BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU softball head coach Amy Tudor announced the signings of three student-athletes Thursday that are set to compete for the Lady Toppers during the 2016-17 season.
The three late additions include Brittany Vaughn (Bowling Green, Ky.), Kara Brewer (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) and Kelsey Aikey (Cedar Falls, Iowa).
Vaughn, a Bowling Green native, returns to Kentucky having played two full seasons at the University of Memphis where her most productive year came in 2014 as the infielder started all 54 games at shortstop as a freshman. The rookie finished her first season with the Tigers with a .289 average, 33 RBI, two home runs and 11 doubles while knocking in 27 runs. Additionally, Vaughn recorded an impressive .402 on-base percentage and nabbed six stolen bases. Defensively, she recorded 94 putouts and 82 assists and helped turn a total of five double plays.
In 2015, the sophomore made an appearance in 42 games, with 34 starts and finished the year hitting .237 with two home runs, eight doubles, 22 hits, 15 runs scored and a .387 slugging percentage. Off the field, Vaughn was an American Conference All-Academic Team honoree.
Prior to Memphis, the Bowling Green native recorded a tremendous prep career at Bowling Green High School. As a senior in 2012-13, she was named the WBKO Total Fitness Female Athlete of the Year after compiling a .513 hitting percentage with nine home runs, 38 RBI, 61 runs scored and a .601 on-base percentage. Vaughn finished her four-year career at BGHS as a two-time All-State selection after leading the Purples to a pair of district championships.
Vaughn redshirted her junior season with Memphis in 2016 and will have two years of immediate eligibility remaining once she arrives on The Hill.
WKU will look to add firepower at the plate with the addition of Kara Brewer who comes to Bowling Green off a two-year career at Columbia State Junior College in Columbia, Tennessee.
As a sophomore in 2016, the hot-hitting Brewer led Columbia State to a 43-11 overall record where the outfielder was named a NJCAA Marucci Elite Hitter after ranking third nationally in Division I of the NJCAA with an impressive .537 hitting percentage after notching a team-best 95 hits on 177 total at-bats. Playing in all 52 contests, Brewer added a team-best 18 doubles to go along with two triples, three home runs and 49 RBI.
After leading Columbia State to a 30-6 conference record, Brewer was named the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) Player of the Year in 2016 as the rising junior comes to The Hill with two years of immediate eligibility remaining.
Incoming freshman Kelsey Aikey rounds out the trio of new additions as the right-handed pitcher from Cedar Falls, Iowa, comes to WKU looking to add depth in the circle for the Lady Toppers in 2017.
Aikey is currently in the midst of her senior season at Waverly Shell-Rock High School. She played her first three seasons of her prep career at Cedar Falls High School before transferring in January of 2016.
Waverly-S.R. is off to a 5-1 start in 2016 as Aikey leads the team with a 0.37 ERA, having allowed just 17 hits in 38 innings of work while totaling 66 strikeouts. She also leads the Go-Hawks at the plate with a .423 average and a team-best 12 runs scored. For her efforts, she recently earned Athlete of the Week honors from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.
Aikey played her club ball with the BreakThrew Fastpitch program and she's set to join incoming freshman Haylee Towers, rising sophomore Bryce Holmgren and redshirt freshman Cassidy Blackford as current Lady Toppers to come from the BTF organization.
"I am really excited about the talent and athleticism of these three student-athletes," Tudor said. "Adding two upperclassmen with college experience and success and a talented arm in the circle will have an immediate impact in our lineup. This late signing group has the ability to contribute immediately and make an impact on and off the field during their time at WKU."
WKU's roster currently stands at 16 players as the Lady Toppers are set to return seven members from 2016 while the additions of Vaughn, Brewer and Aikey make for a total of nine newcomers for the 2017 season.
The trio adds to the previously announced six-player freshmen class of Towers (Johnston, Iowa), Paige Carter (Crown Point, Indiana), Taylor Childress (Louisville, Ky.), Katie Johnson (Stillwater, Minn.), Morgan McElroy (Madisonville, Ky.) and Tommi Stowers (Columbus, Indiana).
