CARBONDALE, Ill.- The defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Southern Illinois University Salukis and head coach Kerri Blaylock have announced the addition of five student-athletes that have signed National Letters of Intent to join the program in the fall of 2022.
Signing NLIs with the Salukis are infielder Erin Lee (Edinburgh, Ind.), infielder/catcher Haley Wilkerson (Whiteland, Ind.), catcher Anna Carder (Athens, Ala.), pitcher Elliott Stinson and infielder Jackie Lis (Newburgh, Ind.).
“The unique thing about this class is that they were recruited entirely over the computer,” Blaylock said. “They were going through their recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic and we were not allowed to watch them in-person. I think it says quite a lot that a player can catch your attention while watching totally online. This is a class of competitors that showed us great energy and enthusiasm for playing the game. They all bat in the heart of their teams order. They all are great students and they all want to be Salukis.”
Erin Lee // Infielder // Edinburgh, Ind.
Erin Lee is a senior at Franklin High School, where she has started at shortstop for the Grizzly Cubs since her freshman year. As a freshman, Lee hit .346 with four extra base hits to earn All-Mid-State Conference honors. As a junior, the Edinburgh, Ind. native hit .286, with 10 of her 22 hits going for extra bases to help Franklin defeat Center Grove, the defending Class 4A state champions, in the Johnson County championship game. A two-time recipient of Franklin’s Golden Glove award, Lee holds a .923 fielding percentage during her prep career.
On the travel ball circuit, Lee plays for Indiana Magic Gold, the same travel team as current Salukis Alexis Rudd and Addi Baker.
“Erin is a such a smooth infielder with great range and a big arm,” Blaylock said. “She impressed us so much with her defensive ability in the middle. She has deceptive power and does a great job at the plate also.”
Elliott Stinson // Pitcher // Rushville, Ill.
Elliott Stinson attends Rushville-Industry High School in Rushville, Ill. where she has earned all-conference honors in each of her two full seasons, which included a turn on the All-State Third Team as a junior in 2021. Stinson has shown her ability to hit as well as dominate in the circle, which was no more evident than in Rushville-Industry’s 4-0 win over Triopia on May 4, 2021 in which Stinson didn’t allow a hit in the circle, struck out 17 batters and tallied a pair of hits, one of which was a home run. For the season, Stinson recorded a microscopic .98 earned run average and hit at a .630 clip.
She plays travel ball for the St. Louis Chaos, which was the same club that former Salukis Claire Miller and Katelyn Massa were from. A versatile athlete, Stinson also starred for Rushville-Industry’s volleyball team as a freshman and sophomore.
“Elliott is a big pick up for us,” Blaylock said. “She will be another in the long line of good pitchers here at SIU. She has great velocity and movement on the ball and she is also a hitter that has great power.”
Anna Carder // Catcher // Athens, Alabama
Anna Carder is a senior at Athens High School in Athens, Ala. where she helped the Golden Eagles finish fourth in the state in 2021, which included Athens first win at the state tournament in over a decade. The sure-handed catcher hit a team-best .420 and led the team with 55 runs batted in to earn All-State First Team honors.
A vocal leader on the field and the recipient of Athens’ Team Spirit award, Carder plays her travel ball for TN Fury Premier.
“Anna is a shutdown catcher,” Blaylock said. “She frames well, has a big arm and is a leader behind the plate. With her energy, the pitchers will love throwing to her. She can hit for power and average and is not afraid of a big moment.”
Haley Wilkerson // Infielder/Catcher // Whiteland, Ind.
Haley Wilkerson is coming off a junior season at Whiteland Comm. High School in Whiteland, Ind. in which she posted a .500 on-base percentage and a .962 fielding percentage to earn All-County Honorable Mention honors. Ranked as the 65th-best player in the Class of 2022 by Extra Inning Softball, Wilkerson hit .400 as a freshman. After her sophomore season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Whiteland, Ind. native hit .402 with four home runs during her fall travel ball season with the Indiana Magic Gold.
Wilkerson has spent eight-plus years playing her travel ball for the Indiana Magic Gold, which is the same organization that fellow Class of 2022 signee Erin Lee played for.
“Haley kept catching our attention at third base,” Blaylock said. “She would make great plays in critical situations. The more we watched it became clear that she also had power and hit in big moments.”
Jackie Lis // Infielder // Newburgh, Ind.
A native of Newburgh, Ind., Jackie Lis has been a fixture in the infield for Castle High School. A 2021 All-State First Team honoree, Lis hit a conference-leading .529 with a .596 on-base percentage to go along with 37 runs scored, six home runs and 37 runs batted in en route to being named the Evansville Courier All-Metro Player of the Year. As a freshman, Lis hit .459 with 21 runs batted in and she will enter her senior season with a career .500 batting average.
Lis plays her travel ball for the Louisville Lady Sluggers, which is the same travel ball squad that fellow Saluki Jenny Jansen played for. In addition to her accolades on the diamond, Lis is an exceptional student who holds a 3.97 grade point average.
Lis comes from a family that has an extensive history of starring on the diamond. Jackie’s grandfather, Joe Sr., played eight seasons of Major League Baseball with four different teams, while her father, Joe Jr., reached Triple-A with both Toronto and Atlanta. Jackie’s aunt, Becky, played softball at SIU from 1994-97, is the program’s all-time leader in career batting average (.362) and was inducted into the Saluki Hall of Fame in 2013.
“Jackie is such a competitor,” Blaylock said. “She plays so hard every play. She has a great glove and hits the ball very well. We were impressed with her ability to get on base but also pick up big RBIs.”