University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
Garcia, Softball Complete 2021 Roster with Seven New Additions
8/16/2021 2:52:00 PM | Softball
Ben Garcia and the UNC Softball staff signed seven newcomers to complete 2021 roster
GREELEY, Colo. – Softball head coach Ben Garcia solidified his 2021 team with the addition of seven newcomers over the summer. The Bears will have a new look with 13 signees overall.
"The seven late signees will undoubtedly make UNC's Softball team a team of immediate impact with experience, athletic abilities, and great softball skill sets," Garcia said. "We can't wait to see how they blend in with an already strong nucleus to compete in the Big Sky Conference."
The new seven new additions include one pitcher, two utility players a pair of catchers/infielders, one infielder and an outfield.
Riley Plogger | OF | Redlands, Calif. | Utah State
Riley Plogger adds to UNC's outfield depth making her way to Greeley from Logan, Utah and Utah State University. For the Aggies, she earned second team All-Mountain West honors in 2017 when she hit .370 with 11 doubles, five triples and five home runs. She left USU as the program's record holder in runs scored with 114. Off the field, she was a three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree.
Plogger played her high school ball at Redlands East Valley High School. She was a four-time all-league honoree and the Rookie of the Year as a freshman. The team MVP her season, she had a .361 batting average.
Coach Garcia on Riley
"Riley is a grad transfer from Utah State. She brings tons of athletic ability to go along with her experience on and off the field of play. We are looking for big things not only at UNC but in the Big Sky softball conference from Riley."
Delaney Hull | RHP | Mission Viejo, Calif. | Utah State
Delaney Hull will step into the circle with plenty of college experience transferring to UNC from Utah State. Used both as a starter and reliever for the Aggies, Hull was the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week in 2018 following throwing a no-hitter against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Originally from Mission Viejo, California, Hull attended Capistrano Valley High School. There she posted an 18-10 record as a senior with a 1.80 ERA over 178.0 innings pitched. She earned all-division, all-county and all-state honors as a senior.
Coach Garcia on Hull
"Delaney is another Utah State Grad student who will bolster a very young and strong pitching staff. She no doubt will be an immediate impact on the mound."
Kaleigh Holland | C/IF | Phoenix, Ariz. | Grand Canyon University
Kaleigh Holland is trading in the purple and white for the Blue and Gold to end her college career coming to UNC from Grand Canyon University. At GCU she appeared in over 100 games playing mostly behind the plate.
The Phoenix native attended Willow Canyon High School where she was a first team all-conference selection. She also earned honor roll and principal lists.
Coach Garcia at Holland
"Kaileigh is a grad transfer from Grand Canyon University. She is an outstanding receiver behind the plate and gap-to-gap hitter. She has the great ability to impact the outcome of any game."
Jayden Gandert | UTL | Rio Rancho, NM | Trinidad State JC
One of the best home run hitters in all of junior college softball is joining the Bears for the 2022 season in Jayden Gandert. She sent 25 home runs over the fence for Trinidad State last season hitting .441 with a 1.118 slugging percentage. She spent one season at the University of New Mexico before transferring to Trinidad State.
From Rio Rancho, New Mexico she attended Cleveland High School where she was a first team all-district selection as a junior and second team as a freshman and sophomore. Her sister Jaycie signed with the Bears in November.
Coach Garcia on Jayden
"Jayden is coming to us from Trinidad State JC. She was one of the top home run hitters in junior college last year, and as a utility player and pitcher she will challenge for a starting position somewhere on the team."
Alexis Barashkoff | IF | Bellevue, Wash. | UNLV
Alexis Barashkoff is trading in the bright lights of Las Vegas for some cowgirl boots in Greeley. The UNLV transfer saw limited action for the Rebels appearing in just nine games and having only seven at-bats.
In high school, she was a shortstop and pitcher for Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. An honorable mention in 2017 and 2018, she made the first team in 2019 as a shortstop.
Coach Garcia on Alexis
"Alexis is a transfer from UNLV. She is a smooth middle infielder with a powerful bat and arm. We are super excited to see how she will develop at UNC."
Hannah Knox | P/UTL | Lindale, Texas | Butler CC
Hannah Knox knows what it takes to win coming from one of the best junior college programs in the nation at Butler CC in Kansas. She hit .470 on the year for the Grizzlies last season and struck out 26 as a threat both in the box and in the bound.
The Lindale, Texas native graduated from Lindale High School.
Coach Garcia on Hannah
"Hannah is a transfer from Butler CC, one of the top softball programs in the nation. She is a power-hitting outfielder and a hard-throwing pitcher that will make an immediate impact in the line-up."
Jenna Kobernick | C/IF | San Tan Valley, Ariz. | Casteel High School
Rounding out the newcomers to the UNC Softball team is Jenna Koberncik. She comes to Greeley from Arizona where she played at Casteel High School. Twice the team's MVP, she earned all-region honors in 2021 including being named the player of the year. In 2019, Kobernick was a Mex Preps National High School All-American.
Coach Garcia on Jena
"An incoming freshman catcher, who is a strong power hitter with great arm and skills behind the plate."
