Softball released their 2020 schedule on Wednesday. Their season will open at home as the Lady Cougars host Wabash Valley College Feb. 7-8. The first game of the four-game set will begin at 12:00 ET.
This will be the first season for Cleveland State with head coach Steve Jaecks at the helm. Jaecks served as an assistant to previous head coach Katie Willingham since 2016 and has over 30 years of playing and coaching experience.
Last season, the Lady Cougars finished 25-22 overall and made a splash in the TCCAA Tournament as the seventh seed. They advanced against Southwest Tennessee in the play-in round 8-0, then won against host school Columbia State via a walk-off and also upset fourth-seed Motlow State in elimination games to advance to the semi-finals.
Cleveland State will return multiple sophomores to their roster for 2020. Hannah Turner, who was second on the team with eight home runs and third on the team with 31 RBIs while also batting .303 last season, will solidify the infield for the Lady Cougars. Kat Cechini, who batted .333 and drove in 14 runs in 57 at-bats last season, and Kati Kennedy, who posted a .294 average with six RBI in 34 at-bats, will also provide sophomore leadership for the team offensively. Peyton Varela, who made 17 appearances as a relief pitcher last season and had a 4.14 ERA along with three wins and a save, will also provide experience to Jaecks' staff.
The roster will also feature a load of new faces in Jaecks' first year, including 13 freshman and one new sophomore.
The Lady Cougars will have some exciting and important series to look forward to in 2020. On Mar. 20-21, Cleveland State will travel across town to face Chattanooga State, who won the TCCAA tournament last season as the top seed and also won a game in the National Tournament. The Lady Cougars will visit Morristown, Tenn. on Apr. 3-4 to play Walters State, who secured two wins against Cleveland State in the TCCAAs to eliminate them as the second seed.
Roane State, Columbia State, Volunteer State, and Dyersburg State will all visit Cleveland, Tenn. over the course of the season. The Lady Cougars will also hope to continue their solid play in the TCCAA Tournament over the past couple of years on Apr. 29-May 3 at Volunteer State.
Stay tuned to cscougars.com for updates on Cleveland State Softball.
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