Eight Standouts Sign With SIUE Cougar Softball

EDWARDSVILLE– SIUE softball Head Coach Ben Sorden announced the signing of eight outstanding individuals to join the Cougar family.

The signees include Ashley Duran (Corona, California), Bianca Morrell (Irvine, California), Vanessa Smith (Benicia, California), Jesslyn Stairs (Des Moines, Iowa), Haley Strain (Hastings, Minnesota),Elle van Breusegen (Columbia, Illinois), Mia Volpert (Springfield, Illinois) and Betsy Woodward (Fresno, California). The group join SIUE softball in time for the 2026 season.

Below is a brief summary of each newcomer.

Ashley Duran
Duran, a 5-foot, 8-inch catcher, helped lead Norco High School to a Big 8 League Championship last season. As a freshman at Santiago High School she earned Rookie of the Year accolades, followed by Offensive Player of the Year and Big 8 First Team All-League honors in her sophomore campaign on her way to helping her team earn a CIF Division 2 Regional State Championship. Duran also made the 2024 Division 3 CIF playoffs in girls flag football at Norco High School.

She competes for the Corona Angels Tyson club team which finished in the Elite 8 in the Alliance National Tournament in back-to-back years.

Duran's older sister (Valerie) competed in softball at Orange Coast College.

In the classroom, Duran has been a three-time Silver Honor Roll member thus far and plans to major in Nursing at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "Ashley plays for the always highly-competitive Corona Angels. She's an unshakable catcher that brings a strong softball IQ and a winning mentality behind the plate. She works well with her pitchers and commands the defense. Her leadership on and off the field is immeasurable. We are happy she's going to be a Cougar."

Bianca Morrell
A 5-10 infielder and outfielder, Morrell is a five-sport athlete from Portola High School. In addition to softball, she has competed in track and field, basketball, water polo, and flag football. By the end of her senior year, she will have earned 13 varsity letters.

Among her many accolades, Morrell was Rookie of the Year and competed in the State Prelims in shot put for track and field; earned first-team all-league honors and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year award in flag football; and has been a two-time MVP 'Top Dog Award' winner on her softball team. She received first-team all-league honors while her team competed in the CIF Southern Sections. She is the all-time record holder at Portola High School in multiple career categories including runs batted in, stolen bases, and home runs.

She competes for the club team, So Cal Athletics Lastrapes, an organization that won the PGF Southern California National Qualifier Championship earlier this year.

Her father, Mike, competed in football at Linfield and her mother, Rachel, competed in women's crew at Chapman.

A three-time scholar-athlete, she also earned the Portola High School Recognition Award for Integrity her freshmen year. Morrell pans to pursue a degree in criminal justice at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "As a true, five-sport athlete, Bianca may be one of the most versatile athletes I have ever recruited. Her versatility is something that truly sets her apart. Whatever the sport, Bianca competes at a high level, and we are excited for her to join this recruiting class."

Vanessa Smith
Smith, a 5-5 infielder, heads to SIUE after earning first-team all-league honors her junior year. She helped lead Benicia High School to a Diablo Athletic League Championship and their team was the North Coast Section Scholar Award winners. In her sophomore season, Smith made the honorable mention list, while in her freshman campaign. She had a stellar year as her team was North Coast Sections Champions, Diablo Athletic League Champions, and finished in second place at the CIF Northern Regional Championship.

Smith competes with future SIUE teammate Betsy Woodward on the club team, Universal Macias, which ranked 20th in the nation and finished third at the TCS Nationals in 2024.

Her parents both competed in Division I tennis at Missouri State. Smith plans to major in business at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "Vanessa is an energetic infielder and plays with great enthusiasm. Coming from a battle-tested Universal Macias team, Vanessa has played against some of the best competition week in and week out. We look forward to her experience and energy."

Jesslyn Stairs
Stairs, a 5-9 infielder, is set to join the Cougars after coming off a stellar high school career at Southeast Polk. She is a four-time varsity letter winner and three-time 5A State Qualifier. A two-time CIML All-Conference honoree, Stairs was an IGHSAU 5A All-Tournament Team selection her sophomore year and 5A All-State honoree this past season. She owns a career .400 high school batting average and .487 on base percentage.

A member of the Southeast Iowa Allstars Miller club team, Stairs and her team have placed either first or second in multiple Top Gun tournaments this fall. Her team owns a 39-4-1 record and Stairs has dominated offensively with a .441 batting average and .509 on base percentage.

Stairs' father, Josh, competed in baseball at Des Moines Area Community College.

In the classroom, Stairs is a four-time academic letter winner plus the recipient of an Academic Honor pin and Lamp of Knowledge pin. She plans to pursue a degree in criminal justice at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "Jesslyn is a gritty infielder who adds left-handed power at the plate to the lineup. She is a versatile, multi-positional player that will find her way onto the field. We like the way she competes and her attention to detail. We look forward to seeing Jesslyn on the diamond."

