West Lafayette, Ind. – Head coach Boo De Oliviera and the Purdue softball program announce the addition of six players for the upcoming year: Caitlyn Boteler, Kate Claypool, Madi Elish, Becca Edwards, Hailey Hayes and Anna Lonchar.
The latest Boilermakers join the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation set to join the team this fall. In total, Purdue welcomes 16 newcomers to the program for 2022-23 year, made up of 11 freshmen and five transfers.
Caitlyn Boteler
Year: Freshman
Position: First Base/Utility
Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.
Club Team: Indiana Magic Gold 04
HIGH SCHOOL
De Oliveira on Boteler: "Caitlyn brings a lot of power potential to the plate. She's a tough competitor and has a ton of Boilermaker pride being an Indiana native."
Kate Claypool
Year: 5th Year
Position: Outfielder
Last School: Iowa
2022 / AS A SENIOR
HIGH SCHOOL
Claypool on joining Purdue softball: "I loved the inclusive and "family" feeling I felt immediately from the coaching staff and then the current players. Purdue is an amazing university that will allow me to pursue my masters while also continuing my athletic career at the highest level."
De Oliveira on Claypool: "Kate is a gritty outfielder who comes with Big Ten experience. We have competed against her and we are excited that she'll be in our outfield & not competing against us, robbing our hitters."
Becca Edwards
Year: Senior
Position: Infielder
Last School: Green Bay
Club Team: BATS Fastpitch
2022 / AS A JUNIOR AT GREEN BAY
- Second Team All-Horizon League honoree
- Horizon League All-Academic Team
- East/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
- Batted .275 on the season, appearing in 46 while making 43 starts, all at first base
- Crushed three home runs
- Brought in 16 runs
- Recorded the team's fourth-highest on-base % of .391
- Notched 48 total bases
2021 / AS A SOPHOMORE AT GREEN BAY
- Started in 34 of 35 games played
- Hit a .272 with 25 hits and six doubles
- Recorded 15 RBI and 31 total bases
2020 / AS A FRESHMAN AT GREEN BAY
- Played in 14 games with 11 starts
- Hit .281 for the COVID-19 shortened season
- Produced four RBI
HIGH SCHOOL
- Two-time All-State honoree
- Named First Team All-Conference as a junior and senior
- Named both Team MVP and Team Offensive MVP as a junior and senior
- Earned All-District honors her final two years
- Four-time letterwinner
- Helped her high school to three conference championship titles
Edwards on joining Purdue softball: "I'm beyond excited to join the Purdue softball family. It gives me the chance to achieve the goals I've had since I was a little girl."
De Oliveira on Edwards: "Becca has a powerful bat and is ready for the challenge of competing in the Power Five. She is ready to work hard and also push her teammates."
Madi Elish
Year: Sophomore
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: Crown Point, Ind.
Previous School: Arizona
2022 / AS A FRESHMAN AT ARIZONA
De Oliveira on Elish: "Madi has competed on the biggest stage, participating on a 2022 Women's College World Series team. She is a top pitcher and an Indiana native, which will be a great combination as we will look to her to lead our Boilermakers from the circle."
HAILEY HAYES
Position: Infielder/Catcher
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
Previous School: Boise State
Year: Junior
2022 / AS A SOPHOMORE AT BOISE STATE
De Oliveira on Hayes: "Hailey brings versatility to our roster. She is athletic, hard working and will make everyone around her compete hard."
Anna Lonchar
Position: Infielder/Catcher
Hometown: Bristow, Va.
Previous School: UMBC
Year: 5th Yr
2022 / AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR
De Oliveira on Lonchar: "Anna has competed in postseason for three of her four collegiate years. She has high expectations and will help our team compete at a championship level."
The latest Boilermakers join the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation set to join the team this fall. In total, Purdue welcomes 16 newcomers to the program for 2022-23 year, made up of 11 freshmen and five transfers.
Caitlyn Boteler
Year: Freshman
Position: First Base/Utility
Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.
