SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Less than a month before the first pitch of the season, freshmen infielder Kaia Cortes and pitcher Brianne Weiss were both named to the D1 Softball D100 Freshman Watch List, announced this morning.
Cortes, hailing from Tampa, Florida, is a left-handed power hitter who could see time at first base this season. During her senior year at Berkeley Preparatory School, Cortes slashed a .523 average, notching eight home runs, 16 doubles and 41 RBI. She was named the Jack and Barbara Thompson Award Winner for Most Outstanding Softball Player in Hillsborough County.
Weiss was dominant in the circle during her high school career. As a senior for Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California, Weiss went 19-2 with a 0.87 ERA, striking out 245 batters in just 136.1 innings. The southpaw was a Max Preps First Team All-American and the Orange County Softball Pitcher of the Year.
The D100 Freshman Watch List is a true watch list; players are listed alphabetically by team with no numbered rankings attached. The watch list puts an early spotlight on true freshmen who could make an immediate impact on their respective teams.