Jan. 24, 2011

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Two players have committed to joining the LMU softball program as pitcher Dana Waldusky has transferred in for the 2011 season and second baseman Sterling Shuster has signed a National Letter of Intent for 2012, Head Coach Gary Ferrin announced Monday.

Waldusky (Glendora, Calif.) has enrolled at LMU in the spring of 2011 and is eligible immediately as a sophomore. A right-handed pitcher, Waldusky spent last year at UC Davis, where she went 10-14 overall with a 3.54 ERA in 39 appearances. Waldusky started 28 games for the Aggies, tossing 12 complete games, including two shutouts, and recording 118 strikeouts. As a high school player at Glendora High School, Waldusky was the San Gabriel Valley Player of the Year, First Team All-CIF Division III, and Second Team All-California. Waldusky also earned Academic All-League honors three times in high school.

"Dana is an impact pitcher that I recruited in high school and have always wanted on our team," Ferrin said. "Dana will be a major addition on our team and on this program for the next three years. I am very lucky to have been able to get not only a great pitcher, but also an outstanding student and an even greater person."

Shuster has committed to join the Lions as a freshman in the fall of 2011, making the 2012 season her first on the field. A native of Arcadia, Shuster helped lead La Salle High School to the CIF Championships in back-to-back years, including captaining the title-winning team in 2010. She was First Team All-CIF and a two-time First Team All-Area and All-League selection after hitting .500 and setting the La Salle HS all-time record for runs batted in. Shuster played her club softball with SGV Velocity Gold for five years, where she was a teammate of current Lion Stevie Goldstein in competing at the 2010 18U Gold Nationals and 2009 18U Nationals. Off the field, Shuster has been a member of the National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation.

"Sterling is a very talented player who I expect to come in and be an impact player in her first year," Ferrin said. "She is an outstanding second baseman and is capable of playing other positions just as well. Sterling is as dedicated a player as I have ever seen. She has an endless work ethic that I hope will rub off on others that come into his program."

LMU opens the 2011 season at the Long Beach State Round Robin Tournament February 12-13.