Megan Hardie commits to Winona

Now Megan Hardie can concentrate on getting healthy and playing softball.

Despite the fact she hasn't been able to play since last spring, Hardie this weekend verbally committed to accept a scholarship offer from NCAA Division II power Winona State. The Crystal Lake South senior verbaled to Winona coach Greg Jones while making an official visit with her family to the Winona, Minn., campus.

"It was one of the first schools that contacted me," said Hardie of Winona Sunday. "We sent them my video and they got back to me right away. We went and visited and I just loved the campus. It's a good town and I knew I could see myself going there."

Hardie, who is a triplet daughter (sisters are Kaitlin and Samantha) of CL South assistant coach Mark Hardie and wife Kelley, had her junior season cut short by an ACL injury, sharing the same injury with both of her sisters. She is on schedule to be released for activity by mid-November. Prior to the injury, she played 13 games for the Gators, hitting .485 with 2 home runs, 9 RBI and a .818 slugging percentage. In 2007, Hardie hit .359 with 19 RBI for CL South. A catcher/third baseman, she also plays for the Northern Illinois Lightning 18U Black team in the summer, where her dad as well as former Winona State and Stevenson High School standout Elissa Wisniewski are assistant coaches.

At Winona, Hardie will join a program that has qualified for the Division II North Region tournament four of the last six years. Jones will be entering his 10th season as the Warriors' coach and has accumulated a 316-129 record there. His 2008 team went 38-15, won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament championship and finished the season ranked No. 15 in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.

"I loved the way coach Jones handled the whole thing," Hardie said of her recruitment. "I met all the players and they are all real nice.

"The pressure's off now. I really like the school and I know I made the right choice."