JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Head coach Christine Core announced on Tuesday (May 25) that seven high school student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their careers with the Lincoln softball team.

Makenna Branch (New Bloomfield, MO/New Bloomfield R-III), Kori Bullard (Omaha, NE/Westside), Jalia Callaway (Memphis, TN/Memphis Central), Aidan Dayberry (Pea Ridge, AR/Pea Ridge), Lexi Marcano (Homewood, IL/Homewood Flossmoor), Alayna Parram (Cedar Hill, TX/Cedar Hill) and Emma Rakes (Camdenton, MO/Camdenton) will each join the Blue Tigers as freshmen with four seasons of eligibilty, beginning with the 2022 season.

"I am thrilled to add these student-athletes to our recruiting class, as they will help us to round out our roster on both sides of the ball," Core said. "Dayberry is coming off a State Runner-Up season as her team's pitcher, so we are very excited to add her to our pitching staff. We will be adding more speed at the plate and in the outfield with Branch, Parram and Rakes. Bullard, Callaway and Marcano will provide us some great options as utility players and will be strong additions for our team offensively. I am excited to see how these seven players help us continue to grow the success of our Lincoln softball program."

Branch, an outfielder, recently completed a highly decorated career at New Bloomfield R-III, earning first team all-district and all-conference accolades while leading the program in steals from 2018-2020. Branch helped the Lady Wildcats win conference championships in 2019 and 2020, earning team most valuable player honors in 2019 and second team all-region distinction in 2020. Branch additionally posted the team's highest batting average each of the past two seasons, and led the Lady Wildcats to the second round of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 tournament this past fall. An Academic All-State and Academic All-Conference performer, Branch additionally played basketball and competed in track & field at New Bloomfield R-III.

An outfielder, first baseman and pitcher, Bullard hit .405 with 17 RBI as a senior at Westside. A three-time letterwinner in high school, Bullard earned all-state honorable mention accolades and made the All-Metro Coaches team during her tenure, and was selected to the Freshmen All-State team in 2017. In addition to being a terrific athlete, Bullard is also a stellar student, consistently making the honor roll while creating a student organization called Melanin Unknown to help spread knowledge of African American history.

Callaway, a catcher, first baseman and outfielder, led Memphis Central in batting average in 2019. She also earned team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors that season. Callaway has played summer league softball with both the Arkansas Stealth (2017-19) and Mississippi Express (2019-21). A member of the Charles P. Jester National Honor Society as well as the Memphis Central Junior ROTC, Callaway plans to join the army and become a biologist after graduating from Lincoln.

A four-time scholar athlete award recipient, Dayberry is a pitcher and utility player who received 4A-1 All-State honorable mention recognition in 2019 and was an all-conference performer in both 2018 and 2019. Dayberry compiled a 42-13 record at Pea Ridge and led the program to its first-ever appearance in the Arkansas Class 4A state championship game this spring. As a senior, Dayberry posted a 1.90 ERA and 198 strikeouts. She also excelled as a batter, hitting .407 with 16 RBI. During her tenure at Pea Ridge, Dayberry allowed just 36 walks, an average of less than one walk per game. A member of the National Honor Society who ranks among the top-10 in her graduating class, Dayberry has played with the Crush Elite summer team for the past eight years.

Marcano, an outfielder and infielder, played her high school ball at Homewood Floosmoor and spent nine seasons playing for the Tinley Park Rockers travel team. She plans to study kinesiology at Lincoln with the goal of becoming either an athletic trainer or a physical therapist after graduation.

An outfielder and middle infielder, Parram earned second team all-district and all-district honorable mention recognition during her career at Cedar Hill. A four-year starter, Parram helped lead the Lady Longhorns to the UIL Class 6A playoffs as a freshman. Parram also spent two summers playing for Firecrackers DFW-Smith, and also played for the Texas Glory Fastpitch club.

Rakes, an outfielder, enjoyed a successful four-year career at Camdenton, earning all-conference and all-district awards every season. Rakes additionally is a two-time all-region honoree, and last fall was an all-state second team selection. A member of Camdenton's Technical Honor Society and 'A' Honor Roll, Rakes spent one year playing summer ball with the Louisville Sluggers and four years on the Missouri Stealth.

The rest of the 2022 signing class, including transfers and junior college athletes, will be announced at a later date.