VANCOUVER – After a solid first season at the helm of the UBC Thunderbirds Softball program, head coach Jennifer McKellar has made a huge statement with the addition of 10 impactful recruits ahead of the 2024 Cascade Collegiate Conference season. After posting a 17-13 conference record and a berth in the CCC playoffs, the 'Birds are looking to take that next big step after the additions of six transfers and four freshmen.
 
"As the coach of a top university program, you don't always have the opportunity to bring in such a large and talented class. That is why I am both grateful and excited to welcome these 10 young women to the UBC Thunderbirds and see the legacy they will create in our program," said second-year head coach Jennifer McKellar. "Our future is very bright with our returning players and the new additions. We can't wait for the 2024 season!"
 
After purposely fielding a younger squad in 2023, McKellar is confident that the addition of six experienced transfers will help create solid roster depth and versatility. Included in this crop of transfers is a trio of players from McKellar's previous stop at Douglas College.


 
Pitcher Riley Woodward (Surrey, B.C.) joins UBC after an all-star season with Douglas College. She started 18 games and went 12-6 with 120 strikeouts. In 2022 she helped the Surrey Storm to both a provincial and a national championship victory while earning honour roll status at Sullivan Heights Secondary School. Woodward "works well under pressure" and is looking forward to studying Psychology at UBC.


 
Outfielder Madison MacGillivray (Surrey, B.C.) is also making the jump to UBC from Douglas College. Last season she earned second-team all-star status after hitting .390 with 24 RBI and a .435 on-base-percentage through 23 games. She graduated from Yale Secondary School and played her minor softball with the Delta Heat. She prides herself on "bringing up the energy during practices and games" and will be looking to study Psychology as well.


 
The final Douglas College transfer is catcher Cat Hedin (White Rock, B.C.). The alumna of Langley Secondary School and the Delta Heat program earned second-team all-star honours with Douglas College after the 2021-2022 season when she swatted two homeruns, six doubles along with a .391 batting average. "Leadership, adaptability and effective communications" are all traits that have helped Hedin get to this point in her athletic career and she'll be studying Kinesiology at UBC.


 
Behind the plate, the 'Birds will add some additional experience with the transfer of Kennedy Laird (Langley, B.C.) from Niagara University. Last season she appeared in 11 games and started five of them. Internationally she helped Team B.C. capture gold at the 2022 Canada Summer Games and also earned a silver medal in the 2022 provincials. "Leadership, consistency and positivity" are all key attributes that Laird brings to the table daily. She'll be studying Speech Sciences at UBC.


 
First baseman Jessica Heutink (Langley, B.C.) heads back to the Lower Mainland after playing softball last season at the University of Victoria. The graduate of Walnut Grove Secondary School was an AP Student and helped secure a Silver Medal in the 2022 provincials alongside Kennedy Laird. Heutink's "hard work and positive attitude" are going to pay dividends on and off the field. She'll be attending the UBC School of Social Work in the fall.


 
Rounding out the transfers is pitcher Carleen Murray (White Rock, B.C.) who returns home to B.C. after spending last season at Howard University (D1). Murray appeared in 23 games last season and finished with a 2-0 record, 31.1 innings pitched and 30 strikeouts. She also earned a 2022 Gold Medal with Team B.C. at the Canada Summer Games, sharing that honour with new teammates Shae Sever, Kaitlyn Eng and Kennedy Laird.

"We are thrilled to add to our depth and competitive edge with this exciting group of incoming transfers," remarked McKellar. "They are going to have an immediate impact on growing our program and competing for a CCC championship and beyond. We can't wait to see the success they are going to have on the field and in the classroom as Thunderbirds."
 
Four B.C.-based first-year student athletes will also be taking the field in 2024 for UBC.


 
Brynn Fortier (P - Langford, B.C.) and Marin Jorgenson (OF - Parksville, B.C.) are joining the blue and gold from the Island. Both played a valuable role with Langford Lightning in 2022 as they captured a Silver Medal at provincials before a dominant championship victory at the 2022 U17 Nationals in Montreal which saw them outscore their opponents by a 68-9 margin.


 
Madison Hiebert (P – Surrey, B.C.) is a recent graduate from Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary and the White Rock Renegades club program. Last season she threw 106.1 innings and recorded 101 strikeouts. The "hardworking, competitive" hurler will be studying Arts in the fall at UBC.
 


Langley product Brielle Donoghue (Outfielder) rounds out the massive recruiting class. Donoghue was a teammate of Hiebert's last season with the White Rock Renegades and captured both athletic and leadership awards from R.E. Mountain Secondary School. On the field she compiled a .427 batting average and a .480 on-base percentage. She's excited to embrace the "culture and the campus" at UBC while studying Anthropology.


 
McKellar concludes, "Our four incoming freshmen are going to come in with experience playing at the highest level in BC and across Canada having all competed and brought home medals from Canadian Nationals in recent years. They are hardworking and energetic athletes that we know will give a boost to our program. We are excited to see them in a T-Birds uniform this coming season."
 
Ahead of the 2024 conference season, the UBC Thunderbirds are scheduled to play exhibition games locally in the fall against both Simon Fraser University and Douglas College. They have also been invited to the University of Washington to play a double-header with the NCAA Division 1 Huskies. The 2024 CCC conference schedule will be released in the weeks to come.