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GRAYSON, Ky. — Throughout its time of existence, the Shawnee State softball program has had great history and tradition.
913 wins. 26 winning seasons. Nine national tournament berths.
And in its past, much of that success has been done on the back of local coaches and players who are not only chock-full of talent, but who have taken a sense of pride in the area they represented.
That sense of pride has been elevated several notches under 2006 Northwest graduate and former Wright State standout Kristen Bradshaw, and it continues to show in Shawnee State's play, particularly through the first 22 contests of the 2026 season.
Enjoying a strong outing from top to bottom, the Shawnee State softball program put together season highs in runs scored (26) and hits (29) in a doubleheader series while also posting its single-game best in 2026 in runs in a single outing against the Kentucky Christian Knights' softball program.
In addition to its offensive onslaught in Tuesday's River States Conference doubleheader, Shawnee State freshman Abbie Deeds added in a two-hit pitching gem in Game 1 and the SSU defense committed just one error in its 22 defensive chances between the two games in the Bears' 10-0 and 16-4 wins over the Knights at Grayson Sports Park Tuesday evening.
For Shawnee State, who improved to 17-5 and stayed tied atop the River States Conference standings at 12-2 overall with its wins over Oakland City, the goal has been to focus on each game as it comes.
"Those both were great games," Bradshaw said. "But I tell our girls, 'Anybody in the conference can beat anybody, so it doesn't matter who we play. Every opponent we play is just as important as the next one.' It was good to see us come out on top and score a lot of runs, but we have a big week ahead of us. We have West Virginia Tech and Rio, so that's four more conference games this week. The next few weeks are going to be big for us. Hopefully, we can keep the bats hot, and our pitchers can keep doing their job."
Game 1 — Shawnee State 10, Kentucky Christian 0 (F/6)
The Bears wasted little time getting on the board to begin Tuesday's action, pulling out clutch two-out magic in doing so. Two-out walks by three and four-hole hitters Sierra Dunnagan and Gabby Adams put five-hole hitter Sydney Skiver in position to drive in Dunnagan with a single to shallow left field.
Ahead by a 1-0 margin after the opening inning, Deeds continued building on her terrific freshman season from there.
Now 8-1 overall in her 12 pitching appearances and 11 starts while sporting a 2.82 ERA to boot, Deeds struck out eight batters in her five innings of work against Kentucky Christian en route to a two-hitter.
The freshman from Coal Grove retired each of the first six batters she faced and 15 of the 17 batters that she faced in the game overall, limiting a Knights offense that had come into Tuesday's doubleheader hitting .334 as a team.
Freshman relief pitcher Laci Delauder came in behind Deeds and worked a scoreless sixth to complete the shutout.
"Abbie has been carrying us in Game 1," Bradshaw said. "She's been able to throw seven innings in most games. Then Laci's been coming in and, in relief, she threw a great inning. She's been getting a few double plays the last couple of times she's pitched."
With Kentucky Christian's lineup controlled, Shawnee State wasted little time building its lead.
In the fourth inning, Keegan Uhl's leadoff single to left field was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Lexie Lockwood. Jenna Christopher then added a slap single to right field to bring in Uhl, pushing the lead to a 2-0 count.
Then, following a steal of second by Christopher and a walk by Haley Myers, Dunnagan cleared the bases with a two-RBI triple to right center field, then scored herself on a sacrifice fly by Adams — pushing the Shawnee State lead to a 5-0 advantage.
Shawnee State then sent eight batters to the plate in a five-run sixth inning with back-to-back-to-back singles by Myers, Dunnagan and Adams being followed by an RBI base knock from Wheelersburg's Sydney Skiver, which drove in a run.
West Portsmouth's Emily Moore then drove in two with a sharply-laced double to the outfield, and after a single by Kennedy Davis and a steal of second by the freshman, Mackensie Bailey drove in Davis with an RBI double, then scored on an error to conclude the mercy rule win.
"The top of our lineup's tough, and the bottom of our lineup is great — and honestly, they've carried us a lot throughout the last few weeks," Bradshaw said. "When they see good pitches, they're hitting it hard. We've just had the misfortune of hitting it right at the fielders the last few games. We just keep encouraging the girls to not change a thing and keep hitting the ball hard, that they're going to fall. We settled in after the first few innings, timed up pitches well, and we were patient in what pitches to hit."
