2005 Signees Garner All-America Honors

July 25, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

University of Kansas softball signees Valerie George (Tucson, Ariz.) and Val Chapple (Olathe, Kan.) were recently named 2005 Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-Americans by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. George, a right-handed pitcher out of Sabino High School, and Chapple, an infielder from Olathe East, will join the Jayhawks for the 2006 season.

George, a first-team selection, was named the 4A-5A Arizona State Player of the Year as a senior and led her team to the Class 4A state title. She finished the season with a perfect 28-0 record, 0.31 ERA and led Sabino (33-1) to a No. 6 final ranking in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Poll.

As a senior, George pitched 177 innings, posted 273 strikeouts (10.8 per game) and allowed only eight earned runs all season. The Arizona Republic Softball Player of the Year graduated with a 3.4 grade point average and plans to major in business at KU.

Chapple, a second-team selection, was named the 2005 National High School Softball Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. Chapple led Olathe East to a perfect 25-0 season and its second-straight 6A state championship in 2005. In addition, Chapple was named the 2005 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for the state of Kansas.

Chapple holds a high school career batting average of .525 at Olathe East as the Hawks went 90-5 overall with two state championships over the last four seasons. Off the field, Chapple posted a 4.4 grade point average and will be a Freshman Honors Scholar at KU in the fall.

The pair joins Erika Simington (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Stevie Crisosto (Palo Cedro, Calif.) in the 2005 class of signees.

A total of 32 high school athletes were named to the 2005 All-America list. For a complete listing of the 2005 Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-Americans, visit www.nfca.org.

– KU –