HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College softball program has received a program-record seven honors from Region 10 following the completion of the 2023 spring regular season.
Red Hawks sophomore pitcher Jillian Jones and freshman outfielder Annie Andrews were both named first team All-Region 10. This is the first time the Catawba Valley softball program has multiple first-team All-Region selections.
Jones finished tied for fourth in the conference with 21 wins and a 1.68 ERA. She also ranked eighth in the league in strikeouts (108). Her 34 career wins on the mound are now tied with Cali Hinnant (2021-22) for the most in program history.
Andrews led the Red Hawks offensively with a single-season record 13 home runs, which also ranked ninth-best in Region 10 this season. She tallied a .386 batting average with three single-season program records, including hits (59), doubles (15) and RBI (50).
Four Red Hawks also made second team All-Region 10, including freshman pitcher Mayson Lail, sophomore catcher Grace Andrews, sophomore infielder Jessica Cannon and freshman infielder Chesney Stikeleather.
Lail finished tied for second in the league with 22 wins, which also set a new program single-season record at CVCC. She also recorded 213 strikeouts, which were the most among Region 10 pitchers this spring.
Grace Andrews was a solid presence behind the plate at catcher for the Red Hawks, helping both Jones and Lail record a combined 321 strikeouts. Grace Andrews finished with a team-best .423 batting average, which ranked 10th among Region 10 hitters. Her 59 hits and 45 runs scored also ranked fifth for Catawba Valley.
The speedy Cannon finished 12th in the league in batting average (.421). Her 67 hits ranked eighth in Region 10, and she stole the second-most bases in the conference with 49. She also became the first Red Hawk softball player to ever record 100 runs scored and 100 hits in a career.
A stalwart at third base, Stikeleather was 13th in Region 10 with a .409 batting average. She recorded 63 hits and 18 doubles, which were the third-most in the league.
Behind the play of these six players, the Red Hawks softball program set new program records for hits (501), runs (368), doubles (86), triples (11), RBI (324), walks dawn (142), strikeouts by pitching staff (333) and fielding percentage (.950).
Red Hawks head coach Josh Bumgarner was also named the Region 10 Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
Bumgarner led Catawba Valley to a program record 44-8 record, including a 27-3 mark in Region 10 play, and its highest-ever national ranking of eighth — setting the bar for future Red Hawks softball teams. The Red Hawks also recorded their first-ever win against a ranked NJCAA program.
