Inaugural Softball season ends

The inaugural season of the Catamount Softball season was one for the history books. They won their first ever Southern Conference regular season championship and tallied a total of 41 wins and 20 losses.The team looked to continue their dream season in the Southern Conference Tournament. However, the season came to an abrupt halt as they dropped the first two games of the tournament to UNC-Greensboro and Appalachian State on May 11. Not only were they eliminated from the tournament, but they were also eliminated from a chance to compete for their first Women’s College World Series.Western struck first in their opening game against UNC-G, scoring the first run of the game as freshman Samm Keppel reached on an RBI double, driving home the Southern Conference freshman of the year Jenny Jackson. In the bottom half of the inning, UNC-G piled in two runs and took a 2-1 lead, a lead that would not be lost for the remainder of the game. Despite the early run, the Spartans scored four runs in the fourth inning and took advantage in the game. The win was the first post-season win for UNC-G since 2003.UNC-G pitcher Hannah Angel was the reason for the upset in the first round of the tournament. She threw a complete game, giving up only six hits, with six strikeouts, and allowing only two unearned runs.Coming off of ten straight wins to win the regular season SoCon title, the Catamounts lost three of their last four games including their first two games in the tournament.In the consolation game against Appalachian State later that night, the Catamounts lost in a dynamite pitching performance between the Mountaineers’ Yancy Moose and Western’s Jenny Jackson. The Mountaineers were able to hold off the Catamounts 1-0, ending their season.Despite her impressive pitching and eight innings of work, Jackson dropped to 15-6 on the season. She gave up seven hits, three walks and threw two strikeouts. She also gave up the game’s only run. The reigning freshman of the year dropped to 15-6 on the season.In the program’s first year, the Catamounts were very impressive and became the SoCon’s first ever team to win the SoCon Championship in their first year. The history-making season will never be forgotten. They were the first team in the conference to reach 20, 30, and the only team to finish with at least 40 victories in the season.The Catamounts tallied in a Southern Conference record with a total of 81 homeruns in the regular season, which shattered last season’s record of 63 held by College of Charleston. Junior Ashley Adams led the Southern Conference with 21 homeruns, and Savannah Finley was second in the conference with 14. A total of five Catamounts recorded double-digit homerun totals in the season.Despite the early exit from their first ever Southern Conference Tournament, the Catamounts have a mass production of talent coming in next season, as three incoming freshman Tatum Hargett, Danielle Reese, and Serena Smith signed letters of intent for the Catamounts. The Catamounts have all but two players returning to next year’s team, so only time can tell to see what lies ahead for the Lady Catamounts Softball program.