Golden Eagle softball adds five on signing day
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team was hard at work Wednesday, bringing in an exciting signing class for the 2026 campaign as the Golden Eagles continue to get stronger in their quest to stand atop the Ohio Valley Conference. In all, the Golden Eagles added five players on Wednesday including catcher/third baseman Aubrey Burbach, infielder Ella Grace Harvey, catcher Kaylee Midkiff, infielder Olivia Power and pitcher/first baseman Ella Wampler. "This year's early signing class focused on offensive power and defensive versatility," said Tech head coach Danielle Penner. "Each of these talented student-athletes is capable of playing multiple positions at high levels. They are high-achieving young ladies on and off the field, aligning with our program's commitment to long-term excellence. We are excited to welcome them to our Golden Eagle Softball family and Tennessee Tech community."
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech softball team was hard at work Wednesday, bringing in an exciting signing class for the 2026 campaign as the Golden Eagles continue to get stronger in their quest to stand atop the Ohio Valley Conference.
In all, the Golden Eagles added five players on Wednesday including catcher/third baseman Aubrey Burbach, infielder Ella Grace Harvey, catcher Kaylee Midkiff, infielder Olivia Power and pitcher/first baseman Ella Wampler.
"This year's early signing class focused on offensive power and defensive versatility," said Tech head coach Danielle Penner. "Each of these talented student-athletes is capable of playing multiple positions at high levels. They are high-achieving young ladies on and off the field, aligning with our program's commitment to long-term excellence. We are excited to welcome them to our Golden Eagle Softball family and Tennessee Tech community."
Burbach will head to Cookeville after wrapping up a strong career at Harlem High School in Illinois. The two-sport athlete batted .442 as a junior with five home runs and hit eight as a freshman. She was a two-time all-state selection and an all-conference selection all three seasons, while also being named Defensive Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.
She helped lead Harlem to both regional and sectional championships in the 2024 campaign. Burbach has competed with both the Beverly Bandits and Tennessee Mojo programs.
Burbach is also a standout in wrestling, picking up two All-American honors. She has also spent two seasons as class president and volunteered over 2,500 hours as a student athletic trainer.
Harvey comes from nearby Whitwell High School and already has four seasons of varsity softball under her belt with her senior campaign coming up this spring. Despite missing her junior season to injury, she put up tremendous numbers as a freshman and sophomore, hitting .509 with 11 home runs as a sophomore.
A two-sport athlete, Harvey has been named all-district three times with three district titles and four regional crowns in softball. She has also been decorated in basketball with an all-region tournament team nod in 2021, two all-district honors and an all-region honor.
Midkiff is a three-sport athlete at Alabama's Hooper Academy and has seen success in all three sports winning a state championship in softball, volleyball and basketball.
In her junior campaign, she batted .400 with 48 RBI and nine home runs to help the team win the AISA 2A state championship. In her four-year tenure thus far, she has 21 home runs and 149 RBI. She was named to the AISA All-Star Team and first-team all-state rosters, while being named the school's Defensive Player of the Year among a highly decorated run at Hooper Academy.
Midkiff has competed with the Southern Force club team.
Power will head to Cookeville after she finishes up at Georgia's Sequoyah High School, where she has lettered three seasons in both fastpitch and slowpitch. In her senior campaign, Power batted .378 with a .420 on-base mark and a .934 fielding percentage.
She helped lead Sequoyah to the slowpitch Sweet 16 in 2024 and a third-place finish in 2023 after earning a Sweet 16 berth in 2022. Power was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year and Team Captain in 2023, while earning all-region and all-county honors in 2023.
Power is also a highly decorated student, winning awards in architecture and graphic design.
Wampler is a three-sport athlete at Morristown Hamblen High School, lettering three years in softball and basketball, as well as two seasons in volleyball. As a junior, she batted .449 with five home runs, 12 RBI and 17 runs scored in 20 games played. In her career, she has batted .368 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI, while also posting a 2.76 earned run average in the circle with 154 strikeouts across 165 innings of work.
Last season, Wampler was named all-district for the third time and earned her second Offensive Player of the Year honor. She also has three all-district selections in basketball and helped lead the school's volleyball team to a district crown. Wampler and Harvey were both listed among Tennessee Girls Basketball Top Power Forwards of 2025.
Wampler competes for the Mojo McDaniel club team.
