EDWARDSVILLE – Emily Ingles, a right-handed pitcher from Scottsdale, Arizona, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball for SIUE next season.

"Emily is a very competitive person," said SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery. "Competitiveness is a quality that will allow her to thrive in our program. That's what I want our program to be about – hard work, competition and an overwhelming desire to succeed. These are the intangibles that not everyone possesses, and that's what makes Emily special."

Currently a senior at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Ingles is a four-year letter winner and has led her team to a 25-3 overall record as this season's team captain. The Most Valuable Player of the 25^th Annual Dobson-Westwood Invitational, she leads her team with 247 strikeouts and a 0.49 earned run average.

"She has good velocity and great command," said Montgomery. "She is a rise-ball pitcher that can spot it for a strike or throw it out of the zone, so she is getting a ton of strikeouts this spring."

Ingles played in the 2015 All Star Colorado Fireworks game and earned All-City honors. In 2014, she played in the All American Colorado Fireworks CBS Sports game. She also received 2014 All-Section honors as a member of the first team (Division II, Section IV).

The 5-foot, 2-inch pitcher has extensive tournament experience at the club level, playing for Arizona Hotshots Gold. Having thrown multiple perfect games, Ingles has pitched in more than 25 invitational tournaments and  showcases over the past four seasons in Arizona, California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Texas.

"Emily is a hard worker and wants to get better. We are very excited to have Emily join our program.  We expect great things from her in the next four years," added Montgomery.

She is the daughter of Karie Ingles.