Columbia State softball coaches Johnny Littrell and Rick Stevens made a swing through southeastern Tennessee on Friday, landing three area players for the midstate TCCAA program.
One stop was at Red Bank High School, where first baseman Danielle "Dani" Usher joined the Lady Chargers program.
"She's a heck of an athlete. She plays basketball and volleyball for Red Bank, and I really think she's one of the best first basemen in Chattanooga," said Usher's summer-ball coach, Craig Thompson of the Chattanooga Lady Storm. "She's tall and long and she can scoop. She doesn't let anything get by her."
"She's got a lot of upside," agreed Stevens, the Lady Chargers' assistant coach. "She's a big, strong kid, and she's smart. She hits with power and is a good defensive player. I think she would be an asset for any softball program."
Usher originally planned to go into the military after junior college but now is going into mechanical engineering and wants to see where that takes her. She said that when she visited the Columbia, Tenn., campus, "Right off the jump I really loved how homey it was. It's a small campus and I didn't want to go to a big university. I think it's just right for me."
Littrell and Stevens earlier signed Sequatchie County infielder and pitcher Shiann Stockwell and later signed Polk County pitcher Hannah Triplett.
"We're excited about all three of them," Stevens said. "Hannah is a pretty good pitcher and a pretty good hitter, too, and another smart kid, with good grades and a good ACT score. Shiann is a pretty good little fielder and also a good hitter, and she can give us pitching help, too."