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Putting together good seasons takes talent and hard work.
However, putting together a program takes more than just those two qualities.
Those who have watched and are around the Shawnee State softball program know that there’s this ‘it’ factor, this special formula that the Bears have cooking from within.
Shawnee State softball is cultivating an identity, and it’s showing in the start to the Bears’ 2026 season, where SSU presently sits 8-4 overall with two walkoff wins over present NCAA Division II member Cedarville.
The Bears are 7-0 in contests where Shawnee State head coach Kristen Bradshaw’s group has scored six or more runs, but Bradshaw, a graduate of nearby Northwest High School and a 2024 Wright State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, says that the maturation and quick development of her underclassmen-dominated pitching rotation has been just as important to Shawnee State’s returns over its first dozen games of the 2026 season.
“The big thing for us was breaking in a young pitching staff,” Bradshaw said. “We have great talent with our group there, but seeing our freshmen and sophomores and seeing how they’ve succeeded in the first 12 games has been big. They’ve competed, kept us in games and given us a chance. I’m pleased with how it’s gone so far. They’re doing pretty well. In our conference, I think any team can compete and win on their best day. The wins over Cedarville were good wins for us, but I believe that every single time that we’ve come out and played, we’re getting better in every aspect of the game.”
Two of Shawnee State’s most important figures on this year’s version of the 2026 roster have been among its most steady in terms of leadership as well as production over the last three seasons.
Entering her third year as a starter, Shawnee State junior Sierra Dunnagan is continuing to add to what will likely by a future Hall of Fame career when her career ends.
In her first two seasons as a key figure at the top of the order as either the team’s No. 2 or No. 3 hole hitter, Dunnagan hit .423 and .414, respectively, combined for three home runs and 79 RBI between those two seasons, and drew more walks than strikeouts in both years by accumulating 30 walks while striking out just 18 times.
This season, the Wilton, Calif. native, as the team’s No. 3-hole hitter in the lineup, has taken her game up another level.
The catcher, who can also play third base in a highly effective manner as needed, is hitting an incredible .512 with five doubles and three home runs to go along with 12 RBI. Dunnagan has already tallied over three times as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (two), and is fielding her position at an elite level, having committed just one error in 44 defensive chances for a .984 fielding percentage.
“Where we have Haley Myers and Gabby Adams batting behind her in the lineup, it’s hard to work around Sierra this year, which is a good thing for us,” Bradshaw said. “She’s just a hard out when she’s up to bat, and she’s always going to put the ball in play and give us a chance to score some runs. She’s not going down easy.”
Senior outfielder Jenna Christopher patrols center field for the Bears, and, in addition to helping set the tone for Shawnee State defensively, has proven to be a tone-setter on the basepaths as well.
The team’s leadoff hitter, Christopher, a slap hitter, is hitting .413 in 2026 after hitting .352 in 2024 and .331 in 2025. Christopher nabbed the 46th stolen base of her career, a program record in just three seasons at Shawnee State, in the second of Shawnee State’s two wins against Cedarville on Tuesday (10-7). That broke a program mark that had stood for 12 years.
“It’s nice not having to count on Jenna stealing bases, but I believe we’ve started slow with Jenna stealing bases this season due to who is behind her now,” Bradshaw said. “She’s done really well the last few weeks from a hitting standpoint and has been a strong leadoff hitter for us, not only from the standpoint of getting on base, but getting extra base hits. She’s been a huge leader for our team and is getting us going and prepared.”
While Christopher and Dunnagan have helped lead Shawnee State to a 71-33 overall record alongside Bradshaw, with a special run to the 2024 River States Conference East Division Championship and the 2024 River States Conference Tournament Championship Game included in that spurt, they are far from the only pieces on this stout roster.
There’s West graduate Emily Moore — an uber-athletic shortstop who herself is hitting .412 and has just committed one error in 19 defensive chances at the position while adding in two home runs at the plate.
There’s Wheelersburg’s Haley Myers and Grove City’s Gabby Adams, who are hitting .391 and .386 as terrific additions to the lineup by transfer — the former not committing a single error in 31 defensive chances in right field and the latter also going errorless in 37 defensive chances at first base while leading the team in both home runs (four) and RBI (17).
Then, there’s Sydney Skiver — who has improved her batting average by more than 100 points to .378 while adding in three home runs herself and just one error in 45 defensive chances, all while playing at third base.
