PEORIA, Ill. -- Eighth-year Bradley Softball head coach Amy Hayes announced the addition of six recruits with Allison Apke (Teutopolis, Ill./Teutopolis), Brooklyn Bane (Normal, Ill./Normal Community), Emma Jackson (Reseda, Calif./El Camino Real), Emily Visnic (Millers Creek, N.C./West Wilkes), Kealia Wysocki (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) and Sydney Young (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) recently signing National Letters of Intent to attend Bradley next fall.
Allison Apke • 5-6 • OF • Teutopolis, Ill. • Teutopolis H.S.
Teutopolis H.S. • Head Coach: Rich Niebruggee
Premier 18U Gold • Head Coach: Kristi Paulson
Apke is a two-time second-team all-state selection and has earned first-team all-area honors each of her three seasons at Teutopolis. She helped lead the Lady Shoes to a second-place state finish her sophomore season. Apke's club team Premier FP finished sixth at the 16U Golf Nationals in 2014. She has been named to the honor roll all three years and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Personal: The daughter of Michele & Chris Apke, Allison has two siblings: Clayton & Chris ... Plans to major in mechanical engineering with a biomedical concentration.
Amy Hayes on Allison Apke:
“Allison is a bright young woman with a big bat and a no-nonsense attitude. A versatile athlete with a good sense for the game, she will add power to our lineup with the ability to put it out in a hurry.”
Brooklyn Bane • 5-8 • 2B/OF • Normal, Ill. • Normal Community West H.S.
Normal Community West H.S. • Head Coach: April Schermann
Midland Magic 98 Gold • Head Coach: Dale Shelton
Bane earned Big 12 all-conference honors last year. She was part of a conference, regional and sectional championship team as a freshman. Bane is a three-time Big 12 Conference scholar-athlete and is part of the National Honor Society. In addition, she is a member of both the Spanish Honors Society and the Math Honors Society.
Personal: The daughter of Sonya & Jason Bane, Brooklyn has one younger sibling: Merrick ... Plans to major in health science.
Amy Hayes on Brooklyn Bane:
“Brooklyn is a hard-working athlete with good speed. She has the ability to play in the infield, but will more than likely make her biggest impact in the outfield. Brooklyn comes from a strong Midland Magic Club team which has produced several of our top players the last few years.”
Emma Jackson • 5-10 • RHP • Reseda, Calif. • El Camino Real H.S.
El Camino Real H.S. • Head Coach: Jody Borenstein
SoCal Diamonds • Head Coaches: John Ashley & Bob Creamer
Jackson posted a 1.44 ERA as a junior and helped her team to back-to-back conference titles her freshman and sophomore seasons. She was a first-team all-conference pick as a freshman in 2013. Jackson was named recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award as a freshman in addition to the Principal's Award that same year and also earned a spot on The Dean's List.
Personal: The daughter of Amy & Eric Jackson, Emma has an older sibling: Taylor ... Plans to major in sports communication.
Amy Hayes on Jackson:
“Emma will be a nice compliment to the rest of the pitching staff with her spin and ability to make hitters miss. She works hard to better her game and those around her. Coming out of a strong southern California softball circuit Emma has really pushed to make adjustments and grow. “
Emily Visnic • 5-10 • RHP • Millers Creek, N.C. • West Wilkes H.S.
West Wilkes H.S. • Head Coach: Michael Woodruff
Team North Carolina • Head Coach: Ron Trull
Stiggy's • Head Coach: Michael Bastein
An all-state pick as a junior, Visnic posted a 16-4 record last year with 11 shutouts and helped her team to a 20-4 record. In addition, she hit .486 with 22 RBI at the plate and went on to earn MVP of the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference tournament along with garnering all-conference and all-region accolades. Visnic was part of a 1A state championship as a freshman in 2013. In addition to her accomplishments on the field, she holds the school record in the shot put and finished sixth in the state in the shot put this past spring. The 2015 homecoming queen, Visnic is the Student Body President and is also part of the Beta Club.
Personal: The daughter of Tina & George Visnic, Emily has a younger sibling: Charity ... Undecided on a major.
Amy Hayes on Emily Visnic:
“A very strong and talented pitcher, Emily is our first recruit from North Carolina. She has the ability to change the game on both sides of the ball, and her competitiveness drives her on every pitch. Emily is not afraid to be coached and is hungry to grow as a player at the next level.”
Kealia Wysocki • 5-9 • C/U • Thousand Oaks, Calif. • Thousand Oaks H.S.
Thousand Oaks H.S. • Head Coach: DeAnne Young
SoCal Diamonds • Head Coach: John Ashley & Bob Creamer
Wysocki is a three-time all-conference selection and led her team in batting average as both a freshman and sophomore. She was named to the Ventura County All-Star Team and was named the team's top offensive player each of the last two seasons. Wysocki played summer ball with Jackson and current Bradley sophomore outfielder Erika Hansen. She was named the Athlete of the Month in May of 2013.
Personal: The daughter of Judy Wysocki ... Plans to major in sports communication.
Amy Hayes on Kealie Wysocki:
“She has the power to follow in the footsteps of (Alyson) Clemente and (Kathryn) Spenn and put up some big numbers over her time at Bradley. Kealia has the ability to play outfield or a corner infield position, but has truly developed herself into a very capable catcher. She will most likely see time behind the dish and at designated player."
Sydney Young • 5-2 • OF • Wheaton, Ill. • Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.
Wheaton Warrenville South H.S. • Head Coach: Jeff Pawlak
Illinois Chill • Head Coach: Gerry Quinn
Young is a relative newcomer to softball, playing just one season at Wheaton Warrenville South after concentrating on track her first two prep seasons. The leadoff hitter for Wheaton Warrenville South, she led the DuPage area in stolen bases last spring. Young has earned academic all-conference honors in both softball and track.
Personal: The daughter of Sanura & Roderick Young, Sydney has three siblings: Rod, Ryan & Reece ... Plans to major in English.
Amy Hayes on Sydney Young:
“Sydney is an extremely gifted athlete who can fly. She is a bit raw from not having a chance to focus on softball as her primary sport, but her speed and work ethic will help her develop into a very important role for our squad.”
