SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball

Last updated
SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball
Softball current event.svg 2017 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team
SIU Edwardsville Cougars wordmark.svg
Founded1974
University Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Athletic directorBrad Hewitt
Head coachP.J. Finigan (interim)
Conference OVC
Location Edwardsville, IL
Home stadiumCougar Field
aka Cougar Stadium (Capacity: 800+)
Nickname Cougars
ColorsRed and white [1]
   
NCAA Tournament champions
D II: 2007
NCAA WCWS appearances
D II: 2006, 2007
AIAW WCWS appearances
D II: 1980, 1982
NCAA Tournament appearances
D I: 2014
D II: 1985, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Conference Tournament championships
OVC: 2014
GLVC: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008
Conference championships
OVC: 2015
OVC West Div.: 2014
GLVC: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007
GLVC SW Div.:1997, 1998

The SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in NCAA Division I college softball. They compete as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. SIUE plays its home games at Cougar Field, located in the southwest corner of the campus. [2]

Contents

History

Sources: [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Through 2018, the SIUE softball team had had only two head coaches in its history.

The program was begun by Cindy Jones in 1974–75. In fourteen seasons, Jones' teams were 376–201, with two trips to the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Division II National Tournament [8] and two invitations to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship tournament while competing as a Division II independent.

Coach Sandy Montgomery took over the Cougars in 1989, with SIUE continuing as an independent and earning its third invitation to the Division II playoffs before joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in 1996. In thirteen seasons as members of the GLVC, the Cougars won or shared seven regular season division or conference titles and five conference tournament championships. They earned ten trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs, including two spots in the Division II College World Series, and won the NCAA Division II National Softball Championship in 2007.

In 2008–09, SIUE athletics began the transition into Division I, and the Cougars joined the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2011.

On April 9, 2014, the Cougars defeated the Saint Louis Billikens 4–1 at SLU. The win was Coach Sandy Montgomery's 900th coaching win, making her the 39th coach in NCAA softball history to reach that milestone. [9] Coach Montgomery's record since assuming the reins in 1989 through the end of the 2014 regular season is 914–462–2.

On May 10, 2014, the softball Cougars became the first SIUE team to win an OVC championship in any sport. Rain and thunderstorms shortened the tournament, played at University Field at Jacksonville State, with the losers bracket being cancelled, while the 2nd seeded Cougars and the 4th seeded Murray State Racers were the last two undefeated teams. The Cougars scored early, with four home runs in the first two innings, and defeated the Racers 12–1, with the game halted after 6 innings by the mercy rule. [10] The squad also became the first SIUE team to qualify for an NCAA Division I tournament since the 1982 men's soccer team, when that sport had been the university's only Division I program before the school's transition to Division I for all sports began in 2008. [11]

In late July 2018, Sandy Montgomery suddenly announced her early retirement. [12] Assistant coach Jessica Jones was named as interim head coach for the 2019 season. [13]