“Syd always seems to be coming up big for us when we have runners on base,” Bradshaw said. “It seems like she’s always coming up clutch when we need her to and when runners are on base. She’s really worked hard and come in clutch for us. I couldn’t ask more out of her. She’s batting fifth right now behind Gabby Adams, and a lot of teams try to work around Gabby, but then you have to face Syd Skiver. It works out great for us. She’s worked hard to be clutch this year.”
Redshirt junior Lexie Lockwood, true freshman Kennedy Davis and the combination of sophomore Keegan Uhl and true freshman Morgan Christopher complete a hitting lineup that ranks 10th nationally in batting average with a .372 mark as a team and is tied for 17th nationally in home runs, with 13.
“It doesn’t really matter if it’s the top of the lineup or the bottom of the lineup, they’re going to battle,” Bradshaw said.
Pitching-wise, Shawnee State has been led by the efforts of true freshman Abbie Deeds.
A native of nearby Coal Grove, Deeds was expected to be a Day One contributor — but her level of production has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears.
Through the first six starts of her college career, Deeds sits 5-0 overall with four complete games, 36 strikeouts to just 18 walks for a two-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a shutout.
“Abbie’s surprised us,” Bradshaw said. “She is determined. We keep telling her as a pitcher that determination is what you have to have, and that’s what separates her from everybody else, not just on our staff but in the River States Conference as well. She has the grit that it takes to succeed, especially as a freshman, coming out and having the confidence to step in the circle and shut batters down. She’s impressed us so far and we’re really excited about what the present and future holds for her career here.”
Sophomore Gabby McConnell, freshman Laci Delauder and redshirt freshman Madison Franz also add to a promising pitching rotation.
They’re backed up by a defense that has played at as an elite of a level as one could find.
Nationally, Shawnee State sits seventh in fielding percentage (.978) as the Bears have only committed seven errors in 237 defensive chances in 2026. The speed and fielding ability of Lockwood in left field, Christopher in center field and Myers in right, in particular, has made a significant impact as has the aforementioned unique talents of Dunnagan, Adams, Moore and Skiver in the infield. Davis, Uhl and Christopher, who split time as defensive starters along with Adams, add infield versatility to the roster.
This all despite just fielding balls and fly balls just twice in an outdoor setting prior to the start of the 2026 season due to snow and inclement weather prior to the beginning of the season in March.
“We have a lot of returners that are feeling more comfortable with each other,” Bradshaw said. “Having Emily Moore at shortstop and Sydney Skiver at third base is a great luxury to have. They’re doing really well. I can’t say enough about our outfield. They’ve made some unbelievable plays and saved us in so many games so far. That’s all the other coaches around the River States Conference are talking about. Having Lexie Lockwood in left field, Jenna Christopher in center field and Haley Myers in right field has been such a luxury. They’ve saved so many runs for our pitchers by diving for foul balls and getting balls off of the fence.”
With Shawnee State’s impending move to the NCAA Division II level as well as the Mountain East Conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, the window is now to compete for a national tournament berth. As part of the being accepted as a provisional member at that level, Shawnee State, in accordance with Mountain East Conference and NCAA Division II bylaws, won’t be eligible for national tournaments in any sport in both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 campaigns.
As a result, this run matters more.
It also makes the Cedarville victories, which Shawnee State won in walkoff fashion by claiming an 8-7 win via an RBI single by Skiver and a three-run homer by Adams, more special — because Bradshaw says it shows that the Bears are more prepared for NCAA Division II competition than what possibly meets the eye.
“They were excited that we hung with Cedarville in the fall,” Bradshaw said. “Going forward, the two wins that we got against Cedarville is just building confidence for us (in 2027 and in future years). Just being able to hang with those teams and beat those teams, and seeing that they’re better than they think that they are, is building our confidence. As we get more at-bats, get more defensive reps, and we play more innings, it’s only going to grow.”
Through 12 games, there’s still work to be done — as is the case with virtually any team out there — for Shawnee State to reach its full potential as a group.
However, Bradshaw believes that her group is well on its way.
“It’s definitely a work a progress, but it’s one of our goals,” Bradshaw said. “That’s especially the case knowing that we’re not going to able to move on from the conference tournament the next two years (due to the provisional status). This is our year to do it, it’s a main goal of ours, and I believe that we’re on the right track to meet those goals and to win the conference tournament. It’s just day by day, and anybody can beat anybody on any given day. I believe that pitching-wise, it’s coming together and while we had a few things to figure out at the start of the season, we’ve started to figure it out. I believe we’re on the right track to get to the national tournament this year and to make some noise there. Obviously, we have to take it day-by-day and game-by-game and inning-by-inning, but I believe we’re on the right track right now.”
