In 1999, she led the Austin softball team in batting average (.

Saturday, November 20, 1999

In 1999, she led the Austin softball team in batting average (.407), hits (37), runs batted in (31), home runs (2), triples (3), doubles (7) while batting cleanup and set a school record with 265 putouts as the first baseman. She helped the team to a fourth-place state finish and earned All-Big Nine and All-State honors doing so.

And she’ll have another chance to do it all again in her senior season.

But after that, Packer Brooke Gentzler will be doing her damage for St. Cloud State University. Gentzler signed her national letter of intent to become a Huskie on Friday. She’ll start at first base right away said coach Paula U’Ren.

"We expect her to make an immediate contribution," said U’Ren, whose team finished 44-14 last season ago.

Gentzler chose from among St. Cloud, the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota, Mankato.

She also chose softball over, volleyball, in which she was an All-Big Nine performer this fall.

"It was hard," Gentzler said, "but I could just see myself playing four years of softball more than four years of volleyball."

Gentzler, who will receive academic and athletic scholarships, carries a 3.86 Grade Point Average and will study nuclear medicine in college.

Prior to her sophomore year, Gentzler moved with her family to Austin from Dubuque, Iowa.

She and U’Ren have been in contact for more than a year and Gentzler said she appreciated the coach’s earnest recruiting.

Gentzler’s prep coach Todd Waterbury watched proudly as his star signed on the dotted line.

"It’s a great opportunity for her," he said. "It shows what kind of talent she has and what kind of talent we had last year."

Gentzler is ready for one more run at state.

"Last year was awesome," she said. "All of us are excited about trying to repeat it."