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St. Paul Saints

Former Gophers Softball Standout Shannon Stemper Joins Saints Sports Academy

December 29, 2009 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN (December 29, 2009) - Considered one of the most valuable Minnesota Golden Gophers during her four years in the softball program, Shannon Stemper will bring her skills and impressive resume to the Saints Sports Academy as their primary softball instructor.

The 22-year-old Stemper will help girls of all ages refine their softball skills as they move through the ranks from RBI to high school. With her experience and numerous accolades Stemper will be a valuable teacher. She is no stranger to the teachings of Lamarr Rogers, head baseball instructor at the Saints Sports Academy and St. Paul Saints hitting coach, having been taught by him from age 12 through her high school career.

Stemper played in every single game during her final three seasons with the Gophers at one of the most demanding positions on the field, catcher. During her senior season she was tied for second on the team in homers, with three, and second on the club in RBI, with 17.

During Stemper's junior season she notched a career best in batting average (.331), runs (15), hits (38), doubles (10), RBI (21), total bases (51), slugging percentage (.398), walks (19), and on base percentage (.405) while earning GTE CoSida Academic All-District honors along with being an Academic All-Big 10 Honoree.

The incredible college career by Stemper earned her a spot on the Midwest-All Star Team in 2008. That team had a chance to play against the U.S. softball team in an exhibition contest.

Stemper is a graduate of Burnsville High School and was a two-time All-State selection and three-time All-Conference Honoree. She was instrumental in leading her team to back-to-back state titles and was the St. Paul Pioneer Press Metro Player of the Year.

Joining Stemper at the Saints Sports Academy will be head pitching instructor Melissa Wittgenstein, a four-year starter and regular pitcher at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She earned All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors during her time at Northern.

The incredible resume of Wittgenstein brings over 15-years of experience working with youth. While in high school, at St. Paul Arlington High, she assisted with coaching younger youth in softball, volleyball and other recreational activities. Once she entered college her passion for working with youth didn't wane, spending her summers helping out the St. Paul Rookies and Harding Area Fastpitch programs. Since college she became a mathematics teacher while continuing to coach volleyball and softball at various high schools in the St. Paul area.

The Saints Sports Academy offers memberships that give priority access to the state-of-the-art indoor athletic facility. Memberships are ideal for athletes who are serious and dedicated to taking their skills to the next level. There are three terms of membership: FULL YEAR, 6-MONTH, or 1-MONTH. Each membership is structured to offer maximum value based on the amount of training each.

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