MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's Softball program is excited to announce the signing of six new Gaels on National Signing Day. This group will be one of the largest brought in by Head Coach Sonja Garnett, entering her fifth season at the helm, and should help the program continue its recent upward trajectory.

About her incoming class, Coach Garnett noted, "This class has a bit of everything, and is going to make an immediate impact on Gaels Softball. With Kiah, we add a lefty slapper with speed, who has great outfield skills. Mia is one of the most solid defenders we have recruited, and shines at short stop and in the box. Dominique is a catcher with strong leadership and poise. Mackenzie is a power lefty hitter who will impact our lineup. Ella is a solid pitcher who also adds power on the offensive side. Rounding out our early signings is Julia who is a versatile athlete with some speed and a very consistent bat. These women are all talented, hard working, good people and we are proud they will be joining us next year!" 

Let's take a look at all six incoming Gaels:

Mackenzie Daley
5-8 | 1B/OF | Hollister, Calif. (Valley Christian HS)
Mackenzie Daley has been an offensive juggernaut in her first three seasons with Valley Christian High School. The free swinging left handed batter slashed .384/.420/.645 with 32 extra base hits and 71 RBI. On the field, Daley has shown ability to play both first base and in the outfield. She has twice been named her team's offensive MVP and has earned all-conference and all-area recognition. A three-year starter for the varsity team at Valley Christian, Mackenzie has helped turn the team around from an 8-16 record in her freshman campaign to a 14-10 team this past season, and hopes to help the team vie for a WCAL title this year.  

Julia Medina
5-3 | MIF/OF | West Sacramento, Calif. (River City HS)
On-base machine Julia Medina comes to Saint Mary's from West Sacramento. Medina has shown the ability to flash the leather on the infield or in the outfield, using her quickness in the field to make her a strong defensive ball player. At the plate, Medina has a career 0.508 batting average in 222 plate appearances. She has tallied 101 hits, including 45 of the extra base variety and has scored 78 runs. Demonstrating excellent speed as well, Julia has swiped 24 bags over the past three seasons. Tabbed as one of the top players in her class, Medina was named the 61st best player in the class of 2024 in the west region (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) by Extra Inning Softball.  

Dominique Oliveira 
5-6 | UTL | Hollister, Calif. (Hollister HS)
Dominique Oliveira has been an ultimate swiss army knife at Hollister High School, and will hope to be the same for the Gaels. Oliveira has shown an ability to play just about every position on the field, though primarily playing behind the dish. This past season, Oliveira was part of a Hollister team that won 30 games, including the CIF Division I NorCal Title. Offensively, she boasts a stellar .361/.436/.548 with 44 RBI. Olveira was honored as a member of the All-PCAL Gabilan League team, and will hope that she can help her team defend their NorCal title in 2024 before heading to Saint Mary's.

Kiah Silva
5-7 | OF/2B | Fairfield, Calif. (Vanden HS)
Kiah Silva is coming off of a truly brilliant season at Vanden High School, hitting 0.420 and scoring 22 runs. Helping Vanden to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Quarterfinals, Silva was named to the All-Monticello Empire League team. At the plate, Kiah is an extremely talented slap hitter from the left side. Defensively, Silva, like many other of her fellow Gael incoming classmates, shows great versatility, with an ability to play middle infield or in the outfield. 

Ella Thurman 
5-7 | RHP/INF | Chico, Calif. (Pleasant Valley HS)
Adding to the Gaels pitching staff will be Ella Thurman out of Pleasant Valley High School in Chico. Thurman has been lights out in the circle for Pleasant Valley, amassing a record of 18-6 and a 2.16 over 237 innings worked in her prep career. With an astonishing strikeout to walk ratio better than 5:1 (240 Ks, 45 BBs), Thurman has demonstrated an excellent command of her arsenal. On top of her impressive pitching resume, Thurman also flashes a powerful bat, having launched seven home runs over the past two seasons. Over the past two seasons, Thurman has been a part of back-to-back Eastern Athletic League Title winning teams. She has twice been named to the All-Eastern Athletic League Team, earning MVP honors last season. 

Mia Zabat
5-6 | MIF | Fairfield, Calif. (Vanden HS)
Mia Zabat joins her high school teammate Kiah Silva by signing with the Gaels. Zabat is a sure-handed shortstop who swings a hot bat. Over 54 games in her first three prep seasons, Zabat has accumulated a .379 batting average with 59 runs scored and 44 RBI. Zabat has been named an All-League and All-Section honoree. She helped lead Vanden to back-to-back undefeated league titles in her freshman and sophomore campaigns. 

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