Virginia Signs Pair Of Softball Recruits

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Dec. 9, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia head softball coach Cheryl Sprangel has announced the signing of two players to national letters of intent with Virginia during the early signing period. The two student-athletes who will enroll at Virginia for the 2005-06 academic year are: pitcher Madi Gore (Acworth, Ga./Kell) and outfielder Sarah Tacke (Merced, Calif./Golden Valley).

Gore, a 5-6 pitcher from Acworth, Ga., is a four-year high school softball letterwinner. She helped lead Kell High School to the Georgia 5A State Championship in 2003 and 2004. She threw a nine-inning perfect game with 13 strikeouts in the 2003 state title game. Gore was a 2004 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association High School third-team All-American after earning Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-South Region First Team accolades. Gore was named the 2004 Marietta Daily Journal Pitcher of the Year for Cobb County and was also a first-team Cobb County pick by the newspaper. It was the second consecutive year Gore earned both awards. She was named the 2003 Georgia 5A Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-State. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recognized Gore as its 2003 All Classification Softball Player of the Year as well as its Cobb County Pitcher of the Year. Gore spent her freshman and sophomore years at Sequoyah High School where she was named the team’s Most Valuable Player both seasons.

Gore is an AP Scholar and a 2003-04 Georgia Certificate of Merit winner for being in the top five percent of her class. She is a 2003-04 National Science Merit Award winner and a NFCA Academic All-American Scholar Athlete.

“We are extremely excited about Madi Gore’s commitment to Virginia. She is a top-notch pitcher, who will make an immediate impact on our team. What I love most about Madi is her fire and competitive nature. She has a huge heart and always finds a way to get the job done,” said Sprangel.

Tacke is a 5-8 outfielder from Merced, California. She is a two-sport standout at Golden Valley High School and captain of the softball and volleyball teams. In softball, Tacke was named the Central California Conference MVP in 2004 and garnered first-team All-State accolades. She earned first-team All-Conference honors in 2003 and 2004. The same two seasons she was also named to the Merced Sun-Star’s All-Area and the Modesto Bee’s All-District teams. Tacke holds Golden Valley’s school record for career home runs as well as the single season mark with 10 homers, which she set in 2004 while earning the team’s Best Offensive Player Award. In 2003, she was selected as the team MVP. In volleyball, Tacke was a two-year starter at setter and was named the team’s Best Player in 2004 and also earned second-team All-Conference honors.

For the past three years Tacke has earned Academic All-Conference Scholar Athlete honors and has also been named to the California Scholastic Federation Honor Roll. She is also a member of the National Honor Society.

“We are equally excited about the addition of Sarah Tacke to our team. Sara will add much needed natural left-handed power to our offensive line-up. She is an awesome outfielder with a strong arm and also possesses quick reactions to the ball. She is a very focused player who will be a great addition,” Sprangel said.

“Both Sarah and Madi are great fits for UVa, both academically and with our softball team,” said Sprangel.