NATCHITOCHES – First-year head softball coach Jason Anderson wasted no time bolstering hist first Northwestern State roster following his hiring in early June.
 
The veteran skipper has secure commitments from 10 players during the summer as a part of a 13-player newcomer class for the 2027 season.
 
Among the signees are five pitchers, three of which coming from other Division I programs this past year – Kynlei Chapman (McNeese), Cailyn Heyl (South Alabama) and Jenna Johnston (Stetson). Sarah Hanf (Weatherford College) and Zoey Mills (Eastern Florida State) join the staff from top-rated junior college programs.
 
"I am really excited about the pitching we've added this summer," Anderson said. "This group give us more talent, depth and plenty of different looks in the circle in  to add to what we already have in our returners.  Each of them brings something different to our staff, and we believe they all have the ability to make an immediate impact and help us compete at a high level."
 
The Division I experience was not limited to just the pitching signees, with the addition of a pair of Power 4 position players in Micaela Booth (Illinois) and Grace Weaver (Syracuse) along with speedy outfielder Brooklyn Livanec from Wichita State, one of the perennial teams in the American Conference.
 
The Demons added some depth in the infield as well with the addition of Kamryn Eaton (Chipola CC) and the lone high school signee during the summer was power-hitting utility player Kendall Watson (Malvern HS).
 
"I feel like we've added some quality position players to an already talented group of returners," Anderson said. "Our goal was to add athleticism, versatility and players who can impact the game in multiple ways, and I feel like we did just that.  They are going to create more competition throughout our lineup and defensively in the field. Both of those things together will make our team even better."
 
Listed below are the bio capsules for all 10 signees, beginning with the five pitchers.

 
Kynlei Chapman – Jr. – P – R/R – 5-7 – Willis, Texas / Willis HS / McLennan CC / McNeese
 
Prior to NSU
2025 First-Team All-Region 
2025 NTJCAC Pitcher of the Year
 
Played one season at McClennon (2025) and one season at McNeese (2026)…made 16 starts and 19 total appearances as a freshman at McClennan…named first-team all-region and the NTJCAC Pitcher of the Year…pitched to a 12-3 record with a 1.92 ERA across 83.2 innings of work and led the team with 90 strikeouts…threw four shutouts on the season, each time surrendering four or fewer hits… made 16 starts and 26 total appearances at McNeese finishing with a 5-6 overall record in 73.2 innings of work…did not allow a run on four hits in 4.0 innings in her Division I debut against North Texas…picked up a wins against Missouri after throwing 6.1 innings and Baylor tossing a complete game allowing just one earned run each time…had 5.1 inning of no-hit work against Northwestern State receiving a no-decision in the 10-inning game won by the Demons.
 
High School
Four-year player at Willis HS where she collected more than 30 wins and 600 strikeouts in three seasons of recorded statistics beginning with her sophomore season…three-time all-district honoree and district MVP as a senior…had a 12.1 K/7 rate over her final three seasons in the circle…won 10 or more games in each seasons with a career-best 12 wins as a senior…two-way player during her sophomore and senior years adding 10 total home runs with a .267 overall batting average in those seasons.
 
Personal
Daughter of Amber Taylor…has three brothers, Tucker and Ryan Chapman and Brennon Taylor…majoring in business management…wants to be a real estate agent…loves to work with children in any capacity saying, "it reminds me to keep living through the eyes of a kid."
 
 
Sarah Hanf – Jr. – P – L/R – 5-10 – Elk Grove, Calif. / Laguna Creek HS / Weatherford College
 
Prior to NSU
NFCA Second-Team All-American (2025)
NFCA First-Team All-West Region (2025)
NJCAA All-Region V (2025)
NTJCAC First-Team All-Conference (2025)
NTJCAC Second-Team All-Conference (2026)
 
Played two seasons at Weatherford College where she compiled a 35-12 record with a 2.28 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and impressive 10.1 strikeout/7 rate…struck out more than 200 batters during her freshman season and won 21 games on the way to NFCA All-American honors…totaled 349 strikeouts in two seasons with the Coyotes…threw the first perfect game in program history in April 2025 of her freshman season and earned NJCAA National Pitcher of the Week…struck out 11 of the 15 total batters she faced in an 11-0 run-rule perfect game performance…tossed seven shoutouts as a freshman including a stretch of three straight starts without allowing a run.
 
High School
Four-time, first-team all-conference two-way player at Laguna Creek HS…two-time conference MVP and team MVP all four seasons…struck out more than 500 batters in her prep career, including more than 150 in each of her final two seasons…allowed just 16 earned runs in 92.0 inning of work during her senior season, finishing with a career-best 1.22 ERA that year, holding opponents to a .158 batting average against in the process.
 
Personal
Daughter of Michelle and Matthew Hanf…has two brothers, Ethan and twin Bailey…majoring in business administration…enjoys baking and hiking.
 
