Cal State signs local softball standouts

Cal State San Bernardino's softball program picked up two outstanding local talents this week when Erica Prentice of Rim of the World High School and Jamie Leffingwell of Cajon High School signed national letters of intent to play for the Coyotes in 2009-10.

            Prentice, a pitcher with eye-popping stats who can play shortstop and hit for average, brings versatility and a strong right arm to the Coyotes while Leffingwell can play the outfield and drive in runs.

            Rim of the World has been a strong factor in the Desert Sky League with Prentice leading the way the past two seasons. She earned second-team all-CIF Southern Section honors in 2008, winning 18 games with a 0.45 earned run average and striking out 171 batters. She batted .476 with seven homers and 30 RBI.

            In 2007, Prentice recorded 16 wins with a 0.89 ERA and 273 strikeouts while batting .494.

            Thus far in 2009, she has five shutouts as the Scots have gotten off to a 7-2 start. She has 66 strikeouts in 37 innings with a 0.95 ERA. Teams are batting just .142 against her offerings. She is hitting .429. Her last outing was a one-hit, 2-0 shutout of Serrano High School.

            Leffingwell, a right-fielder, will be joining a team that has two of her former teammates at Cajon HS on the squad - sophomore centerfielder Priscilla Curiel and freshman third baseman Alex Mitchell. The Cowgirls are 12-4 this season with Leffingwell leading the team in runs batted in with 20. She has two home runs and is batting .302. The team is 4-0 in the San Andreas League thus far.

            In 2008, Leffingwell hit .381 on a team that went 23-7 and won the SAL with a 14-1 record. She had one home run, six doubles and 17 RBI and a .587 slugging percentage to go with a .453 on-base percentage.