2024 Softball Roster
Jersey Number 45
Serena Starks
- Position:
- Outfielder
- Height:
- 5-8
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Huntington Beach, Calif.
- High School:
- Edison HS
- Prev School:
- Princeton
GRADUATE STUDENT - 2024
- Preseason Top-45 Outfielder according to D1 Softball
- Played in all 52 games, making 49 starts in the outfield
- Slashed .260/.299/.314
- Recorded 33 hits and scored 29 runs
- Had six multi-hit games
- Posted a season-best three hits and four runs scored against Cal Poly (2/24/24)
- Recorded a double against Mizzou (3/13/24), Michigan (3/17/24) and Ohio State (4/26/24)
- Tallied a triple against Purdue (4/13/24)
- Logged an RBI on seven different occasions
- Put down four sacrifice hits
- Posted a .989 fielding percentage with 91 putouts, two assists and just one error
SENIOR - 2023 (PRINCETON)
- Won Ivy League Player of the Year honors, becoming the first Princeton player to win the honor since 2008
- Tri-captain
- Earned first-team All-Ivy League and first-team NFCA all-region honors
- Ivy League all-tournament team
- Led the Ivy League with a .397 average and 69 hits
- The 69 hits were the most for a Princeton player since 1996
- Won Ivy League Player of the Week honors twice
- Had hits in 38 games and had 23 multi-hit games
- Drove in two runs in the series opener against Harvard (4/2/23)
- Homered against Lehigh (3/12/23)
JUNIOR - 2022 (PRINCETON)
- First-team All-Ivy League
- Honorable mention All-ECAC
- Had a team-high .355 batting average on the season, leading the team with 54 hits
- Played in all 46 games and started 45, all in the outfield
- Had hits in 34 games, including all three games of the Ivy League Playoff Series and both NCAA tournament games, against Arkansas and Wichita State
- Had 16 multi-hit games on the season and four three-hit games
- Went 6-for-9 (.667) in the Ivy Playoff Series, closing it with a 3-for-3 day with two runs scored as Princeton clinched the NCAA tournament bid
- Drove in four runs apiece against Yale (4/17/22) and Penn (4/24/22), homering in the Yale game
SOPHOMORE - 2021 (PRINCETON)
- Started all three games in the outfield
- Had hits in each of the season's first two games, including a double against Villanova (4/29/21) and two hits in the opener against Drexel on (5/4/21).
FRESHMAN - 2020 (PRINCETON)
- Hit .529 (9-17) on the shortened season, playing in six games and starting four, all in left field
- Had hits in five of six games played, including each of the last four games played
- Had two hits against Georgetown (2/28/20) and went 4-for-5 with three RBI and a double against Morgan State (3/1/20)
HIGH SCHOOL
- Sunset League coaches' pick for Athlete of the Year
- 2019 Orange County Athletic Directors Association Athlete of Character
- Member of the Edison Hall of Fame
- 2019 Edison Athlete of the Year honoree
- First-team All-Sunset League in 2017 and 2018 and second-team all-league in 2019 as selected by league coaches
- 2018 second-team All-Orange County
- Played in the 2019 Orange County all-star game
- Seven-time Sunset League and Edison Scholar-Athlete
- Won the Edison Character Award for softball in 2017 and the 2019 Edison ASB Character Award
- 2018 MaxPreps National Honor Roll athlete
- Earned second-team All-Sunset League honors in soccer in 2018 and was a 2019 team captain and co-MVP
- Earned soccer team Most Inspirational Award in 2019 and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2018
- Earned school's Charger of the Year academic honor and was the school's 2019 commencement speaker
- Earned school's 2019 Golden Key honor for Athlete of the Year
- Earned Most Outstanding honors with the school's Model United Nations club as a freshman, junior and senior
- Earned several awards for community service, including the President's Volunteer Service award, the Girl Scouts of Orange County's Take Action award, and the Girl Scout's Gold Award
- Was an ambassador for Humanity Rising and was a Best Buddies of Edison High School President in 2018-19
- Played travel ball with Tony Rico's Firecrackers.
Illini Softball | Ava Moore Media Availability 1/29/2025
Wednesday, January 29
Illini Softball | Karley Yergler Media Availability 1/29/2025
Wednesday, January 29
Illini Softball | Head Coach Tyra Perry Availability 1/29/2025
Wednesday, January 29
ILLINI SB | Berkmeyer Catching Runners
Tuesday, June 11