To stay up to date on all things UNC softball, visit UNCBears.com follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the UNC Athletics App.
"The seven late signees will undoubtedly make UNC's Softball team a team of immediate impact with experience, athletic abilities, and great softball skill sets," Garcia said. "We can't wait to see how they blend in with an already strong nucleus to compete in the Big Sky Conference."
The new seven new additions include one pitcher, two utility players a pair of catchers/infielders, one infielder and an outfield.
Riley Plogger | OF | Redlands, Calif. | Utah State
Riley Plogger adds to UNC's outfield depth making her way to Greeley from Logan, Utah and Utah State University. For the Aggies, she earned second team All-Mountain West honors in 2017 when she hit .370 with 11 doubles, five triples and five home runs. She left USU as the program's record holder in runs scored with 114. Off the field, she was a three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree.
Plogger played her high school ball at Redlands East Valley High School. She was a four-time all-league honoree and the Rookie of the Year as a freshman. The team MVP her season, she had a .361 batting average.
Coach Garcia on Riley
"Riley is a grad transfer from Utah State. She brings tons of athletic ability to go along with her experience on and off the field of play. We are looking for big things not only at UNC but in the Big Sky softball conference from Riley."
Delaney Hull | RHP | Mission Viejo, Calif. | Utah State
Delaney Hull will step into the circle with plenty of college experience transferring to UNC from Utah State. Used both as a starter and reliever for the Aggies, Hull was the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week in 2018 following throwing a no-hitter against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Originally from Mission Viejo, California, Hull attended Capistrano Valley High School. There she posted an 18-10 record as a senior with a 1.80 ERA over 178.0 innings pitched. She earned all-division, all-county and all-state honors as a senior.
Coach Garcia on Hull
"Delaney is another Utah State Grad student who will bolster a very young and strong pitching staff. She no doubt will be an immediate impact on the mound."
Kaleigh Holland | C/IF | Phoenix, Ariz. | Grand Canyon University
Kaleigh Holland is trading in the purple and white for the Blue and Gold to end her college career coming to UNC from Grand Canyon University. At GCU she appeared in over 100 games playing mostly behind the plate.
The Phoenix native attended Willow Canyon High School where she was a first team all-conference selection. She also earned honor roll and principal lists.
Coach Garcia at Holland
"Kaileigh is a grad transfer from Grand Canyon University. She is an outstanding receiver behind the plate and gap-to-gap hitter. She has the great ability to impact the outcome of any game."
Jayden Gandert | UTL | Rio Rancho, NM | Trinidad State JC
One of the best home run hitters in all of junior college softball is joining the Bears for the 2022 season in Jayden Gandert. She sent 25 home runs over the fence for Trinidad State last season hitting .441 with a 1.118 slugging percentage. She spent one season at the University of New Mexico before transferring to Trinidad State.
From Rio Rancho, New Mexico she attended Cleveland High School where she was a first team all-district selection as a junior and second team as a freshman and sophomore. Her sister Jaycie signed with the Bears in November.
Coach Garcia on Jayden
"Jayden is coming to us from Trinidad State JC. She was one of the top home run hitters in junior college last year, and as a utility player and pitcher she will challenge for a starting position somewhere on the team."
Alexis Barashkoff | IF | Bellevue, Wash. | UNLV
Alexis Barashkoff is trading in the bright lights of Las Vegas for some cowgirl boots in Greeley. The UNLV transfer saw limited action for the Rebels appearing in just nine games and having only seven at-bats.
In high school, she was a shortstop and pitcher for Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. An honorable mention in 2017 and 2018, she made the first team in 2019 as a shortstop.
Coach Garcia on Alexis
"Alexis is a transfer from UNLV. She is a smooth middle infielder with a powerful bat and arm. We are super excited to see how she will develop at UNC."
Hannah Knox | P/UTL | Lindale, Texas | Butler CC
Hannah Knox knows what it takes to win coming from one of the best junior college programs in the nation at Butler CC in Kansas. She hit .470 on the year for the Grizzlies last season and struck out 26 as a threat both in the box and in the bound.
The Lindale, Texas native graduated from Lindale High School.
Coach Garcia on Hannah
"Hannah is a transfer from Butler CC, one of the top softball programs in the nation. She is a power-hitting outfielder and a hard-throwing pitcher that will make an immediate impact in the line-up."
Jenna Kobernick | C/IF | San Tan Valley, Ariz. | Casteel High School
Rounding out the newcomers to the UNC Softball team is Jenna Koberncik. She comes to Greeley from Arizona where she played at Casteel High School. Twice the team's MVP, she earned all-region honors in 2021 including being named the player of the year. In 2019, Kobernick was a Mex Preps National High School All-American.
Coach Garcia on Jena
"An incoming freshman catcher, who is a strong power hitter with great arm and skills behind the plate."
To stay up to date on all things UNC softball, visit UNCBears.com follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the UNC Athletics App.
Wednesday, April 29
Tuesday, April 14
Wednesday, April 08
Tuesday, March 31