Skiver, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI, led Shawnee State's hitting lineup while Moore (2-for-4, two doubles, two RBI) and Davis (2-for-4, run scored) also had multi-hit performances.
Christopher (1-for-3, RBI, run scored), Myers (1-for-3, two runs scored), Dunnagan (1-for-3, triple, two RBI, two runs scored), Adams (1-for-2, RBI, run scored), Uhl (1-for-3, run scored) and Bailey (1-for-3, double, RBI, run scored) all reached the hit column in Game 1 as well.
Game 2 — Shawnee State 16, Kentucky Christian 4
Hitting its stride once again the second time through the order, the Shawnee State offense exploded for 10 runs between the third and fourth innings alone in Game 2.
In the third inning of competition, Shawnee State again struck with two-out magic as a walk by Jenna Christopher was followed by back-to-back singles from Haley Myers, Sierra Dunnagan and Gabby Adams, with Dunnagan's single driving in Christopher and Adams' infield hit bringing Myers around. Sydney Skiver then drove a ball to left to drive in both Dunnagan and Adams, moving the Shawnee State lead to a 4-0 count.
The Bears added more in the fourth inning, again doing all of its damage with two gone in the frame.
Following a hit batter to lead off the inning, Christopher's two-out single was followed by a double steal that allowed Kennedy Davis to score.
Myers then launched an RBI double into the outfield to score Christopher, and after a pair of Kentucky Christian errors resulted in a run, Skiver's two RBI double to center field, followed by Emily Moore's RBI single to left, pushed the Shawnee State lead to a 10-0 margin through four innings complete in a contest where the Bears scored all 10 of its runs with two gone in the third and fourth innings of work.
Kentucky Christian answered with four straight runs between the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings of play, but Dunnagan, on a 3-1 pitch, launched a ball to dead center field that cleared the outfield fence in the top of the sixth, halting Kentucky Christian's momentum and helping Shawnee State take an 11-4 lead into the seventh and final inning of play.
In that stanza, the Bears turned the contest into a rout, as back-to-back singles by pinch-hitters Hailee Bay and Haley Hawes were followed by a two-RBI single by Dunnagan. Then, following an error that led to another run coming across, Adams provided the final pair of runs with her two-run homer to left center field, finalizing the winning margin.
"We had been going into a little bit of a hitting slump as a team, but not a bad one, so it's fun to see the potential that we have in practice every day come to light in games like it did tonight," Bradshaw said. "I believe we batted completely through the lineup in one inning. I just keep telling the girls that hitting is contagious. We got three or four doubles in a row at one point (in Game 2), and that's great to see. It's a great group of kids — a bunch of hardworking individuals who care about each other — so it's great to see their work translate into games like it did on Tuesday."
Pitching-wise, sophomore starter Gabby McConnell and sophomore reliever Madison Franz were both effective while the defense continued to back both players up in return.
McConnell struck out five batters in three-and-two-thirds innings of work, while Franz helped Shawnee State get out of a fourth inning jam upon entering the contest with two outs and struck out three while allowing just two hits in her three-and-a-third innings on the bump.
"Gabby's been our Game 2 starter, and she did well (on Tuesday)," Bradshaw said. "She had a few more walks than normal, but I thought that Madison (Franz) did a great job coming in and letting the defense work for her. That's something that we always tell our pitchers — we have a great defense, so keep the ball in the park and we'll be fine. We've turned quite a few double plays, and our outfield is tremendous — I think we have the best outfielders in the River States. I told them after the game, 'You guys are just fun to watch.'"
In Game 2, Shawnee State was led by Dunnagan and Adams, who each went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in the contest. The pair combined to score seven runs on their own.
Wheelersburg products Skiver and Myers went 2-for-3 with two doubles, four RBI and a run scored and 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored to join the previously mentioned duo in the multi-hit column, as did Christopher, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Moore (1-for-4, RBI), and Bay and Hawes (1-for-1 each with a run scored apiece) rounded out the hitting performance for Shawnee State.
UP NEXT:
Shawnee State (17-5, 12-2 RSC) faces West Virginia Tech at Fitzpatrick Park in Beckley, W. Va. on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and will return home to host Rio Grande on Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Doc Singleton Park in West Portsmouth.