Continue reading...
However, putting together a program takes more than just those two qualities.
Those who have watched and are around the Shawnee State softball program know that there’s this ‘it’ factor, this special formula that the Bears have cooking from within.
Shawnee State softball is cultivating an identity, and it’s showing in the start to the Bears’ 2026 season, where SSU presently sits 8-4 overall with two walkoff wins over present NCAA Division II member Cedarville.
The Bears are 7-0 in contests where Shawnee State head coach Kristen Bradshaw’s group has scored six or more runs, but Bradshaw, a graduate of nearby Northwest High School and a 2024 Wright State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, says that the maturation and quick development of her underclassmen-dominated pitching rotation has been just as important to Shawnee State’s returns over its first dozen games of the 2026 season.
“The big thing for us was breaking in a young pitching staff,” Bradshaw said. “We have great talent with our group there, but seeing our freshmen and sophomores and seeing how they’ve succeeded in the first 12 games has been big. They’ve competed, kept us in games and given us a chance. I’m pleased with how it’s gone so far. They’re doing pretty well. In our conference, I think any team can compete and win on their best day. The wins over Cedarville were good wins for us, but I believe that every single time that we’ve come out and played, we’re getting better in every aspect of the game.”
Two of Shawnee State’s most important figures on this year’s version of the 2026 roster have been among its most steady in terms of leadership as well as production over the last three seasons.
Entering her third year as a starter, Shawnee State junior Sierra Dunnagan is continuing to add to what will likely by a future Hall of Fame career when her career ends.
In her first two seasons as a key figure at the top of the order as either the team’s No. 2 or No. 3 hole hitter, Dunnagan hit .423 and .414, respectively, combined for three home runs and 79 RBI between those two seasons, and drew more walks than strikeouts in both years by accumulating 30 walks while striking out just 18 times.
This season, the Wilton, Calif. native, as the team’s No. 3-hole hitter in the lineup, has taken her game up another level.
The catcher, who can also play third base in a highly effective manner as needed, is hitting an incredible .512 with five doubles and three home runs to go along with 12 RBI. Dunnagan has already tallied over three times as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (two), and is fielding her position at an elite level, having committed just one error in 44 defensive chances for a .984 fielding percentage.
“Where we have Haley Myers and Gabby Adams batting behind her in the lineup, it’s hard to work around Sierra this year, which is a good thing for us,” Bradshaw said. “She’s just a hard out when she’s up to bat, and she’s always going to put the ball in play and give us a chance to score some runs. She’s not going down easy.”
Senior outfielder Jenna Christopher patrols center field for the Bears, and, in addition to helping set the tone for Shawnee State defensively, has proven to be a tone-setter on the basepaths as well.
The team’s leadoff hitter, Christopher, a slap hitter, is hitting .413 in 2026 after hitting .352 in 2024 and .331 in 2025. Christopher nabbed the 46th stolen base of her career, a program record in just three seasons at Shawnee State, in the second of Shawnee State’s two wins against Cedarville on Tuesday (10-7). That broke a program mark that had stood for 12 years.
“It’s nice not having to count on Jenna stealing bases, but I believe we’ve started slow with Jenna stealing bases this season due to who is behind her now,” Bradshaw said. “She’s done really well the last few weeks from a hitting standpoint and has been a strong leadoff hitter for us, not only from the standpoint of getting on base, but getting extra base hits. She’s been a huge leader for our team and is getting us going and prepared.”
While Christopher and Dunnagan have helped lead Shawnee State to a 71-33 overall record alongside Bradshaw, with a special run to the 2024 River States Conference East Division Championship and the 2024 River States Conference Tournament Championship Game included in that spurt, they are far from the only pieces on this stout roster.
There’s West graduate Emily Moore — an uber-athletic shortstop who herself is hitting .412 and has just committed one error in 19 defensive chances at the position while adding in two home runs at the plate.
There’s Wheelersburg’s Haley Myers and Grove City’s Gabby Adams, who are hitting .391 and .386 as terrific additions to the lineup by transfer — the former not committing a single error in 31 defensive chances in right field and the latter also going errorless in 37 defensive chances at first base while leading the team in both home runs (four) and RBI (17).
Then, there’s Sydney Skiver — who has improved her batting average by more than 100 points to .378 while adding in three home runs herself and just one error in 45 defensive chances, all while playing at third base.
