NC State Softball Announces Talented 2016 Signing Class

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State softball head coach Shawn Rychcik announced Thursday that three players have signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to compete for the Wolfpack starting with the 2016-17 academic year. Outfielder Jade Caraway, shortstop Haley Finn and pitcher Peyton Silverman will join the program in the fall of 2016.

All three players are on the watch list for FloSoftball's top 100 players in the senior class.

"We're very excited to sign this class," said Rychcik. "We've got three very gifted athletes and I expect them to come in and make an immediate impact on our program."

Jade Caraway
OF | Winter Garden, Fla. (West Orange HS)
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Gold Coast Hurricanes 18U, Windermere Wildfire-Stutsman

- Three-year member of the varsity softball team at West Orange High School and starter in center field each year
- Garnered first team all-state honors following her junior season after batting .536 to help her team compile a 28-2 record
- Also claimed Florida 8A Defensive Player of the Year honors
- Collected all-area recognition as one of the top 12 players and was also named to the all-metro team
- As a sophomore, she was tabbed an all-area and all-metro team selection as well
- Finished the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, not committing an error in center field
- Led the team with a .526 batting average and scored 33 runs on a team that went 21-8
- Enjoyed a great freshman season, tallying a .589 batting average and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage
- Her stellar rookie year earned a spot on the first team all-state team and All-Central Florida Team
- West Orange ended her freshman year with a 25-6 record and appeared in the state semifinals of the playoffs
- Won the 2015 ASA/USA 18U Class A National Championship with the Windermere Wildfire travel team
- Current member of the Gold Coast Hurricanes 18U travel team, helping the squad to a 16-1 overall record

Why she chose NC State – "I chose NC State because I felt a connection with the coaching staff right away. After my first visit, I knew this was the place I wanted to be. Coach Rychcik is a proven winner and this staff is taking the team to places it's never been before. I can't wait to be a part of the success."

Rychcik on Caraway – "Jade will give us a player that can go get the ball in center field. She's got great speed and is an aggressive outfielder with a great arm. She's also likely to slide into the leadoff spot with the ability to steal bases and score a lot of runs."

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Haley Finn
SS | Riverside, Calif. (Riverside Poly HS)
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Explosion Travel Team

- Three-year member of the varsity softball team at Riverside Poly High School and starter at shortstop
- Turned in a strong junior season, claiming first team all-conference and team MVP honors
- Led her team to the conference championship, as a team captain
- Selected to serve as captain during her senior season in the spring of 2016
- Collected second team all-conference honors as a freshman and sophomore at Riverside Poly

Why she chose NC State – "The softball program and its coaches are amazing. Also the majors the school offers are great and the campus is beautiful."

Rychcik on Finn – "Haley's a very strong shortstop that will give us some versatility in the infield. She's played at a very high level, so we're confident in her ability and the success that she will have here."

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Peyton Silverman
P | South Windsor, Conn. (South Windsor HS)
Throws: Left | Bats: Left
Birmingham Thunderbolts

- Three-year member of the varsity softball team at South Windsor, serving as the team's top pitcher in each of the past two seasons
- Garnered all-state honors following a junior season in which she compiled a 19-3 record to go along with a 0.61 earned run average (ERA).
- She struck out 297 batters and threw a complete game in 21 of her 23 appearances on the year
- Collected Max Preps/NFCA National HS Player of the Week honors in 2014, after posting a .500 batting average at the plate and 3-0 record in the circle
- Earned 15 wins as a sophomore, while suffering just five losses to go along with a 1.09 ERA
- Tabbed an all-conference selection in each of her three seasons at South Windsor
- Pitched in the USA Elite Select all-star game with her travel team

Why she chose NC State – "NC State is the school where I see myself being the most successful and growing the most as a person and player. It is the school I can see allowing me to reach all my goals and dreams."

Rychcik on Silverman – "Peyton's a left-handed pitcher with tremendous movement on her pitches. She's a very accomplished pitcher and has played travel ball at a very high level. She'll add a lot of depth to our pitching staff and be able to contribute immediately."

NC State Softball Announces Talented 2016 Signing Class

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