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913 wins. 26 winning seasons. Nine national tournament berths.
And in its past, much of that success has been done on the back of local coaches and players who are not only chock-full of talent, but who have taken a sense of pride in the area they represented.
That sense of pride has been elevated several notches under 2006 Northwest graduate and former Wright State standout Kristen Bradshaw, and it continues to show in Shawnee State's play, particularly through the first 22 contests of the 2026 season.
Enjoying a strong outing from top to bottom, the Shawnee State softball program put together season highs in runs scored (26) and hits (29) in a doubleheader series while also posting its single-game best in 2026 in runs in a single outing against the Kentucky Christian Knights' softball program.
In addition to its offensive onslaught in Tuesday's River States Conference doubleheader, Shawnee State freshman Abbie Deeds added in a two-hit pitching gem in Game 1 and the SSU defense committed just one error in its 22 defensive chances between the two games in the Bears' 10-0 and 16-4 wins over the Knights at Grayson Sports Park Tuesday evening.
For Shawnee State, who improved to 17-5 and stayed tied atop the River States Conference standings at 12-2 overall with its wins over Oakland City, the goal has been to focus on each game as it comes.
"Those both were great games," Bradshaw said. "But I tell our girls, 'Anybody in the conference can beat anybody, so it doesn't matter who we play. Every opponent we play is just as important as the next one.' It was good to see us come out on top and score a lot of runs, but we have a big week ahead of us. We have West Virginia Tech and Rio, so that's four more conference games this week. The next few weeks are going to be big for us. Hopefully, we can keep the bats hot, and our pitchers can keep doing their job."
Game 1 — Shawnee State 10, Kentucky Christian 0 (F/6)
The Bears wasted little time getting on the board to begin Tuesday's action, pulling out clutch two-out magic in doing so. Two-out walks by three and four-hole hitters Sierra Dunnagan and Gabby Adams put five-hole hitter Sydney Skiver in position to drive in Dunnagan with a single to shallow left field.
Ahead by a 1-0 margin after the opening inning, Deeds continued building on her terrific freshman season from there.
Now 8-1 overall in her 12 pitching appearances and 11 starts while sporting a 2.82 ERA to boot, Deeds struck out eight batters in her five innings of work against Kentucky Christian en route to a two-hitter.
The freshman from Coal Grove retired each of the first six batters she faced and 15 of the 17 batters that she faced in the game overall, limiting a Knights offense that had come into Tuesday's doubleheader hitting .334 as a team.
Freshman relief pitcher Laci Delauder came in behind Deeds and worked a scoreless sixth to complete the shutout.
"Abbie has been carrying us in Game 1," Bradshaw said. "She's been able to throw seven innings in most games. Then Laci's been coming in and, in relief, she threw a great inning. She's been getting a few double plays the last couple of times she's pitched."
With Kentucky Christian's lineup controlled, Shawnee State wasted little time building its lead.
In the fourth inning, Keegan Uhl's leadoff single to left field was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Lexie Lockwood. Jenna Christopher then added a slap single to right field to bring in Uhl, pushing the lead to a 2-0 count.
Then, following a steal of second by Christopher and a walk by Haley Myers, Dunnagan cleared the bases with a two-RBI triple to right center field, then scored herself on a sacrifice fly by Adams — pushing the Shawnee State lead to a 5-0 advantage.
Shawnee State then sent eight batters to the plate in a five-run sixth inning with back-to-back-to-back singles by Myers, Dunnagan and Adams being followed by an RBI base knock from Wheelersburg's Sydney Skiver, which drove in a run.
West Portsmouth's Emily Moore then drove in two with a sharply-laced double to the outfield, and after a single by Kennedy Davis and a steal of second by the freshman, Mackensie Bailey drove in Davis with an RBI double, then scored on an error to conclude the mercy rule win.
"The top of our lineup's tough, and the bottom of our lineup is great — and honestly, they've carried us a lot throughout the last few weeks," Bradshaw said. "When they see good pitches, they're hitting it hard. We've just had the misfortune of hitting it right at the fielders the last few games. We just keep encouraging the girls to not change a thing and keep hitting the ball hard, that they're going to fall. We settled in after the first few innings, timed up pitches well, and we were patient in what pitches to hit."
