The University of the Cumberlands (UC) softball team is looking forward to next year with the signing of Ashleigh "Kat" Hopf.

Hopf is the daughter of Todd and Kristie Hopf and will be a freshman at UC in the fall. Hopf is a native of Centerville, Ohio where she was graduated from Centerville High School. As a pitcher, Hopf was talented enough to participate in the Cup 2010 in Schiedam, Netherlands in January 2010.

During her high school tenure, Kat etched her name in the record books. She set the school record for wins in a season by a pitcher and is 4^th all-time for career wins and strikeouts. Also, for her career, she is 6^th all-time in hits, 4^th in at bats, and 5^th in RBIs. Currently, she is 2^nd all-time in doubles for a season.

UC Head Softball coach Angie Dean expressed her excitement with having Hopf become part of the team commenting, "We are very excited about signing Ashleigh "Kat" Hopf to our team. I expect her to see a lot of action on the mound for us this season and I know she will work hard to help our softball team succeed."

When asked about signing with UC, Hopf responded, "I am looking forward to playing for a great program like the Patriots and getting to know my new teammates and coaches. As a freshman, I have to prove myself all over again and I plan on working extremely hard this summer to ensure I am able to make a contribution to the team this upcoming fall."

Article Provided by Tiera Ball, University of the Cumberlands Multimedia and Athletic Services Student Assistant