MOREHEAD, Ky.— Ashley Imperial, who was the two-time Western State Conference Pitcher of the Year at The College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., will be joining the Morehead State softball program this season. Coach Holly Bruder is elated that a pitcher with Imperial’s experience and credentials will join an already strong, but mostly new, pitching staff this year.
“We are very excited to have Ashley join our pitching staff for this year. After graduating two top pitchers in the conference, we were looking to add some depth to the pitching rotation, and we feel Ashley can do that for us. She’s had a great career at The College of the Canyons and has faced some good hitters in California, and we feel confident in her ability to do the same with the power hitters in this conference,” said Bruder. “Ashley brings the will to win and dedication a pitcher needs to be successful. We are excited about her strengths as a pitcher and her upbeat attitude that will fit in well with this team.”
At The College of the Canyons, Imperial was named Western State Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2009 and 2010 and earned All-State honors both seasons as well. She paced the pitching staff in 2010 with an 18-7 record, 93 strikeouts in 147 innings, 18 complete games and six shutouts. Also an excellent fielder at her position, she contributed 16 assists and had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. The College of the Canyons Cougars finished in first place in the conference Blue Division with a 28-13 overall record and a 15-3 league mark.
In 2009, she was 15-6 in the circle with a 1.78 ERA and team highs of 81 strikeouts, 20 complete games and six shutouts. She had 23 defensive assists and a 1.000 fielding percentage. The Cougars were 27-16 overall and 17-5 in the WSC.
Imperial graduated from Saugus High School in Saugus, Calif., where she was named the 2006 junior varsity Defensive Player of the Year and the 2005 JV Most Valuable Player.
She will enroll at MSU this Fall and have two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