Club Team: Indiana Magic Gold 04
HIGH SCHOOL
- Named starter for Bloomington North for her entire high school career
- Named an All-Conference selection as a junior
- Led the team during junior and freshmen seasons in home runs and batting average
- Ranked the No. 82 recruit for the 2022 class by Extra Innings as a junior
- Sophomore season was cancelled due to COVID-19
- Was also a JV Volleyball captain for freshman and sophomore year before moving to the varsity squad as a junior
- Helped the Indiana Magic Gold 04 club team rank as high as No. 27 in the nation according to Extra Innings Softball
De Oliveira on Boteler: "Caitlyn brings a lot of power potential to the plate. She's a tough competitor and has a ton of Boilermaker pride being an Indiana native."
Kate Claypool
Year: 5th Year
Position: Outfielder
Last School: Iowa
2022 / AS A SENIOR
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Saw action in 27 games
- Batted nine times
- Registered six runs
- Graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics with a specialization in statistics
- Academic All-Big Ten
- NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
- Did not see action
- Academic All-Big Ten
- University of Iowa Dean's List
- Saw action in eight games with five starts
- Tallied hits against East Carolina and Portland State
- Scored four runs
- University of Iowa Dean's List
- Saw action in 29 games with 14 starts in the outfield
- Notched her first career hit against Morgan State on Feb. 23
- Recorded a triple and run scored against Northwestern on March 30
- Tallied a double against Nebraska on April 24
HIGH SCHOOL
- Four-time Roosevelt High School Most Valuable Player
- 2018 All-State honoree
- Two-time All-District performer
- Two-time first team All-Conference performer
- Two-time second team All-Conference
- 2018 Academic All-State honoree
- Led the conference in 2018 with an OBP of .669 and was third in Iowa 5A
- Competed on the varisty swimming team, basketball team, and track team
- Played club ball with Iowa BLITZ
- High school coach was Erin Mussett
- Club coach was Owen Hunter
Claypool on joining Purdue softball: "I loved the inclusive and "family" feeling I felt immediately from the coaching staff and then the current players. Purdue is an amazing university that will allow me to pursue my masters while also continuing my athletic career at the highest level."
De Oliveira on Claypool: "Kate is a gritty outfielder who comes with Big Ten experience. We have competed against her and we are excited that she'll be in our outfield & not competing against us, robbing our hitters."
Becca Edwards
Year: Senior
Position: Infielder
Last School: Green Bay
Club Team: BATS Fastpitch
2022 / AS A JUNIOR AT GREEN BAY
- Second Team All-Horizon League honoree
- Horizon League All-Academic Team
- East/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
- Batted .275 on the season, appearing in 46 while making 43 starts, all at first base
- Crushed three home runs
- Brought in 16 runs
- Recorded the team's fourth-highest on-base % of .391
- Notched 48 total bases
2021 / AS A SOPHOMORE AT GREEN BAY
- Started in 34 of 35 games played
- Hit a .272 with 25 hits and six doubles
- Recorded 15 RBI and 31 total bases
2020 / AS A FRESHMAN AT GREEN BAY
- Played in 14 games with 11 starts
- Hit .281 for the COVID-19 shortened season
- Produced four RBI
HIGH SCHOOL
- Two-time All-State honoree
- Named First Team All-Conference as a junior and senior
- Named both Team MVP and Team Offensive MVP as a junior and senior
- Earned All-District honors her final two years
- Four-time letterwinner
- Helped her high school to three conference championship titles
Edwards on joining Purdue softball: "I'm beyond excited to join the Purdue softball family. It gives me the chance to achieve the goals I've had since I was a little girl."
De Oliveira on Edwards: "Becca has a powerful bat and is ready for the challenge of competing in the Power Five. She is ready to work hard and also push her teammates."
Madi Elish
Year: Sophomore
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: Crown Point, Ind.
