UPDATED: Central Catholic's Hallie Crappell signs softball letter with Regis

Central Catholic pitcher Hallie Crappell is heading for the hills.
The Eagles senior signed a letter of intent Thursday to attend and play softball for Colorado’s Regis University, becoming the first Louisiana recruit for the Jesuit university in Denver.
“Hallie is another pitcher to add to this pitching staff that is developing in the right direction,” Regis coach Nicole Thompson said on the university’s website. “She is our first recruit from the Bayou State, and we are excited to add some Cajun spice to the team.
“Hallie has the ability to really keep batters off balance and is a great pick-up for us. She wants to be the one with the ball on the mound and is never afraid of a big moment.”
“Hallie is a great leader, a hard worker who leads by example,” said her coach at Central Catholic, Sunni Blanchard.
Blanchard said Crappell can put a mean spin on the ball, but she also has intangible qualities that catch a coach’s eye.
“Her attitude on the field, her good, positive attitude and her work ethic are definitely attractive to a coach.”
Crappell mentioned another intangible in describing what made her choose Regis and its enrollment of about 3,200 undergraduates in a mountain setting: Her faith. “The size of the school, the location, and the Catholic identity ...,” Crappell said. “It was an answer to a prayer.”
According to statistics provided by Regis, Crappell compiled a 1.99 earned run average of 278 innings pitched, striking out 376. Crappell is a two-time All-District first-teamer and an All-District MVP who also made the All-State second team. She is also a three-time Academic All-District nominee.
As a pitcher, Crappell said her strength is keeping hitters off-balance by changing speeds and mixing in breaking pitches.
“The word finesse gets used a lot,” she said.
Thursday’s mid-morning signing was a gala affair in the Central Catholic gym. Crappell, the daughter of Wade and Tracy Crappell of Morgan City, posed for pictures at the signing table with her parents, with siblings and grandparents gathered around her, and then with fellow members of the Eagle softball team.
They may have reminded her that she has one more season to pitch for the Eagles.
“I think we’re going to have a great team,” Crappell said. “We really don’t have any weaknesses.”
The Regis website does some bragging about the strength of the softball recruiting class, with Crappell; Isabella Porter of Tucson, a .580 hitter in high school; Megan Clark, a speedster and middle infielder who went to school with Porter; and a third Tucson product, pitcher Vanessa Candito, who struck out 225 hitters in 149 innings with a 1.06 ERA.