Troy University Athletics
Softball Adds Four to 2025-26 Roster
11/13/2024 2:57:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – Following a successful fall season for the Troy softball program, head coach Eric Newell brings in four players to boost the 2025-26 roster on Wednesday.
"We are beyond excited about this 2025 recruiting class," Newell said. "Often in the recruiting process, we get asked, 'What do you look for in a player?' This question is answered by hitting three different areas. First, you must be able to play and succeed at a high level. Second, you have to be driven with your academics. Third, you need to be willing to be a great teammate. You must be selfless and show great character on and off the field. The four players embody exactly what we look for in the recruiting process. Each of them has been successful at a high level, shown a commitment and drive to their academics, and shown that they are great teammates and great people on and off the field."
The four signees include three players from the Peach State: Abby Lovell, Presley Ivey and Madison Hammock, and one from the Sunshine State, Jasmine Lawrence. All three players from Georgia played together on the Georgia Impact Holcombe, which ranked seventh nationally in the U.S. Club Team Rankings.
Abby Lovell | Pitcher | Columbus, Ga. | Northside High School
From Columbus, Ga., Lovell competed at Northside High School, bringing home back-to-back 4A State Championships in 2022 and 2023. As an ace, she pitched over 600 strikeouts (219 in her senior season) to earn the program's career record and earn 4A Pitcher of the Year twice. Her accolades include the Colorado Sparkler 2022 First-Team All-Tournament, 4A Georgia Dugout Player of the Year, Chick-fil-A Servant Leadership Award and 4A All-State First Team.
"Abby is just an absolute winner," Newell said. "Whether it be with her travel ball team or her high school team, she has proven that she is one of the top pitchers in the 2026 recruiting class, but equally impressive is the type of teammate and person she is. She has elite spin and elite movement, and we know she will do great things as an integral part of the Troy pitching staff in the coming years."
The left-handed pitcher was a dual sport athlete in tennis, where she earned 4A All-Region First Team. Her pitch registers in the mid-60s with Lovell's most recent season at Northside seeing her finish with a 10-2 record on a 0.71 ERA while holding opponents to a .198 batting average. Her stats ranked her sixth in the Line Drive Media National Rankings. At the Extra Innings Player of the Day Spotlight PGF Nationals California, she pitched 33 strikeouts in 21.3 innings for a 0.00 ERA.
Presley Ivey | Middle-Infield/Outfield | Newnan, Ga. | Newnan High School
The single-season record holder for stolen bases (29) also led Newnan High School to a 27-7 record in her junior season to win the 5A State Championship. Her sophomore through senior seasons saw Ivey post a plus-.400 batting average at .500 (sophomore), .400 (junior) and .564 (senior). The middle-infield/outfield player also earned 5A Regional Player of the Year on a .694 on-base percentage, 30 walks and a record 29 steals.
"Presley has proven to be one of the best lead-off batters in the country," Newell said. "Offensively, she is hard to defend, can lay down a bunt, slap or hit stationary, and be an extra-base threat. Defensively, she is super athletic. She is capable of playing the infield and outfield at a high level, and we look forward to using her athleticism and versatility."
Another member of the Georgia Impact Holcombe, Ivey earned a No. 15 ranking in the Line Drive Media National Rankings, clocking in at 2.7 seconds from home to first and earning four straight 5A All-Region First Team nods. At the PGF Nationals in 2024, the Newnan native batted .485 with a .585 on-base percentage, adding eight walks and four stolen bases. She's also the recipient of the Cougar Award at Newnan, which is awarded to the person who best represents the program with hard work, teamwork and teammate support.
Madison Hammock | Second Baseman / Outfield | Perry, Ga. | Westfield High School
The final member in the trio from Georgia Impact Holcombe is Hammock, who tallied two Georgia All-State First Team and three 3A All-Region First Team nods. She also doubled as a premiere student-athlete with the highest English, math, anatomy and physiology GPA to earn the Brewton Parker Scholar Award.
"Madison has an extraordinary knack for driving in runs and, much like her travel ball teammate Abby, has been an elite winner at both the high school and travel ball level," Newell said. "She has routinely hit over .400 in her career, she is incredibly hard to strike out, and she typically hits very well with runners in scoring position. We are excited about what she brings to the table and look forward to her hitting for the Trojans."
The Perry native had a .400 batting average on 58 hits, 48 RBIs, 10 homers and zero strikeouts to earn the 2024 3A Regional Player of the Year and extend her school's streak of eight straight state championships. She earned a ranking of 39th in the Line Drive Media National Rankings and 13th for Extra Inning Softball for finishing with a .437 on-base percentage.
Jasmine Lawrence | Utility | Tavares, Fla. | Tavares High School
Troy's fourth and final signee hails from Tavares High School, where she played varsity for four seasons and ended with a .442 batting average, .552 on-base percentage and 65 stolen bases. At Tavares, she earned the Most Valuable Player Award in 2023. Lawrence was a three-sport athlete, competing in softball, volleyball and weightlifting.
"Jasmine is a versatile athlete," Newell said. "The coaching staff is super excited to add Jasmine to the 2025 recruiting class. She is a left-handed batter that has the potential to become a legitimate triple threat. She has incredible speed, which will be a huge weapon for us offensively, and she has the athleticism to play multiple positions all around the field defensively. We look forward to seeing her mature and develop in our program."
Forty-one of her 65 stolen bases came in her freshman season with 22 games played – she finished with 60 games. Her abilities at the plate shined with 76 runs and 54 RBIs produced. Off the diamond, she excelled in academics, dual enrolling at Lake Sumter State College to earn a 4.0 GPA, over 100 hours of community service and finish in the top 10 for the Class of 2025 at Tavares.