Skiver, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI, led Shawnee State's hitting lineup while Moore (2-for-4, two doubles, two RBI) and Davis (2-for-4, run scored) also had multi-hit performances.
Christopher (1-for-3, RBI, run scored), Myers (1-for-3, two runs scored), Dunnagan (1-for-3, triple, two RBI, two runs scored), Adams (1-for-2, RBI, run scored), Uhl (1-for-3, run scored) and Bailey (1-for-3, double, RBI, run scored) all reached the hit column in Game 1 as well.
Game 2 — Shawnee State 16, Kentucky Christian 4
Hitting its stride once again the second time through the order, the Shawnee State offense exploded for 10 runs between the third and fourth innings alone in Game 2.
In the third inning of competition, Shawnee State again struck with two-out magic as a walk by Jenna Christopher was followed by back-to-back singles from Haley Myers, Sierra Dunnagan and Gabby Adams, with Dunnagan's single driving in Christopher and Adams' infield hit bringing Myers around. Sydney Skiver then drove a ball to left to drive in both Dunnagan and Adams, moving the Shawnee State lead to a 4-0 count.
The Bears added more in the fourth inning, again doing all of its damage with two gone in the frame.
Following a hit batter to lead off the inning, Christopher's two-out single was followed by a double steal that allowed Kennedy Davis to score.
Myers then launched an RBI double into the outfield to score Christopher, and after a pair of Kentucky Christian errors resulted in a run, Skiver's two RBI double to center field, followed by Emily Moore's RBI single to left, pushed the Shawnee State lead to a 10-0 margin through four innings complete in a contest where the Bears scored all 10 of its runs with two gone in the third and fourth innings of work.
Kentucky Christian answered with four straight runs between the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings of play, but Dunnagan, on a 3-1 pitch, launched a ball to dead center field that cleared the outfield fence in the top of the sixth, halting Kentucky Christian's momentum and helping Shawnee State take an 11-4 lead into the seventh and final inning of play.
In that stanza, the Bears turned the contest into a rout, as back-to-back singles by pinch-hitters Hailee Bay and Haley Hawes were followed by a two-RBI single by Dunnagan. Then, following an error that led to another run coming across, Adams provided the final pair of runs with her two-run homer to left center field, finalizing the winning margin.
"We had been going into a little bit of a hitting slump as a team, but not a bad one, so it's fun to see the potential that we have in practice every day come to light in games like it did tonight," Bradshaw said. "I believe we batted completely through the lineup in one inning. I just keep telling the girls that hitting is contagious. We got three or four doubles in a row at one point (in Game 2), and that's great to see. It's a great group of kids — a bunch of hardworking individuals who care about each other — so it's great to see their work translate into games like it did on Tuesday."
Pitching-wise, sophomore starter Gabby McConnell and sophomore reliever Madison Franz were both effective while the defense continued to back both players up in return.
McConnell struck out five batters in three-and-two-thirds innings of work, while Franz helped Shawnee State get out of a fourth inning jam upon entering the contest with two outs and struck out three while allowing just two hits in her three-and-a-third innings on the bump.
"Gabby's been our Game 2 starter, and she did well (on Tuesday)," Bradshaw said. "She had a few more walks than normal, but I thought that Madison (Franz) did a great job coming in and letting the defense work for her. That's something that we always tell our pitchers — we have a great defense, so keep the ball in the park and we'll be fine. We've turned quite a few double plays, and our outfield is tremendous — I think we have the best outfielders in the River States. I told them after the game, 'You guys are just fun to watch.'"
In Game 2, Shawnee State was led by Dunnagan and Adams, who each went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in the contest. The pair combined to score seven runs on their own.
Wheelersburg products Skiver and Myers went 2-for-3 with two doubles, four RBI and a run scored and 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored to join the previously mentioned duo in the multi-hit column, as did Christopher, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Moore (1-for-4, RBI), and Bay and Hawes (1-for-1 each with a run scored apiece) rounded out the hitting performance for Shawnee State.
UP NEXT:
Shawnee State (17-5, 12-2 RSC) faces West Virginia Tech at Fitzpatrick Park in Beckley, W. Va. on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and will return home to host Rio Grande on Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Doc Singleton Park in West Portsmouth.
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