LOGAN, Utah – Utah State head softball coach Steve Johnson has announced the official signings of four players to the team for next season.
Malaealani Baray-Rocha, Makenzie Macfarlane, Mazie Macfarlane and Tyler Thornton will join the Aggies next August for the 2019-20 school year and 2020 competition season. This year's signing class includes two players from California, one from Arizona and one Cache Valley native.
"We're really excited about this class. It's smaller than our last two, but fills our needs with exactly what we needed," Johnson said. "We have a catcher and outfielder with the twins, Makenzie and Mazie, who have been ranked in the top 200 players in the country, a versatile athlete who can play both outfield and middle infield in Tyler, who is also the best player in the valley and the state of Utah, and a diamond in the rough in Malaealani, who has unbelievable power with deceptive speed and can play both outfield and first base."
Baray-Rocha, who will see time in the outfield and at first base, joins the Aggies from Sahuarita, Ariz., where she plays at Salpointe Catholic High School. As a junior in 2018, Baray-Rocha batted .513, tallying 60 hits and 30 RBIs while helping the Lancers to the Arizona 4A state title. She was named the Tucson Freshman Softball Player of the Year in 2016, and has earned all-Southern Arizona first-team honors each year of her high school career.
"Malaealani is a bit of a diamond in the rough as a recruit. Not a lot of people know about her, but the kid is blessed with amazing talent and soon everyone will know who she is," Johnson said. "She is an outfielder who can also play first base for us with her athletic talents. At the plate, she has amazingly fast hands and tremendous power from the left side, but she also has deceptive speed and is able to slap, power slap and lay a bunt down."
Makenzie Macfarlane is a catcher, hailing from Rocklin, Calif., and Whitney High School. Through her three seasons with the Wildcats, she has a .427 batting average and has caught 22 runners trying to steal home. She is a three-time all-Capital Valley Conference honoree and was named the team's Defensive MVP her junior season. Makenzie also plays club softball for the Sorcerers 18 Gold Gabales and spent three previous seasons with the Norcal Firecrackers. She was also a four-year letterwinner in basketball at Whitney HS.
"Makenzie is another powerful bat to add to our already strong lineup of righty hitters," Johnson said. "Behind the plate, she works well with her pitchers, receives the ball well and has a cannon for an arm."
Joining her twin sister, Mazie Macfarlane comes to Utah State as an outfielder. Through her high school career, she is hitting .432 with 99 hits. She is a three-time all-Capital Valley Conference honoree and was named the team's Offensive MVP her junior season. Mazie also has club softball experience with the Sorcerers 18 Gold Gabales and the Norcal Firecrackers. Additionally, she was four-year letterwinner in basketball for the Lancers.
"Mazie is a power-hitting lefty bat who is going to fit in great with our lineup. She's got all the tools you want in the outfield and is an incredibly smart and hardworking player," Johnson said. "Mazie and Makenzie have been committed to us for a long time and we're really excited to finally get them both on campus."
A local student-athlete, Thornton joins the USU roster from Millville, Utah, and Ridgeline High School. Both an outfielder and middle infielder, Thornton was named the All-Valley Player of the Year as a junior in 2018, as she batted .566 on the season. She tallied 56 hits on the year, while scoring 49 runs and batting in an additional 32. Thornton is a two-time all-state honoree and helped the Riverhawks to the region championship in 2017. At the club level, she plays for both Cache Valley Vengeance and Mountain West Fastpitch. Thornton also plays basketball and volleyball at Ridgeline HS.
"We're really excited about landing the top player not only in Cache Valley, but also the state of Utah, with Tyler," Johnson said. "She's a very versatile player who can play almost any position on the field, can hit away with power or drop a bunt and use her speed, and can steal bases for us. She's also a lifelong Aggie fan so it's great to be able to add someone like that to our program and keep the local talent home."
The group of signees will play their senior seasons this spring and graduate in May.
Utah State will open the 2019 season on Friday, Feb. 8, at the Titan Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The Aggies return seven starters and nine letterwinners from last year's roster, while welcoming nine newcomers to the field. Last season, Utah State finished the year with an 18-34 record, including a 7-17 Mountain West ledger.
Fans can follow the Aggie softball program on Twitter, @USUSoftball, on Facebook at /USUSoftball or on Instagram, @ususoftball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