Records by year

Statistics overview
SeasonCoachOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
SIU Edwardsville (Division II Independent [3] )(1975–1985)
1975Cindy Jones10–9
1976Cindy Jones4–11
1977Cindy Jones16–9
1978Cindy Jones15–10
1979Cindy Jones15–16
1980Cindy Jones36–20AIAW DII WCWS (t-9th)
1981Cindy Jones30–14
1982Cindy Jones39–20AIAW DII WCWS National Runnerup
1983Cindy Jones33–17
1984Cindy Jones38–8
1985Cindy Jones40–13NCAA Regional
1986Cindy Jones25–22
1987Cindy Jones36–19
1988Cindy Jones39–13NCAA Regional
Cindy Jones:376–201 .652
1989Sandy Montgomery35–24–1
1990Sandy Montgomery34–13NCAA Regional
1991Sandy Montgomery35–16
1992Sandy Montgomery22–21
1993Sandy Montgomery23–24
1994Sandy Montgomery18–25–1
1995Sandy Montgomery24–19
SIU Edwardsville (Great Lakes Valley Conference (Div. II) [4] )(1996–2008)
1996Sandy Montgomery34–1712–62nd
1997Sandy Montgomery39–1323–01st Southwest
1998Sandy Montgomery33–2322–51st SouthwestNCAA Regional
1999Sandy Montgomery33–1713–31st
2000Sandy Montgomery39–1916–6t-3rdNCAA Regional
2001Sandy Montgomery41–1717–52ndNCAA Regional
2002Sandy Montgomery51–1217–21stNCAA Regional
2003Sandy Montgomery44–1117–31stNCAA Regional
2004Sandy Montgomery35–1915–53rdNCAA Regional
2005Sandy Montgomery41–1515–33rdNCAA Regional
2006Sandy Montgomery52–1116–41st Div. II WCWS
2007Sandy Montgomery49–819–5t-1stNCAA Div. II Champion
2008Sandy Montgomery49–1119–52ndNCAA Regional
SIU Edwardsville (Division I Independent [3] )(2009–2010)
2009Sandy Montgomery40–10
2010Sandy Montgomery27–24
SIU Edwardsville (Ohio Valley Conference [5] )(2011–current)
2011Sandy Montgomery28–3019–114th
2012Sandy Montgomery23–2913–168th
2013Sandy Montgomery35–1317–52nd West
2014 Sandy Montgomery30–2319–51st West NCAA Regional
2015 Sandy Montgomery43–1620–61st
2016 Sandy Montgomery28–2615–114th
2017 Sandy Montgomery41–1313–3t-2nd
2018 Sandy Montgomery25–2114–85th
Sandy Montgomery:1,051–540–2 .660336–108 .757
2019 Jessica Jones16–288–148th
Jessica Jones:16–28 .8528–14 .364
Total:1,415–743–2 .656

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

All–Americans

Through the years, fifteen Cougar softball players were named Division II All–Americans: [14]

In 2017, Haley Chambers-Book became the Cougars' first Division I All-American.

Related Research Articles

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SIU Edwardsville Cougars baseball

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The SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the Ohio Valley Conference of NCAA Division I basketball. The Cougars play their home matches at the Sam M. Vadalabene Center located in the SIUE core campus in Edwardsville, Illinois.

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The SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the Mid-American Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The Cougars play their home matches on Bob Guelker Field at Ralph Korte Stadium located in the southwest corner of the SIUE campus in Edwardsville, Illinois.

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Garrett Ray Collins, known as Gary "Bo" Collins is a retired college head coach who coached the SIU Edwardsville Cougars baseball team from 1979 to 2012. His teams had 1028 career wins, making him the 56th winningest baseball coach in NCAA baseball and the seventh-highest winner among coaches in NCAA Division II.

2014 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team

The 2014 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2014 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cougars, led by twenty-sixth year head coach Sandy Montgomery, played their home games at Cougar Field as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

2007 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team

The 2007 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2007 NCAA Division II softball season. The Cougars, led by nineteenth year head coach Sandy Montgomery, played their home games at Cougar Field on the SIUE campus as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). They finished the season as the NCAA Division II National Champions. In July 2017, the team was elected to the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame.

2014–15 SIU Edwardsville Cougars mens basketball team American college basketball season

The 2014–15 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by eighth year head coach Lennox Forrester, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center as members of the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 12–16, 8–8 in OVC play to finish in fourth place in the West Division. They lost in the first round of the OVC Tournament to Eastern Illinois.

SIU Edwardsville Cougars womens soccer

The SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's soccer team represent Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the Ohio Valley Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The Cougars play their home matches on Bob Guelker Field at Ralph Korte Stadium located in the southwest corner of the SIUE campus in Edwardsville, Illinois. Derek Burton has been head coach since 2008.

