From a dream to reality: ETBU Softball captures 2024 national championship and concludes a historic season
The Tigers become the first D-III softball program in the modern era to win it all on their home field
MARSHALL, Texas—With one of the largest crowds in Division III Softball championship history on hand, ETBU wrote the perfect finish to an unforgettable 2024 season.
Few programs ever get the opportunity to contend for a national title on their home turf, but that was the opportunity presented to the Tigers this spring. And they made sure it didn’t pass them by, becoming the first Division III softball program since 1989 to win the national championship at home.
It took fighting with their backs against the wall in consecutive contests on Wednesday afternoon, but that seemed to only add to the vigor shown by the Tigers. Belhaven, a former conference foe, snapped ETBU’s 23-game win streak and unblemished 26-0 home record in Tuesday’s championship series opener, 4-3.
ETBU then returned the favor in Games 2 and 3.
Needing two straight victories for the national title and surrounded by a crowd of over 1,200 fans, many of which were their own, ETBU put on a show at Taylor Field. The bats were consistent, the pitching timely, and the defense reliable as always in what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable days in the history of ETBU Athletics. The Tigers won Game 2, 8-2, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3. And in that pivotal showdown, ETBU took little time in gaining a lead, going up 4-0 on back-to-back home runs from Haylie Stum and Tauryn Cummings in the opening frame.
From that point on, it seemed the Tigers never looked back, defending their advantage, slowly coming closer to accomplishing what was certainly a dream when the season began. Tauryn Cummings, who hit a pair of home runs in Wednesday’s wins, secured the final out of the final game at third base. Then came the celebration.
“When we found out that we were hosting it again, at that point it was more like a ‘Oh, that would be so cool,’” said Mary Frances Ellis, who went 3-for-3 and scored ETBU’s first run of the must-win Game 2. “But once we traveled to Georgia (at the NFCA Leadoff Classic) and saw that we could compete against these teams that we’d be facing in postseason, it clicked for us: “We have the opportunity. And we have the talent. So why not?”
Putting together the run that ETBU did in 2024 is far from simple. Or easy. Even if the Tigers made it look that way at times, going a perfect 11-0 in the postseason entering the championship series. It started with a 3-0 performance in the ASC Tournament, followed by perfect records in the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. Then came three straight victories at the world series, two over Rowan and one against Belhaven.
That said, entering Wednesday trailing 1-0 in the series was unfamiliar territory for the Tigers. But they weren’t fazed by the importance of the moment, drawing on previous experiences of being challenged throughout games, trailing in the late innings only to mount a comeback. The camaraderie and cohesiveness, built over the span of weeks and months, displayed itself time and time again. A team’s intangible qualities will never show up on the box score, but the effects of those qualities are more than evident.
“At the beginning of the year, we set the theme [for this team], and it was love,” said Madalyn Melton, who pitched a complete game with three strikeouts in Game 2. “Throughout this week and all of the postseason, it really came into play and showed the type of girls we have on our team. We were down a couple times going into some innings, and there wasn’t one girl on the bench that was silent. Each one picked each other up. I think the love that we have for each other carried us through to the end.”
Almost a full year ago to the date, Trine hoisted the 2023 national title on ETBU’s home field. In the stands that day were several current members of the ETBU program, players who knew they would be back for another year. It was then that the motivation began. To win the program’s second national championship. To win it in front of their home crowd. To defend their home turf from the February 26 home opener against Central Baptist College to the June 5 national championship against Belhaven.
They accomplished all of it.
“This has been a special group,” ETBU head coach Janae Shirley said, reflecting on the national title. “They have had fun all year, played hard all year, and I am so incredibly proud of them. Winning a national championship is something special but what is more special is the women that they are. Their identity is not in this sport but their identity is in Christ. That's what really matters and that has been their focus all year. This is something special, this group is something special, and I am proud of them.”
From Day 1 to Day 2: The contrast at the plate
Amongst the biggest differences in the way the opening game of the championship series unfolded compared to ETBU’s two wins on Wednesday was the offensive performance for the Tigers. To her credit, Belhaven pitcher Kennedy Carruth, who pitched 12 consecutive complete games for the Blazers and all seven games at the world series, navigated ETBU’s lineup incredibly well. Just as she did in Belhaven’s narrow loss to ETBU on Friday, Carruth held the Tigers to just four hits, a season-low for an ETBU lineup that averaged 10.1 hits per game this season.