 
Cailyn Heyl – Sr. – P – R/R – 5-8 – Central, La. / Central HS / Northwest Florida State / South Alabama
 
Prior to NSU
NJCAA National Pitcher of the Year (2025)
NJCAA Division I National Champion (2025)
NJCAA First-Team All-American (2024, 2025)
NFCA First-Team All-American (2024, 2025)
All-Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year (2024, 2025)
First-Team All-Panhandle Conference (2024, 2025)
NJCAA Rawlings Gold Glove (2024)
 
Played two seasons at Northwest Florida State and spent the 2026 season at South Alabama…put together one of the most dominant seasons as a sophomore posting a 35-2 overall record with a 0.94 ERA, a single-season record at NWF…led the nation in wins, complete games (26), shutouts (12), second in ERA, third in starts (33), fifth in innings pitched (200.2), 14^th in opponent's batting average (.165) and 16^th in strikeouts (173)…allowed just seven runs in five straight complete games at the NJCAA World Series to claim the national title…allowed just one run and struck out seven in the championship game…set the NWF program record for wins as a freshman with 37, losing just two decisions  in 40 starts and 46 total appearances in her rookie season…twirled a pair of no-hitters, both in five innings, against Jones College and Tallahassee Community College
 
High School 
Three-time all-state and all-metro selection at Central HS in Baton Rouge…named district MVP following her senior season…across her final three prep seasons, compiled a 58-16 overall record and struck out 559 batters in 452.0 innings of work in the circle…set a school record as a junior with 17-straight wins…with her Louisiana Blazers Elite travel team, won an 18U team championship at the NFA Championship with a pair of runner0-up finishes at the NFA and USA Gold National Championships…placed second at the NFA Champions with her 16U team.
 
Personal
Daughter of Tricia and Cleve Heyl…has an older brother, Conner, and older sister, Corinne…majoring in exercise science.
 
 
Jenna Johnston – Sr. – 5-8 – L/R – P – Vancouver, British Columbia / Yale Secondary School / Galveston College / Stetson
 
Prior to NSU
Region 14 Pitcher of the Year (2025)
All-South Conference Pitcher of the Year (2024, 2025)
First-Team All-Region 14 (2024)
Mid-West Region Second Team (2025)
All-South First-Team All-Conference (2024, 2025)
 
Played two seasons at Galveston College before spending 2026 at Stetson…helped the Hatters win the ASUN championship…made 19 total appearances in the pitching circle throwing 38.2 total inning with a 3-4 record and 4.71 ERA…threw a five-inning complete game in a 10-1 win against Maine where she allowed just two hits and one unearned run…season-high four strikeouts came against UT Martin…spent the first two seasons of her college career as a two-way player at Galveston College…hit .368 with four home runs and 29 RBI while compiling a 46-14 record in the circle with a 1.89 ERA across 373.1 innings of work with a WHIP of 1.04…struck out 334 batters in two seasons…had a 1.00 ERA during her sophomore season with a 19-7 record allowing just 25 earned runs in 174.2 innings with 170 strikeouts…helped pitch her team to the 2024 NJCAA DI Softball World Series as a freshman including a quarterfinal win against Florida Southwestern where she went 8.0 innings allowing just one run in a 2-1 walk-off win.
 
Personal
Daughter of Rhonda and Rod Johnston…majoring in health sciences…nursing major.
 
 
Zoey Mills – Jr. – 5-8 – R/R – P – Port Charlotte, Fla. / Lemon Bay HS / College of Central Florida / Eastern Florida State
 
Prior to NSU
Northwoods League All-Star (Summer 2026)
 
Began her collegiate career at College of Central Florida before spending two seasons at Eastern Florida State…as freshman in 2024 went 8-3 in the circle with a 1.95 ERA in 64.2 innings…tallied 67 strikeouts and her 7.25 K/7 rate was the highest on the team…allowed two or fewer runs in 16 of her 22 total appearances on the season…suffered an injury that forced her to miss the 2025 season at Eastern Florida State…compiled a 7-5 record in 2026 with the Titans in 74.0 innings of work and 19 total appearances with 52 strikeouts…threw four shutouts during the season, including in back-to-back starts on March 17 and 21…teammate with Demon players Brynn Daniel and Riley Schwisow in the Northwoods League for the Wausau Ignite during the summer of 2026…named to NWL All-Star Team during the summer of 2026…went 10-2 for the Wausau Ignite in 76.1 innings of work with a 4.03 ERA, 63 strikeouts and 44 earned runs allowed…threw a shutout against Mankato allowing 3 hits with nine Ks during the season. 
 
 High School
Helped lead her team to a regional championship as a senior posting a 1.14 ERA in 98.2 innings of work…she struck out 166 batters, an 11.78 K/7 rate, including one outing where she struck out 15 consecutive batters and tied a record with 17 Ks in a game.
 
Personal
Daughter of Angie and Waylon Mills…has one brother, Owen…dad, Waylon, was a pitcher at Flagler and played in the Frontier League…majoring in sports and recreation management…wants to become a scout for the New York Yankees or a sports analyst.
 

