George Washington University Athletics
GW Softball Announces 2012 Recruiting Class
9/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sept. 8, 2011
WASHINGTON - The George Washington softball team has announced the program's 2012 recruiting class. Samantha Dos Santos, Becca Garlinger, Kaitlyn O'Shea, Chelsey Pedley, Alex Thompson, McKinley Tretler and Victoria Valos will join the Colonials this fall as part of an incoming class that represents five states and a wealth of softball experience.
"We're thrilled to welcome this group to campus," said second-year head coach Stacey Schramm. "They bring a great deal of talent and experience and will provide versatility and athleticism to our lineup."
The recruits join 16 returning letterwinners from 2011, a season in which the Colonials posted 16 victories under first-year head coach Schramm- a 10-win improvement from the previous season.
"All of these student-athletes come from winning programs," said Coach Schramm. "Their expectations for success match the winning culture we're building at GW."
The new recruits include:
Samantha Dos Santos
Freshman - Catcher
Hollywood, Fla.
American Heritage High School - Gold Coast Hurricanes
5-foot-6
A two-time All-State Third Team selection, Dos Santos led American Heritage to its first undefeated regular season in school history in 2011. The Patriots finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida, and No. 5 nationally according to maxpreps.com, en route to its second straight district championship and a regional runner-up finish. Dos Santos batted .474 as a senior with a .544 on-base percentage and 16 RBIs to earn Miami Herald First Team All-County and Sun Sentinel honors. A strong defensive catcher, Dos Santos posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage over her final two high school seasons. She was named the team's Top Newcomer as a sophomore transfer from Virginia, helping the team to a Class 3A Florida State Championship. She earned the American Heritage `Patriot Award' in 2011 for exceptional leadership. Dos Santos played ASA Gold softball for the Florida Gold Coast Hurricanes.
Samantha Brooke Dos Santos was born Aug. 17, 1993 in Hollywood, Fla. She is the daughter of Jamie and Louis Dos Santos and has two older sisters, Kelly and Alexis. She intends to major in political science and become an attorney.
Becca Garlinger
Freshman - Infield
Enola, Pa.
East Pennsboro High School - Alley Cats Gold
5-foot-5
Garlinger was a four-year starter and two-time captain at East Pennsboro. She twice earned team MVP honors and was named EPHS's Most Outstanding Senior Female Athlete. Garlinger hit a team-best .440 her senior year and landed a spot on the Mid-Penn Division All-Stars First Team for the third time in her career. She earned First Team All-Sentinel accolades her freshman, junior and senior seasons and earned a spot on the Second Team as a sophomore. Garlinger was awarded Patriot-News Big 11 All-Underclassmen accolades her freshman year. She graduated fourth in her class and became the first female recipient of the John Travers Award in EPHS history, an award given annually to the top student-athlete in Central Pennsylvania for distinguished athletic and academic achievement. Garlinger earned four additional varsity letters in basketball and currently holds the EPHS single-season and career records for steals and led the team in rebounding for three seasons. Garlinger played ASA softball for the Pennsylvania Alley Cats Gold, leading the team with a .430 batting average and a .520 on-base percentage in 2011.
Rebecca Danielle Garlinger was born March 8, 1993 in Enola, Pa. She is the daughter of Flo and Dave Garlinger and has one older sister, Allie. She intends to major in biology and become an anesthesiologist.
Kaitlyn O'Shea
Freshman - Infield
Raleigh, N.C.
Leesville Road High School - N.C. Challengers Gold / Carolina Gators Gold
5-foot-6
O'Shea was a four-year starter and letterwinner at Leesville Road where she was a four-time recipient of Cap-8 All-Conference honors. During her senior season, she hit .391 with six doubles, three triples and 30 RBIs, including 10 multiple-RBI games, while leading the Pride to the Cap-8 Championship Game and the state playoffs with a 22-5 overall record. She is a four-time recipient of the Leesville Road Golden Glove Award as the team's Defensive Player of the Year. As a junior, O'Shea hit .370 and led the team with 32 runs scored and a pair of home runs. She played club softball for the N.C. Challengers Gold and the Carolina Gators Gold.