2015 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team

The 2015 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) during the 2015 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cougars, led by twenty-seventh year head coach Sandy Montgomery, played their home games at Cougar Field on the SIUE campus as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

2015–16 SIU Edwardsville Cougars mens basketball team American college basketball season

The 2015–16 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first year head coach Jon Harris, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center as members of the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). They finished the season 6–22, 3–13 in OVC play to finish in fifth place in the west division. They failed to qualify for the OVC Tournament.

Sandy Montgomery is an American softball coach. In 29 years as the head coach of SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball (1989–present), she has more than 1000 career wins, more than any other coach in SIUE history in any sport, male or female. As of May 13, 2017, Montgomery had a career record of 1026 wins, 519 losses, and 2 ties, for a .664 winning percentage. She led the Cougars to the Division II NCAA softball championship in 2007. In 2014, Montgomery passed the 900 win mark while leading the Cougars to their first Division I NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. Montgomery is the longest-tenured head coach at SIUE and the Associate AD for Alumni Relations in the SIUE athletic department. In addition to coaching softball, she began the SIUE volleyball program in 1995 and coached for its first four years, guiding it to a record of 83–54 and its first appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament in 1998. After leading the softball Cougars to the regular season title, Montgomery was named the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year. Montgomery's players earned her 1000th career victory in a 4–2 win over the Holy Cross Crusaders in the "Under Armour Showcase" in Clearwater, Florida on March 10, 2017. She became only the 32nd head coach in all divisions to top the 1,000 win mark.

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The 2016–17 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by second year head coach Jon Harris, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 6–24, 1–15 in OVC play to finish in last place in the West Division. They failed to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

2017 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team

The 2017 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) during the 2017 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cougars, led by twenty-ninth year head coach Sandy Montgomery, play their home games at Cougar Field on the SIUE campus as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

2016 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team

The 2016 SIU Edwardsville Cougars softball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) during the 2016 NCAA Division I softball season. The Cougars, led by twenty-eighth year head coach Sandy Montgomery, played their home games at Cougar Field on the SIUE campus as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

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2018–19 SIU Edwardsville Cougars mens basketball team American college basketball season

The 2018–19 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by fourth-year head coach Jon Harris, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 10–21, 6–12 in OVC play to finish in a four-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 8 seed, they lost in the first round of the OVC Tournament to Morehead State.

2019–20 SIU Edwardsville Cougars mens basketball team American college basketball season

The 2019–20 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first-year head coach Brian Barone, played their home games in the First Community Arena at Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 8–23, 5–13 in OVC play to finish in a tie for tenth place. They failed to qualify for the OVC Tournament.

2020–21 SIU Edwardsville Cougars mens basketball team American college basketball season

The 2020–21 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by second-year head coach Brian Barone, played their home games in the First Community Arena at Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

References

  1. "SIUE Visual Identity Requirements" (PDF). February 18, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  2. "OVC Member Institutions". Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "SIUE Softball Archives". SIUE Cougars. Retrieved July 8, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 "GLVC Softball Archive". Great Lakes Valley Conference. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "OVC Softball Records" (PDF). Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  6. "Division II Softball Championship History". NCAA. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  7. "AlestleLive Sports Blog". The Alestle. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  8. "1979-80 Winter & Spring Championship Results" (PDF). NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSLETTER. Washington, DC: ASSOCIATION FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS FOR WOMEN. Summer 1980. p. 17 (p 143 of PDF). Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  9. "Sandy Montgomery Notches 900th Win In Illustrious 26 Year Career". NCAA. April 8, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  10. "Rain ousts EIU; SIUE wins OVC softball title". Journal-Gazette & Times-Courier. May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  11. "Cougars rout Murray State for OVC Tourney title". The Telegraph. May 11, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  12. "COLLEGE SOFTBALL: Montgomery retires after 30 seasons, 1,051 victories as SIUE coach". The Telegraph. July 27, 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  13. "SIUE Announces 2018 Fall Softball Schedule". Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  14. "SIUE Softball All-Americans". SIUE Cougars. Retrieved August 16, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]