Sept. 27, 2018

By ScoutU staff

ScoutU 2019 prospect Alyssa Stillman proved that all-conference awards do not always reflect who the most talented players are when she recently verbally committed to play softball at the University of Minnesota Crookston, an NCAA Division II school. 

Stillman did not earn all-conference honors as a junior at Hortonville High School in Wisconsin, but UMC coach Travis Owen noticed her abilities, which include a 70 mph bat exit speed. Stillman — who played third base at Hortonville and was recruited to play middle infield at Crookston — did have a solid junior season, batting .389 with five home runs and 20 RBI. She also had a stellar 2018 club season with the Midwest Glory, playing SS, 2B and OF with a .403 batting average, three home runs and 23 RBIs and facing some of the top travel ball teams in the country. 

“Alyssa is a pure hitter,” said ScoutU Head Scout Jason Lauren, who helped Stillman with her recruiting. “I’ve always said, ‘If you’re good, you’re good’ and college coaches always notice talent and potential over stats and all-conference awards. Alyssa has a quick bat through the zone and drives the ball well. She has very good range and is versatile in that she can play multiple positions.” 

Stillman estimates she received offers from five schools from as far away as Georgia and about 20 called her showing interest. 

“I’m super excited,” Stillman said. “I always wanted to play in college. The coach seems very nice. I talked to some of the girls on the team and they seemed nice, so I’m excited to play with them. The campus was pretty. The town was not too big, but not too small.” 

Minnesota-Crookston is located in northwest Minnesota, about 25 miles southeast of Grand Forks, ND. Stillman, who has a 3.85 GPA, plans on majoring in health science with intentions of going back to Wisconsin to go to dental school to become an orthodontist.