Micaela Booth – Jr. – IF – R/R – Allen, Texas / Allen HS / Western Michigan / Illinois
 
Prior to NSU
Played one season at Western Michigan (2025) and one at Illinois (2026)…led the team with 30 RBI as a freshman at Western Michigan…made 51 total appearances and 48 starts  and ended the year with a .272 average and .830 OPS…tied for second on the team with seven home runs…totaled nine multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games, second most on the team…had a 14-game reached base streak during the month of April…appeared in 15 games and made three starts at Illinois…walked twice in 16 total plate appearances.
 
High School
Three-year letterwinner at Allen HS that won more than 20 games and reached the state playoff in each of her three seasons…first-team all-district honoree during her senior season…batted .343 during her prep career with nearly 100 hits and 100 RBI in three seasons…during her all-district senior season she hit .386 with five home runs, 22 total extra-base hits and 44 RBI with a .458 on-base percentage…helped lead her U16 travel team Texas Glory to a third place finish at the Tulsa Elite Invitational in 2022.
 
Personal
Daughter of Melissa and Clifford Fayne…has three siblings, brothers, Maxwell and Samuel, and sister, Emilee…majoring in industrial engineering technology…career plans including working on cars in an automotive design/engineering capacity.
 

Kamryn Eaton – MIF – 5-7 – Jr – R/R – Baton Rouge, La. / Central HS / Chipola CC
 
Prior to NSU
All-Panhandle Conference First-Team Infield (2026)
All-FCSAA Second-Team (2026)
All-Panhandle Conference Second-Team Outfield (2025)
 
Played two seasons at Chipola College seeing action in 100 games with a .367 batting average and .926 OPS during that time…batted .399 during her sophomore season and .993 OPS…led the team with 85 hits, 72 runs scored and 19 stolen bases…ranked third in the FCSAA in hits and fourth in doubles (20)…had 28 multi-hit games in 2026 including seven straight and in 10 of the final 12 games of the season…scored two or more runs in a game 21 times during the season.
 
High School
Three-time all-district player at Central HS in Baton Rouge…also earned an all-metro selection as a senior.
 
Personal
Daughter of Alisa and Blake Eaton…has one sister, Tristen…criminal justice major.
 
 
Brookelyn Livanec – Jr. – OF – L/R – 5-7 – Mont Belvieu, Texas / Barbers Hill HS / Wichita State
 
Prior to NSU
American Conference All-Freshman Team (2025)
American Conference All-Academic Team (2025)
Easton/NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete (2025)
 
Played two seasons at Wichita State hitting .330 with a .395 on-base percentage across 75 total games and 46 starts…breakout freshman season where she hit .364, second highest average on the team, serving as the Shocker's full-time DP by the start of conference play…earned a spot on the AAC All-Freshman Team…finished the season on an eight-game hitting streak…walked twice, singled and drove in a run against North Texas in the AAC Championship…batted .244 as a sophomore serving in more of a reserve role…had 11 hits and scored six runs…hit her first career home run in a win at Texas State.
 
High School
Four-year starter at Barbers Hill HS…finished her career with a TGCA All-State selection, SETCA All-Star honor and was named to the All-Vype Third Team as a senior, along with all-district honors in her final two seasons…four-time honoree on the academic all-district team…member of National Honor Society.
 
Personal
Daughter of Misti and Brad McBride…has one brother Jacob…nursing major…wants to become a labor and delivery or neonatal nurse.
 
 
Kendall Watson – Fr. – UTL – R/R – 5-11 – Malvern, Ark. / Malvern HS
 
High School
Two-way, four-time all-conference and three-time all-state player at Malvern HS…team finished each of her four prep seasons ranked in the top 10 in Arkansas…broke the Arkansas state high school record for batting average and slugging percentage…tied for the second most home runs and third most RBI in state history…slugged 52 home runs in her career and tallied 387 strikeouts in the circle…hit over .450 in each of her four seasons with a career-best .736 average as a junior where she had 18 home runs and 63 RBI…as a senior hit .582 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI while posting a 1.51 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 129.1 innings of work in the circle
 
Personal
Daughter of Kassandra and Bobby Watson…has one brother, Bobby Watson III…majoring in health and human performance…wants to be a physical therapist.
 
 
Grace Weaver – So. – C – R/R – 5-6 – Claremore, Okla. / Claremore HS / Syracuse
 
Prior to NSU
Played one season at Syracuse making 20 starts and 25 total appearances…collected seven hits, all singles, and an RBI during her freshman season…finished the season with a .986 fielding percentage, 117 putouts and 25 assists…also threw out six attempted base stealers…earned Academic All-ACC honors in 2026
 
High School
Four-time all-district player (three times as catcher and once at third base) at Claremore HS…earned conference player of the year honors and an all-state selection during her senior season helping lead her team to a region championship and No. 6 ranking in the state of Oklahoma…member of National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
 
Personal
Daughter of Jenny Weaver…has two siblings, brother Hudson and younger sister Bella…mom played softball at Seminole State College…majoring in psychology…wants to coach softball…has a pet buffalo.