it’s a talented class. It’s a group that can compete and make an impact right away given the other classes surrounding them.”

Additional players will enroll at Tech as recruited walk-ons but cannot be named at this time due to NCAA rules.

Below are the bios of the three signees:

Taylor Barnes

UT/P • R/R • 5-10

Halifax County HS / Scottsburg, Va.

High School: is a senior at Halifax County HS … Named pitcher of the year as a sophomore … Garnered all-conference, MVP, and all-region honors as a junior … Led the team to three regional tournament appearances.

Personal: Daughter of Kirk Barnes and Krista Barnes … Plans to enroll in university studies.

Coach Thomas on Barnes: “Taylor Barnes is the lone one out of Virginia right now. She’s a utility player and we’re not sure where she’s going to fit in right now but I think she’ll have a big impact. She’s done really well from a pitching standpoint at the 18-under level and we know, athletically, she’s going to get it done.”

Taylor Clark

IF • R/R • 5-9

Mechanicsburg Area Senior HS / Mechanicsburg, Penn.

High School: is a senior at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High, playing for coach Gail Hiestand … All-state shortstop … Three-time member of the first team of the Mid-Penn Conference … Garnered MVP honors freshman year, hustle award sophomore year, and offensive player of the year junior year … Averaged .468 her junior year, leading the team to a second place finish in the Keystone division … Plays travel ball on The Rock Goal for coaches Rich Waye and Rich Rossener.

Personal: Taylor Rose Clark was born Oct. 6, 1997 in Harrisburg, Penn. … Daughter of Terry Clark and Randy Clark … Sister of Ashton and John … Step-sister of Scotty, Steven, and Dana … Contemplated major is accounting.

Coach Thomas on Clark: “Taylor Clark is an athletic softball player who can hit the ball and we’ll see where she fits in defensively, whether that’s middle infield or wherever fits best in our line up. I’m excited about her because I think she has a big upside as an athlete.”

Carrie Eberle

P/1B • R/R • 6-0

Charlotte Catholic HS / Charlotte, N.C.

High School: is a senior at Charlotte Catholic HS, playing for coach Kathleen Murphy … Three-time all-state and all-district selection … Three-time member of the all-conference first team … Garnered South Charlotte Weekly’s Player of the Year title as a freshman, throwing 128 innings with 202 strikeouts while leading the team with a .384 batting average … Named to the South Charlotte Weekly’s all-region first team as a sophomore and junior, leading the team in batting average both seasons … Plays travel ball on Team NC Martin for coach Adam Martin, earning a berth to the 2016 ASA nationals … Also plays varsity basketball for Charlotte Catholic.

Personal: Caroline Elizabeth Eberle was born March 23, 1998 in Matthews, N.C. … Daughter of T.J. and Missie Eberle … Sister of Joey … Contemplated major is biology.

Coach Thomas on Eberle: “Carrie Eberle is someone we’re looking at as a pitcher. Her upside is probably the exciting part of her because she has a nice frame. She’s also able to hit the ball really well so we’ll see where her bat impacts the lineup as well. She’ll be a nice piece to put into our lineup and pitching rotation.”

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