“When combining the Class of 2017 with our current freshman class, we should have great competition within the system next year, as well as depth at every position,” Wallach said.

The Falcons inked seven players recently for the spring 2018 class. All seven are current Missouri high school seniors.

The recruits are:

• Union’s Marissa Boyd;

• Union’s Kori Fiedler;

• Owensville’s Taylor Ruth;

• Kennedy’s Meg Barger;

• Salem’s Shelby Carr;

• Newburg’s Seeley Friend; and

• St. Elizabeth’s Amber Struemph.

“We’re really excited about the athleticism and versatility of this class as a whole,” Wallach said. “We’re bringing in some speed, some ‘pop’ with the bat, a pitcher who has the potential to be dominant and a lot of players who have a chance to compete for a starting spot right away.”

Boyd was the starting left fielder for Union’s Four Rivers Conference and district championship team. She plays outfield and second base and was a four-year letter winner with the Lady ’Cats.

As a senior, Boyd batted .411 with four doubles and a home run. She scored 19 times, drove in nine and stole 10 bases.

Boyd has played for the Thunder club team.

In college, Boyd is undecided, but hopes to major in something in the medical field. She has been on the merit honor roll all four years in high school.

Fiedler, who plays outfield and first base, was an easy recruitment for Wallach. Her mother, Deanne, is the athletic secretary for East Central.

Kori played center field for the Union Lady ’Cats and helped the team reach the Class 3 quarterfinals this season. The team won three Four Rivers Conference titles.

Fiedler was a Missourian All-Area first-team outfielder as a senior. She was a three-team All-Four Rivers Conference first-team pick and made the all-district team for three years. She was an all-region pick this season.

For her career, Fiedler hit .396 with 14 doubles, 11 triples and three home runs. She scored 68 runs, drove in 45 and stole 24 bases. As a senior, Fiedler hit .429 with five doubles, four triples and one home run. She scored 20 times and drove in 16.

Fiedler played club ball for nine years with the Thunder and one year with St. Louis Academy.

She is undecided on a major, but should have options as a member of the National Honor Society and academic all-state merit roll. She also has earned an outstanding achievement award.

Ruth, a shortstop and catcher from Owensville, won four letters in the sport with the Dutchgirls.

She also lettered for two years in basketball and track. She was the Class 3 runner-up in the inaugural MSHSAA javelin competition last spring.

Ruth made the Four Rivers Conference first team this season while making the all-district second team. She was an All-FRC second-team selection in 2015.

Ruth batted .475 with nine doubles and three triples last fall. She scored 20 times, drove in 17 and stole nine bases.

She hopes to major in history.

Barger, a catcher-utility player, is a senior at Kennedy, which will close at the end of the 2016-17 school year.

With the Lady Celts, she batted .347 with three doubles in 2016. She scored 25 times and drove in 20 runs. She drew 12 walks and stole 17 bases.

Barger made the AAA Small all-conference first team, the all-district first team and all-region second team.

Barger’s information sheet with her club team and intended field of major was not available as of press time.

Carr was a four-year varsity softball player for the Salem Lady Tigers, pitching and playing first base and right field. She also has been a four-year basketball player.

At Salem, she batted .506 with seven doubles, three triples and four home runs this past season. She scored 31 times, drove in 32 and stole 43 bases.

As a pitcher, Carr went 7-3 with a 4.22 ERA. Over 56.2 innings, she walked 57 and struck out 56.

She played club ball for the Missouri Rattlers.

Carr hopes to major in speech therapy or occupational therapy. Her academic honors include National Honor Society, math club, art club and student council.

Friend follows in the footsteps of her sister, Shelby, who won All-American status with the Falcons this past spring. She will be the second younger sister on the team in this cycle. Megan Micke (Washington) is following in the footsteps of her older sister, Rachel, a two-year player for the Falcons.

Seeley Friend plays catcher and third base for the Newburg Lady Wolves. As a senior, she hit .593 with 18 doubles, four triples and two home runs while scoring 33 times, driving in 28 and stealing one base.

She earned all-conference and all-district first-team honors for all four years. She made the all-region first team as a senior and second team as a sophomore.

Friend played club ball with the Eugene Extreme.

In college, Friend looks to major in elementary education.

Struemph, an infielder-outfielder, comes to the Falcons from St. Elizabeth, where she was the team’s MVP and co-captain. She earned the program’s teammate of the year as well as making the all-district first team, all-region second team and all-conference second team. She played on the varsity team for three seasons, earning awards for most improved and golden glove as well as multiple postseason honors.

She batted .332 this past season with 17 doubles, four triples and one home run. She scored 47 runs, drove in 32 and stole 18 bases.

She played club ball for the Classics program.

Struemph has been on the honor roll all four years during her high school career and has taken five college level courses.

Struemph hopes to major in business.