Curtis Meyer reporter
Pitt State softball had a season of unprecedented success, breaking multiple records as a team on their way to a historic 53-8 season. This was in stark contrast from their previous year, when they went 27-21 and failed to garner an appearance in the MIAA Tournament, let alone DII regionals.
“53-8, there’s not much to be sad about. Our goal was to make the regionals and see what happened. I think even though our season ended in the regional, just getting there is going to be huge for our program moving forward,” said head coach Jenny Fuller.
“I think we had one of the best seasons ever in a Pitt State uniform, so even though we didn’t make it out of regionals, this team should be nothing but proud of themselves for how we played,” said graduate Paxtyn Hayes, who is now part of the staff for the softball team.
Pitt State started the season strong, rattling off eight straight wins to begin their season in non-conference play, including a 6-4 win over #22 Minnesota. They rebounded from their first loss quickly, defeating #16 Oklahoma Christian 5-4.
Losing again a couple games later, the Gorillas proceeded to go on a tear, winning 22 in a row, before a narrow pair of losses against #3 Rogers State. This did not deter the Gorillas, as they posted an 11-game winning streak immediately after.
Pitt State would finish the regular season strong, with six straight wins as they headed for the MIAA tournament. The dominance continued in the tournament, as they cruised through Fort Hays State 7-0 and #9 Central Oklahoma 4-1, but they hit a wall in the championship, losing to the #9 ranked Rogers State.
The Gorillas quickly turned their attention to the NCAA Division II regionals, as they narrowly defeated Southern Arkansas 4-3. They lost to Augustana, turned around, and beat Oklahoma Baptist, before another loss to Augustana sent them home early.
All told, the 2024 Pitt State softball team broke nine records: most wins in a season (53), highest season winning percentage (.869), most consecutive wins (22), most wins at home (26), most consecutive wins at home (26), most strikeouts pitched (399), most runs scored (394), most runs batted in (346), and most stolen bases (104).
“We can’t really duplicate what we did this year–we will just have to go and try to set our own goals for that team that is coming in, not try to worry about last year too much. With that experience, that team is going to have high expectations and standards, so I think that we will expect to be a championship team,” said coach Fuller.
While it will be hard to repeat the history of last season, next year’s group will try to match their success and make it past regionals.
“All we needed was that one breakout season to get us going, because we have the facilities and all the resources to be really good. We can use our facilities to our advantage and show people why Pitt State is a really good place to go to,” said Hayes.