Earlham softball defied expectations in an inaugural season that began with a series sweep and a record for strikeouts in a single game.
Head coach Stacey Goyette was hired in 2022 to revive Earlham College’s softball program after a 29-year hiatus. The 1993 team, the last to play for the Quakers, saw its season cut short after its roster dipped to just eight student-athletes.
“When I was hired, I didn’t know much about Earlham, its conference or the competition. I had no NCAA Division III experience,” says Goyette, who was a pitching coach at Division I Butler University, a powerhouse from the Big East Conference.
While Earlham had plans to build a new softball stadium, thanks to a major gift from Randy ’73 and Melissa Sadler, Goyette had to recruit student-athletes with only the promise of being a part of something new.
“I was blessed to spend a year traveling the country to recruit softball players who wanted to come to Earlham,” Goyette says. “The new facility really wowed them, but it wasn’t built yet. They couldn’t see it. Everything was going to be new. I told my players that we would spend the year learning together. I didn’t want to base success on wins and losses. I just wanted them to learn from their mistakes and focus on being the best humans they could be on and off the field.”
The team accomplished that and more in an inaugural season marked by outstanding accomplishments, including a sweep of the University of Olivet before a home crowd.
“Opening the season at home in our new stadium with two wins was huge for our confidence,” says Morgan Cooksey ’27, a pitcher from Williamsport, Indiana, who opened the season with a school-record 16 strikeouts. “We knew we were good as individual players, but none of us knew how we’d play as a team. That moment made us believe and set the tone for the rest of the season.”
Last year’s team — 16 first-year students and one sophomore, seven short of a full roster — won 15 games and qualified for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference post-season tournament. Two players — Cooksey and shortstop Bo Shelton ’27 — were named to the HCAC All-Conference Team with only one year of experience in intercollegiate sports.
They also racked up several honors at the inaugural “Quakees,” a year-end celebration of Earlham Athletics modeled after ESPN’s ESPY Awards. Softball was named the 2023-24 Team of the Year, and Goyette was crowned as the college’s top coach. Cooksey took home two awards, Newcomer of the Year and Moment of the Year, a nod to her record-breaking first trip to the mound.
“We definitely felt welcomed and supportive by everyone in the Earlham community, especially for being new on campus,” Cooksey says. “More and more people showed up
to watch our games as the season continued. Many of the players and coaches from other teams on campus reached out to us to wish us luck and to congratulate us when we made the conference tournament.”
As the Quakers prepare for year two, Goyette is going back to basics as she continues to build out her roster. Eight new first-year students and one transfer are joining the program, giving the coach a full roster of 24 players for the first time.
“Just like last year, I’m going to start out by throwing all of the players
into a cauldron,” Goyette says. “That way I can compare apples to apples and give everybody a fair evaluation.
By the time we start playing the teams in our conference — these are the most important games of the season — I’ll have a better idea of where everyone fits.”
Sometimes that means putting established players in new and uncomfortable roles. “Stacey did a great job of really pushing us to reach our potential last season,” says Cooksey. “For me, it was about becoming more than just a pitcher and contributing to the lineup as a batter. It helped us see who fits together and where in the lineup. It helped us build an optimal lineup for the season and be prepared if there were injuries.”
The season will also be the debut of the Bud McCollum-Earlham College Baseball Hitting and Pitching Lab, an indoor practice venue for Earlham’s softball and baseball programs. The facility is a result of a major gift from the Sadler family, and additional support from Charlie and Esther Krieger and a multiyear fundraiser by the Earlham Baseball Program.
“Earlham continues to provide a wonderful and nurturing environment for our programs,” Goyette says. “These facilities are among the best in college sports. Our players are just in awe.
The best part of this experience is the group of people I get to work with every day. We’re such a diverse group of people that come from many different walks of life. We all believe that we are building some- thing that is bigger than any of us as individuals. To have these people on this journey with me, working toward a common goal, it’s a special feeling.” ■
Story by Brian Zimmerman