STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State head softball coach Jay Miller announced Friday that Brittany Gates of Houston, Miss., Lindsey Dunlap from Bessemer, Ala., Ka’ilihiwa Smith from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Courtney Moore of El Sobrante, Calif., have signed national letters of intent with the Bulldogs.  

“I think our 2008 class is going to end up being one of the top classes we have ever recruited here at Mississippi State,” Miller noted.  “I think we’ve really helped ourselves offensively and defensively, and we’ve been able to get some kids in here with some speed that will make some noise on the bases for us.”

Gates, a senior outfielder at Houston High School, is considered one of the top players in the Magnolia State.  In her junior season for the Hilltoppers, she hit .413 with 20 stolen bases.  She has also been named the Division 3A Defensive Player of the Year for four straight seasons and offensively twice. Academically, the outfielder has been named HHS’ Highest Academic Achiever for five years and currently owns a 4.0 grade point average.  Gates has also played with the Germantown Red Devils, a travel team out of the Memphis area that won the American Fast Pitch Association Championship in 2006. 

“Brittany has tremendous speed, a great arm, and she can really cover a lot of ground, so she should be able to fill in very well since we are losing two outfielders,” Miller added.

Dunlap signs with MSU as the reigning Birmingham News’ Pitcher of the Year in the state of Alabama.  As a junior at Hueytown High School, Dunlap racked up 44 wins with 569 strikeouts while posting a .020 ERA.  Of her 44 wins, 33 were shutouts and 13 were no-hitters.  She was also named to the Birmingham News’ Super All-State Team and Class 6A All-Metro Team, in addition to earning Metro Pitcher of the Year honors.  In the summer, Dunlap has played with the Birmingham Vipers, helping them to four straight ASA State Championships and twice qualifying for ASA Nationals.  This past year, she played for the Florida Gold and then helped pace the Gold Coast Hurricanes to a third-place team finish during the ASA Gold Nationals.

“Lindsay is probably one of the best pitchers we have ever recruited here at Mississippi State.  I think she will step right in and make an immediate impact on the mound for us,” Miller claimed.

Smith comes from the Aloha State as a multi-position player for the Bulldogs.  While at Kapolei High School, she has played centerfield, catcher and first base.  This past season as a junior, she batted .500 while driving in 30 runs as well as recording 30 stolen bases.  She has started every varsity game since her freshman year and has earned first team all-state honors all three seasons.  As a freshman, the left-hander helped lead her team to a state runner-up finish.  In the classroom, she has accumulated a 3.4 GPA and was a 2006 nominee for the National Society of High School Scholars. Smith played summer ball with the Hawaii Pearls.

“Ka’ilihiwa is a big-time player that can play anywhere.  She can do a lot of things for us.  She’s got great speed, she’s a tremendous hitter, and really has the ability to make an impact right away,” Miller noted. 

Moore will be coming to Bulldog country from St. Mary’s College Prep High School in California.  The shortstop/outfielder hit .591 with six home runs, 31 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases as a junior.  As a three-time first team All-Bay Shore Athletic League selection, she was named the BSAL co-MVP this past season. Moore played her travel ball with the California Sorcerers.

“Courtney Moore gives us a great athlete who can play anywhere, including the outfield, and should be able to swing a really big bat for us,” Miller said.