The Samford University soccer team officially completed its 2015 signing class Monday as Head Coach Todd Yelton announced the addition of Ella Baggett, Courtney Hendrickson, Ashlyne McComb, Nyalyn Moore, Stevie-Marie Mullins, Grace Packer, Mikaela Pearsall, Emma Thompson and Caroline Wilson to the Bulldogs’ talent-laden roster for the 2015 fall campaign.

“I'm extremely excited about this group of players and I'm looking forward to working with them for the next four years,” said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. “They are not only quality players but a great group of kids. I believe that several of these players have the potential to make an immediate impact on our team next season.”

Ella Baggett comes to Samford from Clarksville, Tennessee, where she starred as a forward at Clarksville High School. A three-time all-state honoree, Baggett was named the Player of the Year by The Leaf Chronicle as a true freshman and garnered four-consecutive all-district awards.

The back-to-back Offensive MVP at CHS, Baggett was named to both the NSCAA All-South Team and NSCAA All-America Team as a senior.

Baggett, who was also named the NSCAA State Player of the Year last season, also led her squad to all-district and all-region championships three years in a row. In 2014, she guided Clarksville High School to the Division AAA State Championship title and finished her illustrious prep career with a school-record 131 career goals.

Additionally, Baggett led her club team to championship titles in 2012 and 2014.

“Ella has the ability to play in several different positions on the field,” said Yelton. “She has the athletic ability to play in the back, but also has become quite the threat as an attacker. I think she’s another player whose best soccer is definitely ahead of her. We’re expecting great things out of her during her time here at Samford.”

Courtney Hendrickson will join the Bulldogs this fall from Kennesaw, Georgia, where she proved to be a standout competitor at Kell High School. As both a midfielder and defender throughout her prep career, Hendrickson scored a goal and added an assist as a senior last season.

She also played with the Concorde Fire SC club team and earned a 4-star rating from Top Drawer Soccer.com.

“Courtney is a great central midfielder,” said Yelton. “She has a very competitive personality and has the ability to change the point of attack. She really values possession and will fit into our style of play perfectly and has a chance to make a contribution right away.”

Ashlyne McComb comes to Samford from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where she starred at Mountain Vista High School. At 5-foot-10, McComb proved to be dominant as a defender as also lettered in both volleyball and track and field.

She earned a spot on the Real Colorado ECNL 96/97 National Team for four years and was an ECNL iD2 camp participant as a sophomore. During her freshman campaign, McComb helped guide her squad to the championship title of the Colorado State Cup and a semifinalist position at the Far West Regionals.

“Ashlyne has played at a very high level with her club team, Real Colorado, and she’s a player who is really good in the air,” Yelton said. “She has a really good understanding of the game and has the ability to start the attack from the center back position. She is also very calm under pressure and does a great job of handling tight situations.”

Nyalyn Moore, a native of Georgetown, Kentucky, will join the Bulldogs this fall after competing at Elkhorn Crossing School under the tutelage of Andrea “Bug” Brown.

As a speedy outside and center back in high school, Moore proved to be a four-year varsity athlete and a two-year varsity captain. She was named the Most Valuable Player of her team in both 2013 and 2014, while she also earned all-state honorable mention accolades.

Moore, who is planning on majoring in biology at Samford, received all-district and all-region team honors in both 2013 and 2014.

“Nyalyn is a fantastic athlete who is tenacious in her commitment to defending,” said Yelton. “As her technical ability improves to match her athletic skill, she’s going to be an outstanding player.”

Stevie-Marie Mullins comes to Samford from Panama City, Florida, where she prepped at A. Crawford Mosley High School. As a 5-foot-8 outside midfielder, she helped lead the FKK Krush 96/97 club team to the 2014 Florida State championship. Mullins’ squad was also the Southern Regional champion in 2014, as well as top competitors in both the Region 3 Premiere League and National League.

At Mosley High School, Mullins proved to be a four-year varsity starter and was named to the all-county and all-district teams from 2013-15.

Mullins, under the tutelage of Head Coach Marek Betowski, helped guide the Dolphins to four district championships and was named the Midfield MVP in 2014. She also finished with the highest grade-point average on the team in 2014 and earned the Indomitable Spirit Award, which is garnered by the player with the most unwavering spirit and attitude throughout the season.

