MONTGOMERY, Ala. ---- The Auburn University at Montgomery softball program and head coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson has announced the addition of catcher Lauren Shaw for the upcoming season.

Shaw, who prepped at North Forsyth High School and is a Cumming, Ga., native, joins local high-school standout Kayla Hale, a pitcher from Trinity Presbyterian High School in Montgomery.

"Lauren is a great athlete with tremendous potential," Steiner-Wilcoxson said. "She is very sound defensively behind the plate and has a strong arm for throwing out runners. She will also be a great asset at the plate and will provide great power to our team. With the loss of a four-year starter in Danielle Kirkpatrick, Lauren will have big shoes to fill."

A highly decorated player at the prep level for head coach Bud Henderson, Shaw was a four-time member of the All-Forsyth County team, as well as a three-time All-Region 6-AAAAA selection. She earned all-state honors her final two seasons and was also selected the player of the year for the region as a junior and senior.

As a senior, Shaw finished with a .455 batting average, .471 on-base percentage and .485 slugging percentage. She also collected her 100^th career hit during her final season.

During her junior season, Shaw posted a .493 batting average, collecting 37 hits, including 13 doubles. She drove in 31 runs and scored 24 more, while walking 19 times. She posted an on-base percentage of .630.

In addition to individual success, the Raiders finished as the region runner-up and reached the state playoffs her final three seasons.

The daughter of Mike and Denise Shaw, she plans on majoring in early childhood education.

"Academically, I was drawn to AUM because I liked their early childhood education program," Shaw said. "Also, athletically, I like the coaching staff because they are former college softball players and I knew that would benefit me and further my knowledge and skills about the sport."

AUM finished the season with a 42-20, a school record for victories, while making its first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Warhawks finished the tournament 4-2 and won Pool H in pool play.