STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern head softball coach Kim Dean has announced the five signees that make up the early signing class for the Eagles for the upcoming 2018-19 season.

The five early signees for the Eagles are: 5-6 middle infielder Shelby Barfield (Pembroke, Ga. / Bryan County HS); 5-4 pitcher/second baseman Jodi Handler (Tampa, Fla. / Alonso HS); 5-10 outfielder Madison Headley (Melbourne, Fla. / Viera HS); 5-10 pitcher/utility player Jess Mazur (Palatine, Ill. / William Fremd HS) and 5-5 corner infielder Faith Shirley (Winston, Ga. / Alexander HS).

"We're excited about our early 2018-19 signees," Coach Dean said. "We feel like we've added some depth and specialized talent to our program. These student-athletes will really help us round out our lineup and give us a more dangerous order for other teams to face day in and day out."

Below are capsules of all five signees.

Shelby Barfield
5-6 • 2B/SS
Pembroke, Ga.
Bryan County HS

A Georgia Dugout Club All-State selection as a junior in 2017, Barfield has earned first-team All-region honors each of the last three seasons, while also earning Savannah Morning News All-Coastal Empire Team honors the last three years as well … Hit .459 as a junior for the Redskins … Plays club ball for Georgia Impact and helped her club to a runner-up performance at the USA-ES Nationals in 2017.

Coach Dean: "Shelby is a consistent hitter at the plate who comes to our program with a lot of deserved accolades from her high school and travel ball accomplishments."

Jodi Handler
5-4 • RHP/2B
Tampa, Fla.
Alonso HS

Handler was the MaxPreps Hillsborough County Player of the Year as a junior in 2017, while also earning second-team All-Conference honors … Helped Alonso HS to a regional championship in 2016 and a state runner-up finish as she earned second-team All-State honors as a sophomore … Also named Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference … Plays club ball for the Tampa Mustangs, who were the 2017 ASA Florida State Champions, finished ninth at the ASA Nationals in 2016 and the 2015 ASA Southern National Champions.

Coach Dean: "Jodi is a right-handed pitcher who is expected to produce some quality innings in the circle, but her athleticism should keep her in the lineup consistently, whether it is with her bat or her defense at second base."

Madison Headley
5-10 • OF
Melbourne, Fla.
Viera HS

Headley was a 2017 first-team All-State honoree as a junior for the Hawks, while also earning Offensive Player of the Year and Cape Coast All-Conference honors … Hit .484 with a .500 on-base percentage and has stolen 42 of 44 bases in her career … Also an accomplished track and field athlete at Viera HS … Plays club ball for the Jacksonville Storm.

Coach Dean: "Madison should be competing for a starting role right when she steps on campus. She adds speed and a left-handed bat into our lineup. She will run down a lot of balls in the outfield for us with her quickness."

Jess Mazur
5-10 • RHP/UTIL
Palatine, Ill.
William Fremd HS

All-Northwest Area selection as a junior, hit .488 with 14 doubles and eight home runs for the Vikings … Also a two-time All-Conference honoree ... The younger sister of Michelle Mazur, who played four seasons for the Eagles from 2014-17 … Also plays volleyball for William Fremd HS.

Coach Dean: "Jess has a good amount of versatility, whether on the mound, at first base or finding a spot in the outfield. She will find a way to help push this program. Her power potential can create a more dynamic lineup for us."

Faith Shirley
5-5 • 1B/3B
Winston, Ga.
Alexander HS

Shirley is a four-time All-County, three-time All-Region and a two-time first-team All-State honoree who hit .558 with a 1.058 slugging percentage as a junior for the Cougars … Scored 33 runs, had seven home runs and drove in 47 … Helped lead Alexander HS to back-to-back region titles in 2016 and 2017 … Plays club ball for Georgia Impact.

Coach Dean: "Faith brings an outstanding power bat to the program. She's a corner infielder, and after we graduated two of our top HR hitters, both Faith and Jess are expected to help make up for that loss."