Previous School: Arizona
2022 / AS A FRESHMAN AT ARIZONA
- Appeared in 31 games with seven starts in the circle as a freshman
- Threw a career high six strikeouts in two games – vs. Cal State Fullerton (2/24) and at New Mexico State (4/27)
- Went 8-3 from the circle
- Tossed a 4.34 ERA with 39 strikeouts over 77.1 innings pitched
- Totaled 27 assists and two putouts on the season
- Pitched two complete games
- Ranked #21 recruit in the country by Extra Inning Softball
- Ranked #40 recruit by FloSoftball
- A three-time all-city and all-conference selection
- Three-time all-state performer, including two first team honors
- Named Co-MVP of the Crown Point High School softball team
- Helped her high school team to two sectional championships and one regional championship
De Oliveira on Elish: "Madi has competed on the biggest stage, participating on a 2022 Women's College World Series team. She is a top pitcher and an Indiana native, which will be a great combination as we will look to her to lead our Boilermakers from the circle."
HAILEY HAYES
Position: Infielder/Catcher
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
Previous School: Boise State
Year: Junior
2022 / AS A SOPHOMORE AT BOISE STATE
- Started one of six games played
- Hit .500 and tallied three hits, a double and triple along with four RBI and two runs
- Recorded a triple and three RBI in win against Providence (Feb. 26)
- Academic All-Mountain West
- Mountain West Scholar Athlete
- Appeared in 29 games, including 26 starts
- Batted .256 with one triple, and one home run and two RBI
- Was a four-year starter at second base for the Falcons and coach Matt Sweeney
- As a junior in 2019, hit .450 with 41 hits, nine doubles, one home run and 21 RBIs
- Helped Foothill High to three-straight East Bay League titles and three-consecutive appearances in the CIF North Coast Section Division I tournament championship game, winning titles her freshman and junior seasons
- 2019 all-state selection and a three-time all-league honoree
- Has ranked 107th on Extra Inning Softball's Extra Elite Class of 2020 player rankings
- Was recruited by Boise State as a combination infield/catcher
- Remainder of her senior season was canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Played all infield positions and catcher for the club team batting .337 during 2019 with 34 hits, five doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs and 19 runs scored
De Oliveira on Hayes: "Hailey brings versatility to our roster. She is athletic, hard working and will make everyone around her compete hard."
Anna Lonchar
Position: Infielder/Catcher
Hometown: Bristow, Va.
Previous School: UMBC
Year: 5th Yr
2022 / AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR
- Recorded a .296 batting average on the season
- Ended her senior campaign with
- Recorded two doubles vs. Georgetown (2/27)
- Crushed a home run vs. UAlbany (5/14)
- Scored a pair of runs vs. Quinnipiac (3/20)
- Started all 30 games she appeared in, mostly at catcher
- Had a .996 fielding percentage for the season
- Hit-by-pitch team-high six times and is program's all-time leader in the category (24)
- Went 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI, a run scored and a walk in a victory over Maine (5/1)
- Played in all 14 games, finishing with one home run and five RBI
- Hit eventual game-winning two-run homer against Seton Hall on February 22
- Later that night she went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored against Iona
- Had a double and a stolen base against Coppin State on March 4
- Spent time in the field at catcher and third base, finishing with a 1.000% fielding percentage in 114 chances
- Appeared in 54 games with 52 starts, primarily at catcher
- America East All-Rookie Team
- Tied for team lead in home runs (six)
- Threw out ten runners attempting to steal
- Recorded seven multi-hit games
- Hit walk-off, two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth against Delaware State (4/13)
- Tops on team and conference with 10 hit-by-pitches, and her 15 career hit-by-pitches are second most all-time
- Her 368 putouts were the seventh most in a single season in UMBC history
- Played in 12 games and accumulated 29 at-bats before sustaining a season-ending injury
- Tallied five hits, including two doubles and a triple
- Finished with three RBI, walked twice and scored a run
De Oliveira on Lonchar: "Anna has competed in postseason for three of her four collegiate years. She has high expectations and will help our team compete at a championship level."