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Virginia Signs Two Softball Recruits
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July 11, 2002
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia head softball coach Cheryl Sprangel has announced that Jacquelyn Greer (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) and Christina Grimm (Los Osos, Calif./Morro Bay) have signed national letters of intent to attend Virginia and play softball for the Cavaliers beginning in the 2002-03 academic year.
Greer is a 5-8 pitcher and outfielder from Portage, Michigan. A four-year letterwinner, she was a captain of the Portage Northern’s 2002 softball team and was a Marine Corp Scholar Athlete. She was a first-team All-State selection as a pitcher in 2001 and 2002, and was an honorable mention All-State pick as an outfielder in 2000. She posted a 0.43 ERA in 2001. Greer helped lead Portage Northern to the 2001 and 2000 Class A Michigan High School State Championships as well as the Big Eight Conference Championships the same seasons. In 2000, her high school team posted an impressive 43-0 record. Greer did not allow an earned run during the 2000 season. She was selected as an All-Region outfielder in 1999 and also posted a 0.86 ERA. Portage Northern won the District and Big Eight Conference titles in 1999. Greer, who also lettered twice in volleyball, earned Highest Academic Honors all four years and was a member of the National Honor Society from 2000 to 2002. Greer also served as the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Council in 2001-02.
Grimm is a 5-9 pitcher and first baseman from Los Osos, Calif. She earned first-team All-League honors all four seasons for Morro Bay High School and was also a four-time All-County selection. Grimm was an All-League and All-County pick as a pitcher in 2002, her first full year in the circle. Three times she earned All-League honors as a first baseman. Grimm was a two-time All-County pick at first base and also earned the honor once as a utility player. Grimm, a four-year letterwinner in softball, was an All-CIF second-team pick at first base in 2000 and at pitcher in 2002. She earned three Academic Letters at Morro Bay and received a gold cord for having better than a 3.5 cumulative GPA during her high school career. In 2002, Grimm also received the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma and the Los Padres Athletic League Outstanding Scholarship Certificate.
“I am very excited about these two pitchers rounding out our pitching staff for next year,” said Sprangel. “They should be able to compliment each other and the other two pitchers already on our staff. Jackie may be the more polished and experienced pitcher of the two, but Christina has great strength and talent that can be developed even further. Christina has really only been pitching competitively for about a year, and I see where she will continue to make great strides and improvements. The other exciting piece is that both of these pitchers are also great athletes, so they will not only help us on the mound, but defensively with Jackie in the outfield and Christina at first base. They are also both strong hitters with Jackie being more of a singles and line-drive hitter and Christina has the exciting ability for deep power. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work with both of these players.”
Greer and Grimm increase UVa’s 2003 recruiting class to five players. The Cavaliers received commitments from pitcher Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon); shortstop/catcher/third baseman Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs); and outfielder Jessica Taylor (Philadelphia, Penn./Germantown Academy) earlier this year.
Virginia finished the 2002 season with a 45-22 overall record.