MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's will welcome six new members to their team next year as Sonja Garnett and her staff officially announced their 2021 NLI signing class today. All six recruits are from in-state with four hailing from Southern California.

Allyssa Alano 
Outfielder | Chino Hills, Calif. | Ruben S. Ayala HS 

Alano joins the Gaels next season with an impressive high school resume under her belt. At Ruben S. Ayala, Alano batted over .500 in every season thus far including a .600 batting average as a sophomore. The speedster also led her team in steals during her first two seasons with 24 and 17 swiped bags, respectively. 

Alano helped her high school claim league titles in both 2018 and 2019 with the team reaching the CIF quarterfinals during her sophomore campaign. Alano was named Offensive Player of the Year in both of those seasons in addition to receiving Scholar-Athlete awards for her work in the classroom. 

Alano picked Saint Mary's after also being recruited by UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Pomona Pitzer, and Trinity. She will be studying either biochemistry or allied health sciences at SMC and would like to pursue a career in medicine. 

Lindsay Cabral 
Infielder | Highland, Calif. | Redlands HS

Cabral will have spent all four years on the varsity team by the time she graduates from Redlands High. The infielder was twice named All-Citrus Belt League - a First Team nod during her sophomore season and Second Team selection as a freshman. Cabral has served as a team captain for the past two seasons and was a four-time Redlands Scholar-Athlete. 

Cabral was also recruited by San Diego State, Long Beach State, Dixie State and others before choosing Saint Mary's. She said she chose the school because "the coaching staff welcomed me with open arms into their family" and for the academic opportunities she will be able to pursue. Cabral plans to study kinesiology as an undergraduate with plans on getting her master's in the future. 

Claudia Kirchner
Utility | Rocklin, Calif. | Rocklin HS

Kirchner is a utility player from Rocklin who is also a varsity athlete in soccer as a goalkeeper. Kirchner started at second base for her softball team during her sophomore season and helped them reach the playoffs while batting .353 and slugging .529. That year, she was selected to the SFL All-League First Team and named an honorable mention by the Sacramento Bee for the All-Metro Team. 

Kirchner plays club ball for the California Breeze who recently took second at the USA Softball Gold Nationals 16U Championship in Oklahoma over the summer. The Breeze are one of the top club teams in the country and were ranked No. 10 nationally in 2019. 

Kirchner was also recruited by UC Davis and San Jose State. She plans to study allied health sciences at SMC and would like to become a nurse after graduating. 

Taylor Lane
Infielder | Huntington Beach, Calif. | Marina HS

Lane will enter her fourth season on the varsity squad this year at Marina High in Huntington Beach and also appeared on her school's volleyball team as a freshman and sophomore. She started at second base her freshman year and then had a breakout sophomore season where she was named All-Sunset League, a MaxPreps Player of the Week, and selected to the Orange County Dream Team by the LA Times. Marina went on to win the Sunset League during Lane's sophomore year. 

Lane had a laundry list of interested schools before choosing Saint Mary's. She was also recruited by Loyola Marymount, Furman, Drexel, Boise State, and St. John's among others. Lane plans to study allied health sciences at SMC and would like to attend nursing school after graduating. 

Kailey O'Connor 
Pitcher | Burlingame, Calif. | Burlingame HS

O'Connor played three sports at Burlingame High and lettered in both softball and basketball. On the softball field, she dominated not only as a hitter but also in the circle as a pitcher. 

As a freshman, O'Connor batted .453 at the plate while pitching to a 1.85 ERA and striking out 95 batters in the process. She was rewarded with a CSS All-League First Team selection as well as being named the MVP of her team. The following year, the Burlingame native lowered her ERA to 1.26 while still batting .380 to earn another All-League honor. O'Connor was off to another great start during her junior campaign before the season was cut short as in just three games she struck out 23 hitters and smacked three home runs herself. 

O'Connor was also recruited by Santa Clara, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara and Eastern Kentucky. 

"I chose Saint Mary's because of the feeling I first got stepping on campus," said O'Connor. "I was drawn to the tight-knit community and overall respect granted by every individual on campus. I also recognized all the opportunities in and out of the classroom that would assist me in becoming the best version of myself possible for my future. Along with that, I fell in love with the coaching staff and team dynamic, knowing that Saint Mary's would be the best fit for me."

She plans to study allied health sciences in Moraga with aspirations of earning her MSN after graduating. 

Ash Zermeño 
Infielder | Colton, Calif. | Grand Terrace HS

Zermeño will join the Gaels after a successful stint at Grand Terrace where she's batted .400 over two full seasons. The infielder has twice been named All-League including a First Team nod her sophomore year after batting .462 and knocking in 21 RBIs. 

Zermeño helped lead her high school to a first place finish at the Redlands Tournament as well as a third place finish at the Torrance National Tournament. She also finished second at the USA Preps Summer Nationals in 2018 with her club team. 

The Colton native was also recruited by Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern before choosing Saint Mary's. She is currently undecided in her major.