COLORADO SPRINGS – Five future Mountain Lions will be joining the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team, announced head coach Ricki Rothbauer-Stubbs.  Gabrielle Cronin, Morgan Hernandez-Belew, Solana Martinez, Brianna Santos and Lexi Rayburn have each signed a National Letter of Intent with the Mountain Lions.
 
"I am very excited about this class as a whole," said Rothbauer-Stubbs.  "It is composed of a good mix of versatility, athleticism, speed, and power."
 
From Scottsdale, Ariz., Gabrielle Cronin hails from Horizon High School.  The 2017 junior varsity MVP with a 1.00 earned run average, Cronin become a member of the varsity squad last season, helping the Husky's to their third straight playoff appearance.  She is a member of the National Honor Society, Society of Women Scholars and Key Club.
 
"I am very excited to have Gabby Cronin joining the Mountain Lion family," said Rothbauer-Stubbs.  "She is a hard throwing pitcher with the ability to hit and play the middle infield.  We expect her to be a great addition to the bullpen staff with her ability to change speeds.  She comes from the Arizona Hotshots – Georges team, which will provide her a ton of work against great hitters throughout the spring and summer before arriving on campus."
 
An infielder from Legacy High School in Broomfield, Colo., Morgan Hernandez-Belew has played in 78 games and has earned a .376 batting average and a .439 on-base percentage, while accumulating 77 hits, 62 runs batted in and 53 runs scored for the Zeus.  She helped LHS win the 2018 Front Range League Championship and advanced to the final eight of the state tournament.  In 2017, Hernandez-Belew and the Zeus won the regional championship and made a final four appearance.
 
"Morgan will come to us from Legacy High School and the American Freedom club organization," said Rothbauer-Stubbs.  "She has a great contact swing and runs the bases really well.  I am most excited for her energy on the field – defensively, she is a highly engaged player who communicates very well from the middle infield."
 
Solana Martinez will join the Mountain Lions from Academy of Our Lady of Peace in San Diego, Calif.  A shortstop and third baseman for the Pilots, she was named first team all-league in 2018 and the team's Most Valuable Player.  A four-year starter, she was named the 2017 Most Inspirational Player and has been a three-time softball co-captain. Academically, she has earned Head of School Honor and Scholar-Athlete Award three times, and she is a two-time Union Tribune All-Academic performer.
 
"Solana joins us from San Diego, Calif.," said Rothbauer-Stubbs.  "She is a member of a highly competitive So-Cal Athletics club team.  Solana is a versatile infielder on the left side of the diamond and one of the best clutch, power hitters I've seen.  We are very excited to add her to our lineup."
 
A native of Colorado, Lexi Rayburn will graduate from Bennett High School in Bennett, Colo. this spring.  She is a member of Strasburg Indians softball team, and owns a 42-3 record after pitching two no-hitters.  She has fanned 467 batters and allowed only 174 hits.  At the plate, she is swinging at a .398 clip with 103 runs scored.  Of her 104 hits, she has driven home 101 runs and added 26 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and drawn 67 walks.   Defensively she is fielding the ball at a .976 rate with 297 putouts and 68 assists.
 
Rayburn has earned all-conference honors four times, first team all-state in 2017 and 2018, and was tabbed the 2018 3A Player of the Year.  She guided the Indians to the 2015, 2017 and 2018 state championship title (state runner-up in 2016), and the conference championship title all four years.
 
"Lexi is another great addition for our pitching staff," said Rothbauer-Stubbs.  "She has a lot of experience pitching in unpredictable weather, having made quite a name for herself as a three-time state champion out of Strasburg High School.  She will also see a lot of innings against high level competition with her Colorado Bombers club team this year.  She provides great depth and a contrast to our current staff with a lot of movement and spin on every pitch she throws."
 
From San Mateo, Calif., Brianna Santos plays catcher and outfield for the Hillsdale High School Knights.  In 2018, she batted .325 at the plate with 25 hits and a .424 on-base percent.  In 2016 and 2017, she batted at least .346 and totaled 41 hits.  She was named the 2017 Most Improved Player, and to the PAL Bay Division Second Team and to the 2018 PAL Bay Division Honorable Mention.  Santos and the Knights were CCS semi-finalists in 2016 and 2018, and the 2017 CCS runner-up. 
 
"Brianna is another great pick up for us," said Rothbauer-Stubbs.  "She is a catcher from San Mateo, Calif., who has been fortunate to catch high level pitching for the West Bay Warriors the past several summers.  She also brings a welcomed level of versatility as a lefthanded hitter with an outfield skill set." 
 
The Mountain Lions will open the 2019 season Feb. 2-3 at the MSU Denver Invitational.