Kaitlyn Lucrezia O'Shea was born April 1, 1993 in Raleigh, N.C. She is the daughter of Karen and David O'Shea, Jr., and has one younger sister, Korryn. She plans to major in pharmacogenomics.
Chelsey Pedley
Freshman - Pitcher
St. Augustine, Fla.
Bartram Trail High School - Florida Select Gold
5-foot-5
Pedley comes to George Washington as the winningest pitcher in Bartram Trail's history, setting both single-season and career win marks at the school. As a senior, she earned First Team All-Saint John's River Conference, First Team All-Saint John's County, All-Coast First Team and Class 4A All-State Honorable Mention accolades. Pedley finished her senior season with a 23-3 record and a 1.26 earned-run average in 172 2/3 innings pitched. She struck out 125 batters, against just 23 walks, and led the Bears to conference, county and regional championships. Pedley's team also made its fourth straight trip to the state final four in 2011. Pedley played ASA softball for the Florida Select Gold.
Chelsey Diana Pedley was born April 17, 1993 in St. Augustine, Fla. She is the daughter of Tracy and Jerry Cain and has one younger brother, Garrett. She intends to major in criminal justice.
Alex Thompson
Freshman - Outfield
Vallejo, Calif.
Saint Patrick-Saint Vincent High School - California Lady Hustle Gold
5-foot-7
Thompson was named to the All-Bay Shore Athletic League First Team as a senior and team captain at Saint Patrick-Saint Vincent. She hit .403 with a .481 on-base percentage and 28 runs scored for the Bruins, leading the team to a 20-0 record in league play in 2011. Thompson guided her team to three BSAL Championships in 2008, 2010 and 2011. She twice earned the Coach's Award and was dubbed Most Improved Player during her sophomore season. As a junior, Thompson boasted a .526 batting average, scoring 31 runs and driving in 21 more while reaching base at a .563 clip and slugging .654. Thompson played ASA softball with the California Lady Hustle Gold.
Alexandria Yoko Thompson was born April 20, 1993 in Vallejo, Calif. She is the daughter of Yvette and Matthew Thompson and has one younger brother, Matthew. She intends to major in communications.
McKinley Tretler
Freshman - Outfield
Freehold, N.J.
St. John Vianney High School - N.J. Intensity Gold
5-foot-8
Tretler led St. John Vianney's softball team to back-to-back New Jersey Non-Public South A Sectional and State Championships. In 2011 the Lancers won the Shore Conference championship, finished the season with a 29-1-1 overall record and were ranked No. 1 overall in the Newark Star Ledger's final state ranking. Tretler was a New Jersey Shore Conference First Team All-Star and All-Monmouth County her senior year after hitting .382 with nine doubles, a league-best seven home runs and 35 RBIs. She also earned New Jersey Non-Public All-State Second Team honors and was named to the Shore Conference All-Division First Team. Tretler played ASA Softball for the N.J. Intensity Gold.
McKinley Grace Tretler was born Oct. 27, 1993 in Freehold N.J. She is the daughter of Marilyn and Joseph Tretler, Jr., and has one younger brother, Zachary. She intends to major in communications.
Victoria Valos
Freshman - Infield
Bakersfield, Calif.
Stockdale High School - Southern California Jets Gold
5-foot-4
A two-time captain, Valos led Stockdale to the CIF Central Section Division I State Championship as a junior and a runner-up finish as a senior, earning First Team All-Power League and All-Area honors in both seasons. She also helped her team to three consecutive Southwest Yosemite League championships. As a senior, Valos hit .505 with a .515 on-base percentage and a league-best .846 slugging percentage. She boasted a team-best 87 hits, nine triples and seven home runs over the past two seasons. Valos also swiped a team-leading 16 bases in 2011, tallied 25 RBIs, scored 28 runs and reached base in all but three games for the Mustangs. Valos played ASA softball for the Jets Gold out of Southern California.
Victoria Kaleokalani Valos was born Feb. 18, 1993 in Bakersfield, Calif. She is the daughter of Pamela and Nicholas Valos and has two older brothers, Nick and Phillip, and one older sister, Kehulani. She intends to major in psychology.