“Syd always seems to be coming up big for us when we have runners on base,” Bradshaw said. “It seems like she’s always coming up clutch when we need her to and when runners are on base. She’s really worked hard and come in clutch for us. I couldn’t ask more out of her. She’s batting fifth right now behind Gabby Adams, and a lot of teams try to work around Gabby, but then you have to face Syd Skiver. It works out great for us. She’s worked hard to be clutch this year.”
Redshirt junior Lexie Lockwood, true freshman Kennedy Davis and the combination of sophomore Keegan Uhl and true freshman Morgan Christopher complete a hitting lineup that ranks 10th nationally in batting average with a .372 mark as a team and is tied for 17th nationally in home runs, with 13.
“It doesn’t really matter if it’s the top of the lineup or the bottom of the lineup, they’re going to battle,” Bradshaw said.
Pitching-wise, Shawnee State has been led by the efforts of true freshman Abbie Deeds.
A native of nearby Coal Grove, Deeds was expected to be a Day One contributor — but her level of production has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears.
Through the first six starts of her college career, Deeds sits 5-0 overall with four complete games, 36 strikeouts to just 18 walks for a two-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a shutout.
“Abbie’s surprised us,” Bradshaw said. “She is determined. We keep telling her as a pitcher that determination is what you have to have, and that’s what separates her from everybody else, not just on our staff but in the River States Conference as well. She has the grit that it takes to succeed, especially as a freshman, coming out and having the confidence to step in the circle and shut batters down. She’s impressed us so far and we’re really excited about what the present and future holds for her career here.”
Sophomore Gabby McConnell, freshman Laci Delauder and redshirt freshman Madison Franz also add to a promising pitching rotation.
They’re backed up by a defense that has played at as an elite of a level as one could find.
Nationally, Shawnee State sits seventh in fielding percentage (.978) as the Bears have only committed seven errors in 237 defensive chances in 2026. The speed and fielding ability of Lockwood in left field, Christopher in center field and Myers in right, in particular, has made a significant impact as has the aforementioned unique talents of Dunnagan, Adams, Moore and Skiver in the infield. Davis, Uhl and Christopher, who split time as defensive starters along with Adams, add infield versatility to the roster.
This all despite just fielding balls and fly balls just twice in an outdoor setting prior to the start of the 2026 season due to snow and inclement weather prior to the beginning of the season in March.
“We have a lot of returners that are feeling more comfortable with each other,” Bradshaw said. “Having Emily Moore at shortstop and Sydney Skiver at third base is a great luxury to have. They’re doing really well. I can’t say enough about our outfield. They’ve made some unbelievable plays and saved us in so many games so far. That’s all the other coaches around the River States Conference are talking about. Having Lexie Lockwood in left field, Jenna Christopher in center field and Haley Myers in right field has been such a luxury. They’ve saved so many runs for our pitchers by diving for foul balls and getting balls off of the fence.”
With Shawnee State’s impending move to the NCAA Division II level as well as the Mountain East Conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, the window is now to compete for a national tournament berth. As part of the being accepted as a provisional member at that level, Shawnee State, in accordance with Mountain East Conference and NCAA Division II bylaws, won’t be eligible for national tournaments in any sport in both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 campaigns.
As a result, this run matters more.
It also makes the Cedarville victories, which Shawnee State won in walkoff fashion by claiming an 8-7 win via an RBI single by Skiver and a three-run homer by Adams, more special — because Bradshaw says it shows that the Bears are more prepared for NCAA Division II competition than what possibly meets the eye.
“They were excited that we hung with Cedarville in the fall,” Bradshaw said. “Going forward, the two wins that we got against Cedarville is just building confidence for us (in 2027 and in future years). Just being able to hang with those teams and beat those teams, and seeing that they’re better than they think that they are, is building our confidence. As we get more at-bats, get more defensive reps, and we play more innings, it’s only going to grow.”
Through 12 games, there’s still work to be done — as is the case with virtually any team out there — for Shawnee State to reach its full potential as a group.
However, Bradshaw believes that her group is well on its way.
“It’s definitely a work a progress, but it’s one of our goals,” Bradshaw said. “That’s especially the case knowing that we’re not going to able to move on from the conference tournament the next two years (due to the provisional status). This is our year to do it, it’s a main goal of ours, and I believe that we’re on the right track to meet those goals and to win the conference tournament. It’s just day by day, and anybody can beat anybody on any given day. I believe that pitching-wise, it’s coming together and while we had a few things to figure out at the start of the season, we’ve started to figure it out. I believe we’re on the right track to get to the national tournament this year and to make some noise there. Obviously, we have to take it day-by-day and game-by-game and inning-by-inning, but I believe we’re on the right track right now.”
Continue reading...
