PEORIA, Ill. -- Second-year Bradley softball head coach Buddy Foster received three National Letters of Intent during the Fall signing period and will welcome center fielder Jess Boeger (St. Louis, Mo./Affton H.S.), catcher Denise Jilka (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) and utility player Katelyn Kegley (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) to the team next season.
Kegley hit .455 last year as a junior and owned a .703 slugging percentage. Pekin's MVP as both a sophomore and junior, she had five doubles, four triples, four home runs and drove in 27 runs last spring. She also struck out 131 batters in the circle for the Dragons in 128 innings of work and had an 8-12 record. A three-time all-conference selection in softball, she also earned four letters in volleyball.
"We are thrilled about Katelyn's power potential," Foster said. "She has the ability to hit the ball a very long way right now and we cannot wait to work with her offensively. Kate has a very bright future with unlimited potential."
A two-time first-team all-state selection as a senior, Boeger will also bring some pop to the Braves lineup after setting the Class 3 home run record with 11 this fall. A four-time first-team all-district and all-conference selection, she also had seven doubles and seven triples while owning a 1.116 slugging percentage. Boeger hit .488 and stole 21 bases and had a .577 on base percentage in her final prep season. Boeger was a teammate of current Bradley freshman Amanda Clack on the St. Louis Chaos, the top under-18 program in St. Louis.
"Jess is a left handed bat with power who will be a great hitter for us here," Foster stated. "She is a special talent and I really think we got one of the top two or three kids in the St. Louis area in Jess."
Also joining the Braves from the St. Louis Chaos is Jilka. A two-time first-team all-conference pick, she earned first-team all-region honors this fall after hitting .434 and driving in 26 runs. Jilka had eight doubles and a .511 on base percentage as a senior and earned honorable mention All-Metro honors following her junior and senior seasons.
"Denise will immediately contribute to this team," Foster added. "I really love catchers who take charge of the game and Denise is a very heady catcher. I love watching her compete because she always seems to make the right decisions when calling the game. Her defensive fundamentals are as good as I have seen in a long time and I am excited to get to work with her over the next four years.
"I am extremely thrilled with the class we have signed," Foster said. "I give (assistant coach) Renee (Enos) a lot of credit. She spent a lot time on these kids and her hard work paid off for us. Offense and power were two key areas that we needed to address with recruiting and these three individuals should be able to step in and help us right away."
Bradley returns 12 of 21 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team that finished with a winning record (25-23 overall) for the first time since 1995. The Braves finished tied for seventh in the MVC with a 10-13 league mark. Bradley will open the 2007 season at home, hosting the Schutt Invitational Feb. 17 & 18 at the Dragon's Dome in Pekin, Ill.
