ASU softball, volleyball, men’s golf score big to start early signing period More online

In basketball, baseball and numerous Olympic sports, some of the nation’s premier athletes signed letters of intent with Arizona State on Wednesday as the fall signing period opened.

Men’s golf, volleyball and softball are among ASU sports signing what could be transformational classes.

Softball signed two of the top 10ranked players in the prep class of 2021, men’s golf landed the No. 9-rated player plus two elite international players and volleyball added three players in the Prep Volleyball top 150.

And wrestling pulled in another budding star that Flo Wrestling rates as the nation’s best recruit pound for pound.

There sometimes is a lag between players signing and ASU making it official after compliance clearance, but here is a roundup of signing day highlights.

Men’s basketball

Will Felton, a 6-8 power forward from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, posted a photo online of him signing with the Sun Devils.

Demari Williams, a 6-6 shooting guard from Dream City Christian in Glendale, is expected to sign Friday. He is the highest rated player in ASU’s class at No. 178 nationally (247 Sports).

ASU’s third commitment is Justin Rochelin, a 6-4 forward from Heritage Christian in California.

Baseball

ASU is expecting to sign an 11-player class with nine high schoolers including Cameron Magee, a shortstop from California whose brothers Brandon and Angelo played football for the Sun Devils and whose sister Kylee is committed to ASU softball.

Other prep additions are infielders Wes Kath, Barrett Skaugrud and Jacob Tobias; outfielders Ivan Brethowr, Trey Rucker and Andrew Lucas; pitchers Caden Vire, Max Miller and Mat Olsen; and catcher Will Rogers.

Olsen and Lucas are junior college transfers with Lucas also playing in 2019 and 2020 at Cal State Northridge.

Women’s basketball

Meg Newman, a 6-3 forward from Indianapolis, and Jade Melbourne, a 5-10 guard from Australia, are committed to sign with ASU.

The four-star Newman is ranked No. 33 nationally in the 2021 class by ESPN HoopGurlz. Melbourne is the second Aussie recruit in as many years for the Sun Devils following 6-4 center Imogen Greenslade, a current freshman.

Men’s golf

Preston Summerhays of Scottsdale, signed with ASU. Summerhays is currently No. 9 in American Junior Golf Association rankings coming off top-10 finishes at the Junior Players Championship in September and Ping Invitational in October.

Summerhays is the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur champion.

ASU also signed Kiko Coelho of Portugal (AJGA All-American second team) and Jose Luis Ballester, 2020 Spanish Amateur champion.

Softball

Extra Inning Softball ranks ASU signees Mac Morgan No. 4 and Cydney Sanders No. 9 among its elite top 100.

Morgan, a 5-8 right-handed pitcher, was the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in Missouri with a 26-3 record and 0.12 ERA on a Class 2 state championship team. She also hit .590 with 14 home

Go to highschools.azcentral.com for a list of Arizona high school athletes signing during the early signing period.

runs and 57 RBI.

Sanders, who turned 18 on Wednesday, is a corner infielder from San Marcos, Calif. She was California Freshman of the Year in 2018 (.556, 14 HR, 36 RBI) and made all-state first team in 2019.

Volleyball

In what arguably is ASU’s most anticipated signing day since 2012, the Sun Devils are signing three AVCA Under Armour All-Americans in a four-player class.

Setter Allie Gray of Omaha is a fourtime state Nebraska state champion at Skutt Catholic High School and ranked No. 34 nationally by Prep Volleyball.

The 5-11 Gray’s early commitment in May 2018 helped in completing the class with 5-10 outside hitter Angelique Cyr from Texas (No. 105 Prep Volleyball), 6-3 middle blocker Andi Kreiling from Missouri and 5-7 libero Meadow Cooper from California.

Wresting

Richard Figueroa, rated No. 1 nationally at 120 pounds in the openmat.com rankings, of Selma, Calif., is the headliner in coach Zeke Jones’ latest class.

The class also includes Cael Valencia (No. 2 at 170) following his older brothers Zahid and Anthony to ASU from California as well as Max Wilner (No. 6 at 170) from California and Carter Dibert (No. 7 at 126) from Pennsylvania.

Soccer

The first five players signing with ASU, in what is expected to be a six- or seven-player class, are goalies Birta Gudlaugsdottir from Iceland and Julia Ortega, forwards Kennedy Mayo and Caetlyn Johannes and defender Lauren Kirberg.

Gudlaugsdottir played on Iceland’s U17 national team in 2017 and 2018 and was named best player on her club team (Stjarnan). Ortega is from California and was added late in recruiting to improve depth at goalie.

Mayo is a forward from Pleasanton, California (Amador Valley High School) who plays club with the Pleasanton Rage. She made the ODP regional team.

Johannes is from Maui High School in Kihei, Hawaii, where she is a three-time state champion and national finalist with Leahi Soccer.

Kirberg is from Peoria and Sandra Day O’Connor High School. She has been a captain for seven years on her SC del Sol club teams.

Indiana prep signs with GCU

Grand Canyon’s Bryce Drew may have hit it big with Wednesday’s signing of top Indiana high school guard Jalen Blackmon.

Blackmon, who comes from one of the most prestigious basketball names in Indiana high school history, was on pace to becoming Indiana’s all-time scoring leader before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in January.

He underwent surgery and, through hard work in rehab, is now at full strength. That was indicative in a fall league game in which he had 50 points.

“We’re thrilled Jalen is going to be joining the GCU family,” Drew said. “He comes from a basketball tradition rich family and state.”

Blackmon, a 6-foot-2 combo guard from Marion High School, was averaging 30 points as a junior before the injury. He is a four-star recruit by ESPN.