“Stevie-Marie is a very athletic player and has been coming to our camps for a long time now,” said Yelton. “It’s been really fun to watch her progression as a player and I believe that her best soccer is ahead of her once she gets into our training environment. She really has a chance with her work-ethic and athletic ability to do well here.”

Grace Packer will join the Bulldogs this fall from the Marist School in Atlanta, Georgia, where she played center midfield for Head Coach Sergio Stadler. While at Marist, Packer also lettered four years in softball, but she starred on the pitch and led her squad to the 4A Georgia State championship as a junior.

Packer was also a member of the 2012 Marist School team that earned the 4A Georgia State title and qualified for the semifinals of the event as a freshman in 2011.

“Grace is a very competitive player and she can strike a ball extremely well with either her right or left peg,” Yelton said. “She’s composed in the attack and can certainly strike a ball from distance. I think she’s another player who will add some good depth to our midfield.”

Mikaela Pearsall comes to Samford all the way from Bowmanville, Ontario, where she played her prep career at Eastdale C.V.I. At 5-foot-10, Pearsall also lettered in basketball earned time at midfield, striker and center back in soccer.

She starred at Eastdale C.V.I., in high school and also proved to be a co-captain on her club team, FC Durham.

“Mikaela is a very versatile player who can both play in the forward position or in the attacking midfield,” Yelton said. “She has great size, great composure and we think she’s going to add an extra dimension to our attack once she gets on campus.”

Emma Thompson will join the Bulldogs this fall from nearby Huntsville where she starred at Huntsville High School. A 5-foot-7 center back and center midfielder, Thompson was a four-year varsity starter at HHS and earned a spot on the all-state team in both 2013 and 2014.

Additionally, she was named to the all-city team in 2013 and 2014, and garnered the Best Defensive Player award following both of the aforementioned seasons.

Thompson also starred for her club team and captained the Huntsville Futbol Club from 2011-14.

“Emma is another center back in this class who can also play in the midfield,” said Yelton. “She is coming off an injury and missed a great deal of her junior campaign, but has bounced back and hits fantastic service. She can really drive a ball for distance, she’s composed on the ball and possesses a lot of great leadership qualities.”

Caroline Wilson comes to Samford from Katy, Texas, where she prepped at Seven Lakes High School as a center midfielder. At 5-foot-5, she also lettered in cross country and plans on majoring in communication science and disorders.

“Caroline comes from a great club setting in Texas and is a very good player on the ball,” Yelton said. “She’s great in possession, makes good decisions and will certainly add depth to our midfield next season.”

The Samford University soccer team concluded its 2014 campaign as regular-season Southern Conference champions and with a 14-8 overall record. The Bulldogs earned a key 2-1 victory over 18th-ranked Auburn and posted a 7-2 record in conference play.

Samford finished the season with five players earning All-SoCon honors and Yelton was named the SoCon Coach of the Year.

In the fall, the Bulldogs will return eight starters from last year’s championship squad. Samford will also boast an additional nine returning letterwinners, as well as the nine members of this season’s talented recruiting class.

“This is a really balanced class from top to bottom,” Yelton said. “It’s a bunch of fantastic players who we’re really looking forward to working with. This class has a ton of potential and can really improve throughout their time here at Samford. I think they are going to work hard and they are incredibly driven to continue the success of this program. We’re really excited about this bunch.”

2015 Samford Soccer Recruiting Class

Name, Position, Height, Class, Hometown/Previous School

Ella Baggett, F, 5-8, Fr., Clarksville, Tenn./Clarksville HS

Courtney Hendrickson, MF/D, 5-4, Fr., Kennesaw, Ga./Kell HS

Ashlyne McComb, D, 5-10, Fr., Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS

Nyalyn Moore, D, 5-4, Fr., Georgetown, Ky./Elkhorn Crossing School

Stevie-Marie Mullins, MF, 5-8, Fr., Panama City, Fla./A. Crawford Mosley HS

Grace Packer, MF, 5-4, Fr., Atlanta, Ga./Marist School

Mikaela Pearsall, MF/D, 5-10, Fr., Bowmanville, Ontario/Eastdale C.V.I.

Emma Thompson, D/MF, 5-7, Fr., Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville HS

Caroline Wilson, MF, 5-5, Fr., Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes HS