HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Softball is coming to Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC).
CVCC’s athletic department officially announced on Friday the addition of a softball program starting in the 2019-20 academic year.
A private donation helped spearhead the start of the softball program, the school said in a press release.
“This is a great opportunity to grow athletics at CVCC with a program that is so well supported in this region,” said Red Hawks Athletic Director Nicholas Schroeder. “Softball is a perfect fit for our school.
“And with the local talent and administrative support, we look to be competing for championships in the very first year of play.”
A nationwide search is currently under way to hire a softball coach, a position that will remain open until filled.
CVCC also announced the program’s first signees, former Alexander Central standouts Chesney Millsaps and Kelsea Dejarnette.
The Most Valuable Player of the 2018 3A state championships series, Millsaps went 28-5 witn an ERA of 3.14 as a Cougars senior. She had 128 strikeouts in 196 innings, threw 31 complete games (eight shutouts) finished with a 36-6 career pitching record.
Millsaps also had 74 hits (14 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs) and drove in 67 runs in her final two prep seasons.
Dejarnette, an outfielder, finished her prep career with 79 hits (25 doubles, two triples, four home runs), 47 runs scored and 57 RBI.
Alexander Central went 28-5 overall and won it 10th state softball championship in 2018.
Millsaps and Dejarnette were all-conference, All-Region and all-state selections as seniors, and Millsaps was the West 3A Region Pitcher of the Year.
Also multi-sport athletes, Dejarnette and Millsaps played volleyball last fall for the Red Hawks (36-10, seventh straight conference championship).
“I am so excited to have Chesney and Kelsea become the first signees of the program,” Schroeder said. “They will set the standard of our recruits at CVCC earning state championships and all-State recognition. We are so proud to have to amazing student-athletes to represent the start of our program.”
With softball, CVCC will field five athletic teams – baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.
- Reported by CVCC Sports Information