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Softball

Softball Mike Kirk

Friday Features: Looking Back At The History of the UCO Softball Program

Collegiate athletics in 2020 barely resembles what it did in the 1980s and before, especially on the women's side. Our Friday Feature continues with a look back at the Central Oklahoma softball program and it's quite revealing.

The Bronchos began fielding a team in the early 1970s, but only played a handful of games every year. And most -- if not all -- of those came during a designated "Sports Day" when several state schools would gather for a few games, something various other women's sports did throughout the year.

In other words, it was more about just getting together to play than having an actual competition. That began to change in 1976 and that's where what we'll call the modern era of UCO softball began.

There have only been three coaches in the modern era -- Dr. Gerry Pinkston, Genny Stidham and Cody White. Pinkston laid the foundation for the program's sustained success during a 22-year tenure from 1976-97, Stidham took the Bronchos to new heights during a wildly successful 16-year stint from 1998-13 and White has kept UCO soaring among the nation's elite the past seven seasons.

It started innocently enough, with UCO going 10-6 in Pinkston's first season and 10-9 the next year while playing mostly state schools. Things started to change during that 1977 season when the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (AIAW) was formed and a national tournament was started.

The Bronchoettes – as the women's teams were called then -- made their first splash on the national stage in 1980 behind pitcher Pam Podolec while playing on Barnett Field, located at Main and Kelly. The freshman tossed a no-hitter in her first-ever game, added three more during the season – including in a 3-1 loss to Nebraska -- and earned every decision as Central went 23-14 in gaining an at-large bid to its first-ever national tournament, going 1-2 there.

A new field on the corner of University and Ayers debuted in 1981 and UCO went back to the AIAW national meet in 1982. Central finished 26-17 that season, with Podolec again leading the way, and won the Southwest Regional title before going 0-2 at nationals with two close losses.

There were several other oddities during this span of play, including the ending of games after just three innings on the 15-run rule and a time limit during early-season tournament games. The NAIA debuted in 1983 and two years later UCO was ranked No. 2 nationally before losing two 1-0 games to Northeastern State in the District Nine Championship to fall short of the national tournament.

Pinkston put together one of her best-ever teams in 1986 behind sophomore pitching phenom Gladys Griffin only to once more see the season end in disappointment. Again ranked No. 2 nationally, UCO went 1-2 in the District Nine tourney to fall short of advancing as no at-large bids were given and ended with a 35-12 record. Those 35 wins stood as a program record until 2008.

The Bronchos made their first and only NAIA national tournament appearance in 1988, winning the District Nine crown behind Griffin's pitching dominance before losing to current MIAA rival Washburn in a best-of-three regional. It was the final season for Griffin, who ended her sensational career as a four-time All-American while winning 77 games with a miniscule 0.43 earned run average.

UCO made the transition to NCAA Division II in 1990, with the '91 and '92 teams featuring a certain pitcher-shortstop standout who would soon be leading the Broncho program. The then-Genny Honea had a 1.21 ERA in the circle while also bating .425 as a senior in '92.

Central's field moved to its current location just west of Hamilton Field House in 1994 and went 31-15 that year for the second 30-win season in program history. The Bronchos then played just 21 games in 1995 – going 8-13 – because of multiple weather issues.

Central joined a conference for the first time in 1997, becoming a part of the Lone Star Conference North Division in Pinkston's final year. Stidham made a big splash the following season in her first year at the helm when the Bronchos captured the LSC Tournament title, though that didn't result in an automatic berth in the national playoffs like today and UCO was denied a bid after finishing 24-15.

The Bronchos made their first-ever Division II national tournament appearance in 2002 in finishing 35-16 to tie the school record for wins and UCO broke that mark in 2005 with a 41-14 record. Freshman Alli Blake went 20-3 in the circle that season and Central won an incredible 20 one-run games – including eight 1-0 decisions – en route to capturing the LSC North title and making the South Central Regional.

The record wasn't as good the following season, but the post-season results were better. UCO squeaked into the eight-team South Central Regional as the No. 7 seed, won three straight shutouts behind Blake's brilliance and then clipped Incarnate Word 5-4 in the finals on Lindsay Mitchell's bottom-of-the-seventh RBI single to make the Division II World Series. Central went 1-2 there to finish off a 31-17 campaign.

Stidham led the Bronchos to the national tournament again in 2008 and '10, then followed a mediocre 2011 season with the best two-year stretch in program history.

Playing as an independent while transitioning from the LSC to the MIAA, the 2012 team got off to a 2-3 start before ripping off 35 straight wins -- which is not only a school record but is also the eighth-longest streak in Division II history – and was ranked No. 2 at the end of the season.

UCO then won the four-team Central Regional I Tournament in storybook fashion. Star third baseman Kacie Edwards, who missed the first three games of the regional with a knee injury, was inserted in the "if necessary" game against Emporia State and responded by hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first inning and a two-run single in the top of the seventh as the Bronchos prevailed 8-6.

The Bronchos beat Angelo State on the road in the best-of-three Super Regional to advance to the World Series and won their first two games there before being eliminated with back-to-back losses to UC San Diego in finishing 46-9.

But Central would not be denied in 2013.

Stidham's crew took the MIAA regular season title in their first year in the league, but went 2-2 in the conference tournament. Ranked just 19th nationally, the Bronchos went to Fort Hays State for the Central Regional I Tournament.

UCO dominated that four-team field, beating the Tigers 11-3 and 7-1 in the final two games, and then swept Winona State at home in the best-of-three Super Regional to make the World Series for the second consecutive year.

The incredible run continued in Salem, Va. as the Bronchos rolled into the finals with three easy wins before beating Kutztown 5-2 for the first women's national championship in school history. Edwards' two-run double in the top of the ninth broke a 2-2 tie in the thrilling finale and Kalynn Schrock wrapped up a perfect 9-0 run in the post-season with three strikeouts in the bottom of the frame.

That capped a 51-11 campaign, setting a record for wins that still stands.

White took over the coaching reigns the following season and UCO has maintained its place among the nation's best. All the White-led Bronchos did was win 40-plus games a school-record four straight years in making four consecutive trips to the Division II playoffs, with the 2017 club going 48-11 in winning the MIAA regular season and tournament titles.

Central's six-year run of national tournament appearances ended with a 34-22 campaign in 2018, but the 2019 season was another stellar one. Senior slugger JoBi Heath became UCO's fourth straight MIAA Player of the Year selection in leading the way as the Bronchos again claimed the league crown and were ranked No. 1 at the end of the season.

UCO hosted the Central Regional I and took that title with a 12-0 rout of Arkansas Tech in the "if necessary" game, but fell to eventual national champion Augustana in the best-of-three Super Regional. The Bronchos ended up 48-8, tied for the second-most wins in program history.

Central won the final three games of  the Coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign to finish 13-12 for its 17th consecutive winning season. The Bronchos have come a long way indeed from the early days of the program.









 
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Players Mentioned

JoBi Heath

#13 JoBi Heath

IF/OF
5' 7"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

JoBi Heath

#13 JoBi Heath

5' 7"
Senior
R/R
IF/OF
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