"We are beyond excited about this 2025 recruiting class," Newell said. "Often in the recruiting process, we get asked, 'What do you look for in a player?' This question is answered by hitting three different areas. First, you must be able to play and succeed at a high level. Second, you have to be driven with your academics. Third, you need to be willing to be a great teammate. You must be selfless and show great character on and off the field. The four players embody exactly what we look for in the recruiting process. Each of them has been successful at a high level, shown a commitment and drive to their academics, and shown that they are great teammates and great people on and off the field."
The four signees include three players from the Peach State: Abby Lovell, Presley Ivey and Madison Hammock, and one from the Sunshine State, Jasmine Lawrence. All three players from Georgia played together on the Georgia Impact Holcombe, which ranked seventh nationally in the U.S. Club Team Rankings.
Abby Lovell | Pitcher | Columbus, Ga. | Northside High School
From Columbus, Ga., Lovell competed at Northside High School, bringing home back-to-back 4A State Championships in 2022 and 2023. As an ace, she pitched over 600 strikeouts (219 in her senior season) to earn the program's career record and earn 4A Pitcher of the Year twice. Her accolades include the Colorado Sparkler 2022 First-Team All-Tournament, 4A Georgia Dugout Player of the Year, Chick-fil-A Servant Leadership Award and 4A All-State First Team.
"Abby is just an absolute winner," Newell said. "Whether it be with her travel ball team or her high school team, she has proven that she is one of the top pitchers in the 2026 recruiting class, but equally impressive is the type of teammate and person she is. She has elite spin and elite movement, and we know she will do great things as an integral part of the Troy pitching staff in the coming years."
The left-handed pitcher was a dual sport athlete in tennis, where she earned 4A All-Region First Team. Her pitch registers in the mid-60s with Lovell's most recent season at Northside seeing her finish with a 10-2 record on a 0.71 ERA while holding opponents to a .198 batting average. Her stats ranked her sixth in the Line Drive Media National Rankings. At the Extra Innings Player of the Day Spotlight PGF Nationals California, she pitched 33 strikeouts in 21.3 innings for a 0.00 ERA.
Presley Ivey | Middle-Infield/Outfield | Newnan, Ga. | Newnan High School
The single-season record holder for stolen bases (29) also led Newnan High School to a 27-7 record in her junior season to win the 5A State Championship. Her sophomore through senior seasons saw Ivey post a plus-.400 batting average at .500 (sophomore), .400 (junior) and .564 (senior). The middle-infield/outfield player also earned 5A Regional Player of the Year on a .694 on-base percentage, 30 walks and a record 29 steals.
"Presley has proven to be one of the best lead-off batters in the country," Newell said. "Offensively, she is hard to defend, can lay down a bunt, slap or hit stationary, and be an extra-base threat. Defensively, she is super athletic. She is capable of playing the infield and outfield at a high level, and we look forward to using her athleticism and versatility."
Another member of the Georgia Impact Holcombe, Ivey earned a No. 15 ranking in the Line Drive Media National Rankings, clocking in at 2.7 seconds from home to first and earning four straight 5A All-Region First Team nods. At the PGF Nationals in 2024, the Newnan native batted .485 with a .585 on-base percentage, adding eight walks and four stolen bases. She's also the recipient of the Cougar Award at Newnan, which is awarded to the person who best represents the program with hard work, teamwork and teammate support.
Madison Hammock | Second Baseman / Outfield | Perry, Ga. | Westfield High School
The final member in the trio from Georgia Impact Holcombe is Hammock, who tallied two Georgia All-State First Team and three 3A All-Region First Team nods. She also doubled as a premiere student-athlete with the highest English, math, anatomy and physiology GPA to earn the Brewton Parker Scholar Award.
"Madison has an extraordinary knack for driving in runs and, much like her travel ball teammate Abby, has been an elite winner at both the high school and travel ball level," Newell said. "She has routinely hit over .400 in her career, she is incredibly hard to strike out, and she typically hits very well with runners in scoring position. We are excited about what she brings to the table and look forward to her hitting for the Trojans."
The Perry native had a .400 batting average on 58 hits, 48 RBIs, 10 homers and zero strikeouts to earn the 2024 3A Regional Player of the Year and extend her school's streak of eight straight state championships. She earned a ranking of 39th in the Line Drive Media National Rankings and 13th for Extra Inning Softball for finishing with a .437 on-base percentage.
Jasmine Lawrence | Utility | Tavares, Fla. | Tavares High School
Troy's fourth and final signee hails from Tavares High School, where she played varsity for four seasons and ended with a .442 batting average, .552 on-base percentage and 65 stolen bases. At Tavares, she earned the Most Valuable Player Award in 2023. Lawrence was a three-sport athlete, competing in softball, volleyball and weightlifting.
"Jasmine is a versatile athlete," Newell said. "The coaching staff is super excited to add Jasmine to the 2025 recruiting class. She is a left-handed batter that has the potential to become a legitimate triple threat. She has incredible speed, which will be a huge weapon for us offensively, and she has the athleticism to play multiple positions all around the field defensively. We look forward to seeing her mature and develop in our program."
Forty-one of her 65 stolen bases came in her freshman season with 22 games played – she finished with 60 games. Her abilities at the plate shined with 76 runs and 54 RBIs produced. Off the diamond, she excelled in academics, dual enrolling at Lake Sumter State College to earn a 4.0 GPA, over 100 hours of community service and finish in the top 10 for the Class of 2025 at Tavares.
Behind the Wall - S10, E1
Friday, September 05
PODCAST - Josh Lauer
Thursday, September 04
Football Press Conference (Players) - Clemson Game
Monday, September 01
Gerad Parker Press Conference (Clemson Game)
Monday, September 01