Softball put together another great campaign in 2019 to follow up their TCCAA Tournament Runner-Up effort last season.
The Lady Cougars went 25-22 overall and 16-18 in the TCCAA under the guidance of head coach Katie Willingham in her ninth season at the helm, but it was their tournament run that told the story of the season.
Finishing seventh overall in the conference, Cleveland State started their time in Columbia, Tenn. on the brink of elimination, defeating Southwest Tennessee 8-0 in just five innings in a play-in game. After falling 3-1 to Walters State in their first game on May 6, Auburn Collake hit a two-run, walk-off home run to eliminate host school Columbia State 4-3. The Lady Cougars then defeated Motlow State 7-4 in yet another elimination game, before their run game to an end with a tight 5-4 loss to Walters State.
Cleveland State posted identical .500 marks on the home and road, going 10-10 at home and 9-9 on the road. At home, they were able to earn a win against nationally-ranked Chattanooga State on March 23, take two-of-three from Walters State, and sweep Southwest Tennessee 2-0. The Lady Cougars also swept Dyersburg State on the road on April 27 and 28.
The Lady Cougars were represented well on All-Conference teams. Both Hailey Galvan and Kaitlyn Pickens made the All-TCCAA First Team, while Aubrie Bowman made the Second Team. Softball also had the most athletes receive Cleveland State End-of-Year Awards, with Collake being named Female Athlete of the Year, Pickens earning the Scholastic Award, and Kaitlin Crump receiving the Sportsmanship Award. Emily Yell also earned the Social Sciences award.
Stay tuned to cscougars.com for updates on the 2020 Softball season.
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