Nov. 24, 2004

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lisa Gartland (Escanaba, Mich./Escanaba H.S.) has signed a national letter of intent to play softball at Lewis University.

Gartland, a 5-5 middle infielder and pitcher, has earned three varsity letters and will claim her fourth this spring.

"Lisa is a five-tool player," said Lewis head coach George DiMatteo. "She does all of the five tools--hit for average, hit for power, throw, field and run--well. We're pleased that she's chosen Lewis and expecting that she'll be future staple in our middle infield."

At Escanaba, Gartland has helped her team to an 80-13 record in three seasons. In addition, she helped lead Escanaba to a 29-2 record and second-place state finish in 2003. She batted .338 with 10 RBI as a freshman, .343 with eight RBI and one home run as a sophomore, and .310 with 20 RBI and a school-record three home runs as a junior.

The past two summers, Gartland has played for Compuware and the Mavens, respectively. With the Mavens, she led the team to the ASA Nationals after she batted .378 with 22 RBI and went 22-5 with a 0.21 ERA in the pitcher's circle. In 2004, she hit .394 with 16 RBI and was named to the All-World team after she led Compuware to a fifth-place finish at the USSSA Nationals.

Gartland is from the same hometown and high school as current Lewis senior Amy Roberts. Roberts is a two-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference second-team honoree and also an All-Great Lakes Region player.

"Lisa comes highly recommended to us from the same people that recommended Amy Roberts," said DiMatteo. "Amy has had a good career for us and we're hoping that Lisa will have similar success."

Lewis University is an NCAA Division II institution located in Romeoville, Ill. The 2004 softball team won the eighth Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) title in school history and finished 45-13 (18-2 GLVC). The Flyers recorded the fourth-most wins in program history, were ranked as high as 19th in the nation, closed the year ranked 23rd in the final national poll and advanced to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. In addition, six players earned all-conference honors, five were chosen all-region and two were named All-America.