June 19, 2003

CHAPEL HILL - University of North Carolina softball head coach Donna J. Papa announced the signing of six more recruits for the 2004 season. Joining the Tar Heels in 2004 will be Anna Evans (Fairmont, N.C.), Erin Dudley (Seaford, Va.), Whitney Gelin (Inverness, Fla.), Joslin Higgins (Concord, Mass.), Marissa May (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Theresa Nicholas (Harrisburg, N.C.).

"I am very excited about our 2003 signees," said coach Papa. "I feel that we have a very talented, coachable, hard working group coming in.

"We have added more depth at the catching position as well as the outfield where we graduated some outstanding players. This group will be another big class for us and will be a solid addition to the core of players that we have returning. We were able to recruit both in state and out of state I look forward to their arrival in Chapel Hill."

Dudley is an outfielder/pitcher from York High School in Yorktown, Va. She was a four-time All-Bay Rives District selection while earning four varsity letters in softball. Dudley was named York High School Female Athlete of the Year after being named to the all-state, all-conference, all-regional and All-Daily Press in her senior season. She had a microscopic 0.28 ERA in her senior year, striking out 206 hitters and throwing four no-hitters over the course of the season. Dudley finished her career with an ERA of 0.89 and a .489 batting average.

Evans was awarded the Morehead Scholarship at North Carolina, the most prestigious merit scholarship awarded at the University. She is a catcher/short stop from Lumberton High School. Evans was a four-year letterwinner and was named County Player of the Year, all-conference, all-region, all-state and academic all-state in her senior year.

Gelin is a four-year letterwinner for Citrus High School. She was team captain and elected as the team's Most Valuable Player in her senior season. Gelin was named 2002-03 Citrus County Female Athlete of the Year and is a three-time all-area selection and two-time all-conference selection as a catcher. She also earned second team all-state honors in her senior season.

Higgins earned four varsity letters under head coach Lisa McGloin (North Carolina, '92) at Concord-Carlisle High School. She led her team to four league championships, three Northern Massachusetts sectional championships and three state semi-finalist appearances. She was named as the league's Most Valuable Player and selected to the all-star team all four years (once as a catcher, once as a third baseman and twice as a pitcher). Higgins was elected team captain for her junior and senior seasons and earned Boston Globe and Herald All-Scholastic team in her final season.

May comes to Carolina from Xavier Prep High School where she earned four varsity letters. In her senior year, she was named all-state, all-region and all-conference. She will help fill one of the two positions vacated in the outfield for the Tar Heels.

Nicholas was an all-state and all-conference catcher at Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, N.C. She attended the same high school and played with current Tar Heel pitcher Crystal Cox (Harrisburg, N.C.) who had one of the top pitching single seasons in school history. Nicholas earned four varsity letters under coach Janine Hill.