Overall Record: 30-26
Sun Belt Record: 12-9/3rd Sun Belt
Home: 13-9 Away: 11-12 Neutral: 6-5
Final NCAA RPI: 65th out of 293 Division I teams
School Records: Single-Season Home Runs (Team) – 59; Career Wins (individual) – Kaitlyn Medlam (62)
NFCA South All-Region: Taylor Anderson (Third Team, SS); Lauren Coleman (Third Team, 1B)
All-Sun Belt First Team: Lauren Coleman (1B)
All-Sun Belt Second Team: Callie Alford (C), Ashley Christy (OF), Kaitlyn Medlam (P)
Sun Belt Player-of-the-Week Award: Lauren Coleman (February 17), Taylor Anderson (March 3), Taylor Anderson (April 14), Lauren Coleman (April 28)
Sun Belt Pitcher-of-the-Week Award: Kaitlyn Medlam (April 28), Kaitlyn Medlam (May 5)
GSU Blue Carpet Awards: Panther Service Team Award, All-Academic Team – Taylor Scarpantonio
ATLANTA – In its first season in the Sun Belt Conference, the Georgia State softball team made a notable first impression, finishing third in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. The Sun Belt was the third-ranked conference in the country behind only the SEC and Pac-12 conferences.
“We were picked to finish fifth in the preseason so we took that as a challenge,” head coach Roger Kincaid said. “We wanted to finish in the top four to get the first-round bye in the conference tournament. It came down to the last weekend but we were able to clinch the third seed after taking two of three from Western Kentucky. We were able to overcome a lot of adversity during the year and we made a statement showing we belong in the Sun Belt Conference.”
Overall, the 2014 season was an exciting ride that featured one of the toughest schedules in school history. GSU battled against eight teams that made the NCAA tournament, including five games against teams currently ranked in the top six of the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
The Panthers played 12 games against top-25 ranked opponents and earned two road wins over top-20 teams. GSU now has seven all-time victories over ranked teams, including five in the past three seasons. 2014 marked the first time in program history that the Panthers defeated two top-20 opponents in the same season. It was also the first time that Georgia State won two road games over ranked teams in a season. The wins over No. 13 and No. 19 were the second and third-biggest upsets in GSU history behind only the 5-1 road win over No. 2 Alabama in 2012.
“We felt that this year's schedule was a step in the right direction for our program and it was a step that we needed to take in order to compete in the Sun Belt,” Kincaid said. “Those two wins helped us to make a statement to our team and the conference. They are also crucial in recruiting, because we not only play a tough schedule but we can compete with those top-25 teams.”
Georgia State had four players named to All-Sun Belt teams in GSU's first season in the conference. Lauren Coleman was named to the first team, while Callie Alford, Ashley Christy and Kaitlyn Medlam earned spots on the second team. Coleman is now a two-time first team all-conference selection and third all-conference honoree overall. Alford has been named to the second team after each of her first three seasons at Georgia State. This is Christy's third all-conference honor and second selection to the second team. Medlam finished her career as a four-time second-team all-conference honoree.
Georgia State players won six player-of-the-week awards, which was tied with South Alabama for the most in the Sun Belt in 2014. Coleman and Taylor Anderson each received two player-of-the-week awards, while Medlam was named Sun Belt Pitcher-of-the-Week twice.
“It shows that we recruit the best student-athletes we can and once they get here we do our best to improve them,” Kincaid said. “Lauren, Taylor and Kaitlyn all fit that mold. They were very good when they arrived here and they have all progressed each year. It is also good to be recognized by the conference especially since we are a new member. It shows that people are noticing the hard work and dedication that our student-athletes are putting into their game. I am happy for our players and for the program.”
Coleman led the team with a .389 batting average and was tied with Taylor Anderson with 61 hits. She drove in a team-high 47 RBI, the fourth-highest single-season total in program history. Anderson was second on the team with 43 RBI, which is tied for seventh on the single-season RBI list. She also blasted a team-high 14 home runs, which is tied for the second most in a season by a Panther. Coleman and Anderson were both named to the NFCA South All-Region third team.