Fast-forward to Game 2, however, and ETBU broke through against Carruth. For the first time in three meetings at the world series, the Tigers scored more than three runs, with Ellis’ bunt single sparking a two-run third inning. By the third inning, ETBU matched the previous day’s hit total, and took control in a five-run fifth. The Tigers’ eight runs were the most they had scored in any of their five world series games up to that point.
Game 3 was much of the same, as hitting proved to be an essential part of ETBU’s national championship quest. The nation’s leader in team batting average for much of the season, the depth in ETBU’s lineup was critical, as six different players tallied at least one hit in each of the Tigers’ wins on Wednesday. Belhaven never held the lead at any point in Games 2 and 3.
Tristen Maddox: Tournament MVP
Stepping onto the field for the final time in her collegiate career on Wednesday, second baseman Tristen Maddox further added to the ETBU record books with a fifth-inning home run to right center field.
The two-run homer made Maddox the new ETBU career record holder in home runs, with 39, as she played a crucial role in guiding the Tigers to victory. The team’s leadoff hitter, Maddox reached base safely in all three contests, joining Haylie Stum as the only ETBU players to do so in the championship series. The native of Mission, Texas, also scored five runs—three of which came in Game 3—and tallied four hits, two homers, and seven runs batted in.
For her performance, Maddox earned Tournament MVP honors, ending her ETBU career in storybook fashion.
“This season, it was really all about having fun with this group of girls,” Maddox said postgame. “We found joy in every little thing that we did, whether it was practice, traveling, or game days. It’s been a blessing to be on this team, be able to get this far, and be national champs. It’s been such a great experience and I’m proud of all of my teammates. They all contributed to wins today and the wins we got all season.”
A true national championship atmosphere
One of Shirley’s primary goals in pushing for ETBU to host the D-III World Series was the atmosphere she knew Marshall could provide and the high-quality experience ETBU and Taylor Field would offer. Of course, with ETBU as part of the tournament field, interest level in the event increased exponentially, creating an atmosphere seldom seen in D-III softball. Thousands of fans were present throughout the weekend, with a combined attendance of more than 3,000 for the championship series. It was a significant positive from the tournament, creating an environment worthy of the high-level of play, for both spectators and student-athletes alike,
“Thinking back to six years ago when I brought it to the administration that this was something I thought our university could put on, and going through the process of getting the opportunity to host, that’s kind of what the vision was,” Shirley said Monday. “To give these student-athletes the opportunity to compete in a national championship where it actually felt like a national championship…And that was something our university has definitely done. It’s made it a quality experience, not just for our team, but for everyone involved.”
Melton, who played her junior year at ETBU after two years at UT-Tyler, attested to that fact at Monday’s media availability, thinking back on Friday night’s 3-2 win over Belhaven. A crowd of 1,117 filled the stadium, both behind home plate and beyond the outfield fence, and Wednesday’s Game 3 win had a recorded attendance of 1,237. Moments like those will stick in the minds of the ETBU and Belhaven players and coaches, making the memory of competing for the national title that much sweeter.
“It was unreal,” Melton said Monday. “Looking in the stands from the mound, seeing people start “the wave” and it going all around the stadium was awesome. I’ve been to OKC (where the D1 Women’s College World Series is held) multiple times and the same atmosphere that’s there was in Marshall on Friday night. It was really cool to see.”
Texas’ college softball success
The Lone Star State has impressively produced national championship contenders in softball across all college levels this spring, highlighting the talent found on the rosters of Texas institutions. Within a 70-mile span, we have two national champions, as UT-Tyler (formerly a D-III school) won the Division II national title last weekend, and ETBU won the D-III title on Wednesday. Additionally, Our Lady of the Lake won the NAIA softball national title, and McLennan Community College finished as the NJCAA Division I runner-up. Of course, the University of Texas is currently playing in the championship series of the D-I Women’s College World Series, with Game 2 of the series set for Thursday night.
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