Jaydn Spencer, one of the greatest high school softball players in state history, has joined the new Iowa Women's Softball League that will start later this month.

Sonya McCormick, an all-region selection from Iowa Central Community  College, also has joined the league. So have Stephanie Wehr and KyLeigh Becker, a pair of freshmen at Loras College.

Spencer helped the University of Alabama win the College World Series in 2012 and was inducted into the IGHSAU Hall of Fame in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding career at Waterloo West High School.

Spencer was a five-team all-state selection at Waterloo West and was  named the Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2011. She hit .625 with 17 home runs that year and compiled a 25-9 record and 0.84 ERA as a pitcher with 384 strikeouts in 224 2/3 innings.

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Spencer hit 54 home runs in high school, which was a state record at the time. She is currently an academic athletic adviser at the University of Northern Iowa and will be a part-time player in the Iowa Women's Softball League due to a busy summer.

Spencer's younger sister, Jaclyn, is currently playing softball at UNI and also will be competing in the summer league.

McCormick hit .368 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs as a freshman at Iowa Central this season. She went 55 for 56 in stolen bases and ranks fourth in the country in steals.

McCormick, primarily a third baseman and catcher, was a two-time  all-state selection at Monticello High School. She received conference honors all five years in high school.

Wehr and Becker, the two freshmen at Loras, are examples of talented young players who are looking to sharpen their skills against  top-level competition in the summer league.

Wehr, a catcher and third baseman, did not get any varsity at-bats  this season but will be ooking to improve her status for next season at Loras. Becker, a pitcher, appeared in six games this season and finished with a 1-0 record.

Wehr hit .262 with 30 RBIs as a senior at Xavier and received conference honors. Becker went 11-7 with a 2.86 ERA as a senior at West Liberty and also hit .299.

There are currently 47 players in the Iowa Women's Softball League. The goal is to have at least 48 players and 12 per team, but there is room for 52 players and 13 per squad.

The program has been formed by the Metro Sports Report as the only  summer collegiate fast-pitch softball league in Iowa.

All told, 23 different colleges have at least one player in the league. The list includes Kirkwood, UNI, Coe, Mount Mercy, Luther, Wartburg, Waldorf, Illinois State, Indian Hills, Loras, South Dakota  State, Upper Iowa, DMACC, Western Illinois, Southeastern Community  College, Indiana State, Ellsworth, Webster, Western Kentucky, Dubuque,  Central, Alabama and Iowa Central.

Kirkwood has the most players in the program with eight. There are five players from UNI and four from Coe.

In addition, the 47 players hail from 33 different high schools. Solon leads the way with five former Spartans in the program and Kennedy has four graduates in the league.

The season will consist of 10 doubleheaders on Sunday afternoons, beginning on Sunday, May 28 and running through Sunday, July 30. All of the games will be played at Kirkwood Community College and Coe College in Cedar Rapids, beginning at 2 p.m. each day.

Here are the 47 players who have joined so far:

1. Erin Kuba, Indian Hills (CR Jefferson)
2. Peyton Baskerville, Mount Mercy (CR Kennedy)
3. Tianna Drahn, Northern Iowa (CR Kennedy)
4. Lexi Kinnaird, Kirkwood (Clear Creek Amana)
5. Maddy Ryan, Coe (Linn-Mar)
6. Mallory McArtor, Coe (Mid-Prairie)
7. Taylor Nearad, Kirkwood (Solon)
8. Bria Lenten, Loras (CR Washington)
9. Tawny Menster, Mount Mercy (Anamosa)
10. Maddie Hansen, Kirkwood (CR Jefferson)
11. Megan Bonnett, Luther (IC Regina)
12. Morgan Frost, Kirkwood (Don Bosco)
13. Taylor Kurtz, Waldorf (Mid-Prairie)
14. Haley Jones, Coe (Waterloo West)
15. Morgan Goedken, Wartburg (IC Regina)
16. Alyssa Wiebel, Illinois State (Benton)
17. Monika Bevans, Kirkwood (Solon)
18. Ali Herdliska, South Dakota State (Solon)
19. Erin Drahozal, Upper Iowa (Xavier)
20. Sydney Robertson, DMACC (Vinton-Shellsburg)
21. Emily Ira, Western Illinois (Solon)
22. Lexi Ferrari, Kirkwood (Alleman Catholic, Rock Island, Ill.)
23. DoniRae Mayhew, Kirkwood (Bettendorf)
24. Morgan Christner, Illinois State (New London)
25. Paige Timmerman, Luther (CR Kennedy)
26. Hailey Duwa, Western Illinois (Pleasant Valley)
27. Morgan Smith, Southeastern CC (Davenport North)
28. Gabi Carter, Indiana State (Kirkwood/CR Prairie)
29. Taylor Bell, Waldorf (Madrid)
30. Brittney Roby, Northern Iowa (DMACC/Twin Cedars)
31. Brooke Craig, Northern Iowa (Waterloo Columbus)
32. Abbie Young, Ellsworth (AGWSR)
33. Hannah Onken, Wartburg (Greene County)
34. Jaydn Spencer, ex-Alabama (Waterloo West)
35. Bradi Yost, Ellsworth (Aplington-Parkersburg)
36. Jaclyn Spencer, Northern Iowa (Waterloo West)
37. Chelsea Thornley, Webster University (Clinton, Mo.)
38. Adara Opiola, Northern Iowa (Iowa City West)
39. Marissa Promes, Indian Hills (Greene County)
40. Kelsey Aikey, Western Kentucky (Waverly-Shell Rock)
41. Jessica Nearad, ex-University of Dubuque (Solon)
42. Audra Bridenstine, Kirkwood (West Liberty) 
43. Bethany Koskamp, ex-Central College (Kennedy)
44. Shelby Crist, ex-Kirkwood, Upper Iowa (Prairie)
45. Sonya McCormick, Iowa Central (Monticello)
46. Stephanie Wehr, Loras (Xavier)
47. Kyleigh Becker, Loras (West Liberty)

Anyone interested in joining the league is strongly encouraged to register now and reserve a spot, even if they have not finalized their plans for this summer. The $100 player fee will be refunded if they  are unable to play, with no questions asked.

The entire registration process can be handled on-line. Simply click  on the link to the registration form that appears with this story.

The Metro Sports Report hopes all players will attend all the games, but the company will certainly understand if a player needs to miss a few games due to a job commitment, family function, vacation or any other reason.

The league will use a continuous batting order with free defensive  substitution, to make sure the playing time is as equal as possible  for everyone.

Please contact Metro Sports Report president Jim Ecker for more  information at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling (319) 390-4236.

Scholarships are available. All anyone has to do is ask.

The four gold medal sponsors for the Iowa Women's Softball League are  Ironside Apparel, Construction Materials, Emil's Hideaway restaurant  and Hawkeye Convenience Stores. Play It Again Sports of Cedar Rapids  is a silver medal sponsor.