“Lauren and Taylor both put up some phenomenal offensive numbers this year,” Kincaid said. “They both had great years and we extremely proud of what they accomplished. Both are returning players and are they are two of the hardest workers on the team. We are excited to have them back next year.”
In the circle, Medlam had one of the better seasons in program history as the Panthers' go-to pitcher. She set a new single-season school record with 45 appearances, the most of any pitcher in the Sun Belt. Medlam finished in the top five in six different categories in both the conference rankings and the GSU single-season record book, including starts (32), innings pitched (222.2) and ERA (2.33). She finished her career with 62 victories, the most of any pitcher in program history, ranked fourth in career strikeouts (444) and fifth in career innings pitched (601.1).
“Kaitlyn made up her mind that she was going to have a great senior year,” Kincaid said. “She made the decision that she was going to do everything she could to help her team win. She far exceeded my expectations by winning 20 games and setting a new record for most career wins in program history. Kaitlyn was so mentally strong this year and I could not be more proud of her.”
At the plate, the Panthers set a new single-season school record with 59 home runs as a team, easily eclipsing the old mark of 47 set by the 2006 squad. Georgia State opened the season 6-1 and launched 10 homers in the first seven games, including three against Indiana in the season opener.
In game 1 of a doubleheader against in-state rival Mercer on Feb. 26, GSU launched three homers and drove in 15 runs in a 17-3 win. The Panthers then went through a seven-game home run drought before blasting three against Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State. After hitting 16 home runs over the next 19 games, GSU hit four homers in a game for the first time since April 10, 2011. Anderson hit two solo shots while Alford and Megan Litumbe both blasted three-run bombs to give the Panthers a 10-5 victory over crosstown rival Georgia Tech.
Georgia State then hit six homers in a three-game sweep of Texas State in conference play before blasting four home runs in a game for the second time in just over a week. The Panthers launched four long balls in the top of the seventh inning in a 10-6 win against Jacksonville State to break the record. Coleman, Litumbe and Alford all took their trip around the bases before Jessica Clifton hit her first home run of the season to establish a new record.
Over the next six days, GSU played four games, all against ranked opponents and picked up two wins. First the Panthers travelled to No. 19 South Alabama for a three-game Sun-Belt series. After dropping the opening game, Georgia State defeated the Jaguars 2-1 behind a complete game pitching performance by Eron Milton. GSU almost won the series but dropped a nine-inning heartbreaker 2-1 in the finale.
Three days later on April 22 in Athens, Ga., Georgia State defeated a ranked Georgia team for the second straight season. The Panthers upset the No. 13 Bulldogs by a 4-2 score behind a game-winning, two-run home run by Mandy Blackwell. The victory marked the seventh time GSU had defeated a ranked team in program history and fifth in the past three years.
The Panthers' bats were not done however, as they launched seven home runs in a doubleheader against Western Kentucky to wrap up the regular season. In game 1, GSU hit four homers for the third time in less than a month. Anderson launched two bombs in a game for the second time in 2014. The win helped Georgia State finish third in the Sun Belt standings and clinched the eight-straight season with at least 30 wins.
By clinching the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, GSU received a one-round bye and played No. 6 seed UL Monroe in the second round. The Panthers fell to the Warhawks 2-1 in a nine-inning heartbreaker to end Georgia State's first season in the conference.
As a team GSU was second in the Sun Belt with a .288 batting average, which is the third highest single-season team total in school history. The Panthers were also second in slugging percentage (.455), on-base percentage (.366), hits (440), runs scored (283) and RBI (253). On the GSU single-season team record list the 2014 squad ranked first in home runs (59), second in slugging percentage, third in runs scored, third in walks (171), third in double plays turned (21), fourth in hits, tied for sixth in triples (11), tied for sixth fielding percentage (.963) and eighth in at-bats (1,529).
“We focused exclusively on hitting in the fall to make sure that we were prepared to do well in the Sun Belt and it certainly paid off,” Kincaid said. “Assistant coach Todd Downes did a great job during the year making adjustments to help better prepare us for our competition. Most importantly, the student-athletes worked hard and took pride in doing well offensively this season. They knew that they had to hit well this season to compete and they stepped up to the challenge. Now we must repeat that success going forward and continue to get better each year."
