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Former Rogers State softball pitcher Andrea Morales was honored at the annual Hillcat Softball Alumni Game by having her jersey number 21 retired last Saturday. “I was so excited to be able to honor Andrea in this way,” said Head Softball Coach Andrea Vaughan. “She achieved every goal she set out for here at Rogers State and helped put our program on the map. I knew when I first saw her on the recruiting trail that she would come here and make history. There is no player more deserving of this honor, and she is highly respected in the world of Division II softball. We are all forever grateful that she chose RSU, and it has been an honor to experience this journey with her.” The El Paso, Texas native capped off an incredible five-year career on the Hill in 2022 by being named the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Pitcher of the Year. She was also named one of two nominees representing the MIAA for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Morales holds every major pitching record in RSU softball history. The 2022 MIAA Player of the Year finished her final campaign with a NCAA-best 38-4 record and a 1.20 ERA as well as 348 strikeouts with only 43 walks in 280.1 innings pitched. The NFCA and D2CAA First Team All-American was one of only 17 NCAA Division II pitchers in history to log 110 wins and 1,000 strikeouts and was only one of two active pitchers across all levels of the NCAA (Divisions I, II, III) to accomplish this feat at the time, joining Division I USF’s Georgina Corrick. Morales also played a critical role in helping the Hillcats to their first-ever NCAA Division II Softball National Championship in May of 2022. She went 4-0 in the tournament with a 2.60 ERA in 31.2 innings with four complete games in five appearances. |
