Catawba Valley Community College on Thursday signed the first three players for women’s softball, a program that will begin play this fall — left to right: Chesney Millsaps, who played at Alexander Central High, Katelyn McClure (West Iredell High) and Kelsea DeJarnette, who also played at Alexander Central High./CODY DALTON, CATAWBA VALLEY ATHLETICS.
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HICKORY – The first three signees for women’s softball at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) are from Alexander and Iredell counties.
The Red Hawks — who just added a team and named Josh Bumgarner as the head coach — announced Thursday their first roster will include former Alexander Central High players Chesney Millsaps and Kelsea Dejarnette and Katelyn McClure, who played at West Iredell.
CVCC will begin play in the fall.
“It’s a very exciting day for CVCC softball,” Bumgarner said in a CVCC press release. “To be able to have three very good softball players as our first signings is huge for us. We have high expectations, and these three ladies are the foundation for our program.”
Millsaps was the MVP of the 2018 3A state championships series won by Alexander Central. As as senior, she went 28-5 with a 3.14 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 196 innings and threw 31 complete games and had eight shutouts and a 36-6 career record.
Millsaps also had 74 hits that included 14 doubles and 14 triples plus 67 RBIs over her final two high school seasons.
“Chesney Millsaps has big game experience in the pitcher’s circle and a big bat to go with it,” said Bumgarner, who coached Millsaps and Dejarnette as an assistant coach at Alexander Central.
Dejarnette is an outfielder who had 79 career hits in high schools, including 25 doubles, two triples and four home runs. She scored 47 runs and drove in 57.
“Kelsea Dejarnette is a solid outfielder with a strong arm and also has a good stick with some home run pop as well,” Bumgarner said.
Millsaps and Dejarnette were All-Northwestern 3A-4A last season after Alexander Central won a state softball title for the 11th time. Both made All-Region and all-state and Millsaps was the West 3A Region’s Pitcher of the Year.
Both former Cougars are multi-sports athletics, also playing volleyball for the Red Hawks.
McClure, who played first base, outfield and pitched for West Iredell, hit .360 with a .407 on-base percentage as a senior. She scored a team-high 16 runs, drove in seven runs and had two doubles en route to making All-Northwestern Foothills 2A, all-district and all-state.
She played four years of varsity softball at West Iredell, finishing with a career batting average of .378 with 43 career RBIs.
“Katelyn McClure is an all-around good softball player who can play many positions for us,” Bumgarner said. “She can hit to all parts of the field with power.”
- Reported by CVCC Sports Information