Cripe verbals to Kansas

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Softball

Pioneer’s Hailey Cripe verbally committed to play softball at the University of Kansas Monday.

Cripe announced it on her Twitter account.

Cripe led the state in home runs in both 2019 and 2021. She hit 19 homers in 2019 and 23 in 2021.

She helped lead Pioneer to a state runner-up finish in 2019 and the Class 2A state title in 2021.

She also hit .581 with 62 RBIs. As a pitcher, she went 15-0 with a 0.32 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 88 ⅔ innings.

Cripe also averaged 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals per game for Pioneer’s Class 1A state champion basketball team and had 292 kills, 262 digs and 141 serves received for Pioneer’s Class 1A state championship volleyball team.

Kansas went 22-26 overall and 2-16 in the Big 12 in 2021. Jennifer McFalls just completed her third season as coach at KU. Kansas hit 56 homers in 2021, the second most as a team in school history.

Cripe can sign a national letter of intent as soon as Nov. 10, per NCAA rules.