Haley Strain
A 6-1 left-handed pitcher and infielder, Strain heads to the Cougars after earning All-Conference, All-Section, and Most Valuable Player honors during her junior season at Hastings High School. Strain was honorable mention All-Conference her freshman campaign and then All-Conference and Co-MVP during her sophomore season.

Strain is a three-sport athlete at Hastings High School. In addition to softball, she has been on the varsity basketball team since her freshman year, earning All-Conference accolades in back-to-back seasons. She has also competed on the varsity volleyball team for three years, earning all-conference and MVP honors in each of the past two seasons.

Strain competes for the club team, Minnesota Magic-Pickett, who have placed in the top five in multiple tournaments this year.

Strain's father, Shane, competed in Big Ten football at Minnesota.

Academically, she is both a National Honor Society as well as a Spanish Honors Society Member. Strain plans to pursue a major in nursing at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "As a left-handed pitcher, Haley provides a different look in the circle and may find some time at first base as her bat will compete for some time in the lineup as well. Haley is a gifted three-sport athlete with tremendous upside, and we are excited to see her in the red and black."

Elle van Breusegen
A speedy 5-3 outfielder, van Breusegen is a member of the club team St. Louis Chaos Gentile and is coming off a high school season where she ranked eighth in batting average among all St. Louis area schools.

She is a three-time first team All-Metro pick and a two-time All-Conference selection. Van Breusegen led her team in batting average (.477) and runs scored (47) her junior season. She helped lead the Columbia High School softball team to a regional championship her sophomore year. She is also a three-year letter winner in basketball.

Elle comes from an athletic family – her mother, Jennifer, play soccer at Truman State; father, Thane, was a cheerleader at Missouri; sister, Keeler, played softball at Bradley; brother, Brennen, played baseball at Central Missouri; and grandmother, Judy Chickering, played field hockey at Iowa.

While her future major is currently undecided, academically, Ella currently ranks first in her class and is a National Honor Society member.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "Elle is one of the fastest players in the area and we were drawn to her speed game. Her elite speed pressures defenses and covers a ton of ground in the outfield. We look forward to her flying around the bases for years to come."

Mia Volpert
A 5-6 right-handed pitcher, Volpert heads to SIUE after graduating from Springfield High School. In addition to competing on the softball team, Volpert also competes for her cross country team where she is a three-year letter winner and three-time first-team All-Conference honoree. She was the cross country Most Valuable Runner in each of the last two seasons. In softball, Volpert is also a three-time first team All-Conference award winner plus is a three-time nominee for the Channel 1450 Player of the Year Award.

She has been a two-time first-team All-State selection and helped her team earn a second consecutive regional championship during her sophomore season. In her freshman year, Volpert was a second team All-State selection while pitching Springfield to its first regional championship title in 30 years with a complete game in the circle while also hitting two homers in the championship game.

Volpert has competed for the club teams, Tribe Baseball Softball Academy and Premier Fastpitch National. In addition, Mia represented the state of Illinois as a pitcher in the Senior League World Series where she pitched a nine-inning complete game and hit a home run, leading her team to win the World Series Title.

She is a member of the National Honors Society and six-time Academic All-Conference honoree. She has also served as Freshmen Class Secretary and Sophomore Class Vice President. Volpert plans to pursue a degree in nursing at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "Mia is an impact player that we expect to make a significant contribution to the team. As a junior, Mia won and pitched all nine innings of the Senior League World Series Championship game a year ago and then pitcher her team back to the championship again this year for Team Illinois. She knows what it's like to compete on a big stage and has experience as a champion. We look forward to Mia's experience and presence in the circle for years to come."

Betsy Woodward
Woodward, a 5-4 infielder, is set to join the Cougars after graduating from Bullard High School where she is a two-sport athlete. Woodward is a four-time letter winner in water polo, achieving honorable mention All-Conference her sophomore year and first team All-Conference her junior year. On her high school softball team, Woodward earned second team All-Conference as just a freshman, followed by first team All-Conference the last two seasons. She received the Bullard Golden Spikes Award last season. Her freshmen campaign included a D2 Central Section Championship and a D1 Central Section Championship runner-up her sophomore year.

Woodward competes with future SIUE Cougars teammate, Vanessa Smith, on the club team, Universal Macias. A team which ranked 20th in the nation and finished third at the TCS Nationals in 2024.

Woodward balances her athletic achievements with academics as well. As a seven-season Scholar-Athlete and AP Ambassador, she has served as Freshmen Class Vice President, Sophomore Class President, Junior Class Vice President, Athletic Club President, ASB Vice President and a CSF member. Woodward plans to pursue a degree in business management at SIUE.

From Head Coach Ben Sorden: "Betsy continues to impress us as a player and as a person. Playing for Universal Macias, she has competed at a very high level and has shown she can play with some of the best. She comes from a highly accomplished family and brings an uncommon work ethic. Betsy will be fun to watch."

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