🥎 Kansas Softball Welcomes Six on National Signing Day

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas softball head coach Jennifer McFalls has announced the addition of six student-athletes to the program as Bailey Amezcua, Kennedy Diggs, Karsen Griggs, Ava Wallace, Kaelee Washington and Bailey Weber each signed with KU on National Signing Day.

All six will join the Jayhawks as freshmen in the fall of 2024 before starting their collegiate career in the 2025 spring season. Four of the six are local products, with Washington (Topeka) and Weber (Overland Park) both staying in the state of Kansas, while Amezcua (Greenwood) and Diggs (Creighton) will come to KU from Missouri. Griggs comes from Oklahoma, a strong softball state, while Wallace is an outfielder coming from Rockwall, Texas.

"This 2024 class is very athletic and versatile. We will be graduating 8 seniors this year, so they will have some big shoes to fill. We are adding two pitchers, offensive power and speed on the bases. I love that they have all competed at a very high level for their high school team as well as their travel ball programs. Several are multi-sport athletes and they all know how to win. I am excited about our future Jayhawks as I know they will continue to help our program compete for championships."

Head Coach Jennifer McFalls

Bailey Amezcua

Catcher | Greenwood, Mo. | Lee’s Summit West | Select Fastpitch Jones

Amezcua comes to Kansas as a two-time Missouri all-state selection. She led her high school team to three district titles and a state championship. The Children’s Mercy Player of the Week recipient broke her high school’s record after batting .585. Amezcua also holds the record in OPS and for most RBI in a season. After earning all-conference, all-district and all-region honors during her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, Amezcua batted .629 with 17 hits, eight runs, eight RBI and seven walks in the last ten games of her high school career. She almost hit for the cycle in the last game of her career, as she produced two doubles, a single and a home run.

Kennedy Diggs

Right Handed Pitcher | Creighton, Mo. | Sherwood High School | Top Gun National

From Creighton, Missouri, Diggs is a two-time Missouri state runner up and three-time district champion. Diggs currently holds the record for the most high school career strikeouts in Missouri, as she sat down 1,308 batters in four years. She also holds the record for the most strikeouts in a single season with 511. During her junior season, Diggs managed an ERA of 0.47 with 397 strikeouts while holding opponents to a batting average of .098. Along with her pitching prowess, Diggs hit .505 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI at the dish. Diggs is a two-time Extra-Innings First Team All-American, a MaxPreps Second Team All-American, a two-time all-state selection and ranks 43rd in the Extra Elite rankings by Extra Innings Softball.

Karsen Griggs

Infielder | Shawnee, Okla. | Dale Public Schools | Athletics National

Griggs comes to Kansas from Oklahoma as an infielder who can play anywhere on the diamond. She ranks in the top 100 by Extra Innings Softball, with her highest mark coming in 2020 as she was ranked as the No. 8 infield prospect in the 2024 class. An honor roll student, Griggs has batted over .500 in each of her high school seasons. Her best season came in 2021, when she recorded a batting average of .692 along with 20 RBI and three home runs. Griggs capped off her senior season by claiming the 2023 Oklahoma State Championship with her high school team. Griggs is also a multi-sport athlete, as she has claimed numerous athletic awards in basketball while leading her team to three district championships, three regional championships and a state championship in 2023.

Ava Wallace

Outfielder | Rockwall, Texas | Rockwall High School

Born in Hawaii, Wallace comes from Texas where she has earned a plethora of awards throughout her high school career. Wallace has been named a first team outfielder while also claiming Outfielder of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Academically, Wallace earned Academic All-District each year of high school. She also earned Texas 6A all-area and all-district distinctions. In 2023, Wallace led her team to an overall record of 30-6-1 as she posted a batting average of .400 with 44 hits, 31 runs, 34 RBI, 14 doubles, two home runs and a triple. She also stole 13 bases and maintained a perfect fielding percentage with four assists and 47 putouts.

Kaelee Washington

Pitcher/Utility | Topeka, Kan. | Santa Fe Trail | Select Fastpitch

Washington comes to Kansas after claiming a state runner-up finish last season. In 2022, she helped lead her team to a third-place state finish. Along with her state championship finishes, Washington’s team earned a regional championship in both 2022 and 2023 and a Pioneer League Championship in 2023. She also holds numerous records at her high school. These include most career strikeouts (569) and career batting average (.500). She also broke the single-season record for most strikeouts in a season (254), most runs scored in a season (39) and hits in a season (45). Last spring season, Washington earned SIK 3A Player of the Year, KSCA first team pitcher, first team all-state and first team all-league honors. Washington has also earned honors outside of softball, most notably in powerlifting and basketball. On 2022, Washington led her powerlifting group to a championship and in 2023, she earned first team all-league, KBCA third team all-state and SIK second team all-state in basketball.

Bailey Weber |Overland Park, Kan.  | Blue Valley Southwest | Select Fastpitch

Weber hails from local Overland Park, where she holds a number of Blue Valley Southwest records. She broke the hits and singles records in each of her freshman, sophomore and junior season, while currently holding the record with 44 hits and 40 singles. She also set a new record with 35 stolen bases. Weber earned First Team All-EKL in 2021 and 2022 and received an honorable mention selection in 2020. Academically, Weber made the principal’s honor role in 2020. Weber also ran track in high school and her sister, McKenzie, played softball for Wichita State.