THE OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA LIONS

The softball program at the University of North Alabama began in 1983 under the direction of Ande Jones and was the pace-setter for the rest of the Gulf South Conference in the early years.

When the GSC began awarding championships in women’s sports in 1982, softball was one of the sports added by the league schools. For the first three years of the program, UNA and the GSC competed in slow-pitch softball, with the Lions winning the league’s first GSC softball championship in 1983 with a 27-4 record. The  Lions posted a 59-41 record during those three seasons, before UNA and the GSC switched to fast-pitch in 1986 and began competing at the NCAA Division II level.

In 1986, the first season of fast-pitch softball, UNA posted a 16-10 overall record and won the GSC title with an 8-4 win over Mississippi College in the championship game. The following year, the Lions and Lady Choctaws met again in the GSC title game, with UNA again prevailing 12-3.

The Lions finished that season at 20-11 for their third 20-win season in the first five years of the program, and followed with a 21-10 record in 1988.

UNA’s fast-pitch record for the last 26 seasons stands at 595-656-1, and the Lions have produced numerous All-GSC and Academic All-GSC performers. Michele Logan was the school’s first three-time All- GSC pick. She also earned Academic All-GSC honors three straight times.

In 1999 Jodi Johnson became the Lions first four-time All-GSC performer.

After the 1999 season, the Lions produced a 118-151 record over the next five years before having a breakout season in 2005. UNA produced its best season ever, going 36-20 and returned to the GSC tourney seeded No. 3 in the East Division. Despite having only two seniors on the roster, the Lions broke or tied 15 team and individual school records in head coach Jeremy Reece’s fourth year at the helm.

The 2006 season proved to be even better for the Lions as Reece guided the team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. After finishing the season as the No. 2 seed in the GSC East Division, UNA advanced to the South Region Tournament, where it went 1-2 to complete a 40-20 record on the year.

Three players were named first team All-GSC, including Jessica Liddy, who earned the honor for the third straight season. Liddy’s honors did not end there, however. The junior was also named first team, All-South Region and went on to become the softball program’s first All-American after earning second-team honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

The Lions produced a 148-154 record over the next six seasons before returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 under first-year head coach Jason Anderson. UNA matched its best record ever with a 40-20 mark and again posted a 1-2 record at the South Region Tournament. UNA broke our tied 11 single-game and single-season records at the team and individual levels. The Lions also had four players earn All-GSC honors and had three All-South Region selections.

On July 12, 2013 Ashley Cozart was named the program’s sixth head coach in program history. She brought the program to new heights, guiding the Lions to NCAA Tournament berths in her first three seasons, including a 2016 Division II National Championship. The 2016 squad went 60-7 and set 31 team and individual records at the single-game, single-season and career levels. Along the way, the Lions won the 2016 GSC regular season and tournament championships. UNA also won its first-ever NCAA South Region title, winning the South 1 Regional and the Super Regional on consecutive weeks to advance to the NCAA Division II Women's College World Series in Denver, Colo.

After winning the first three games at the World Series, UNA dropped the opening game of the championship series to Humboldt State before rallying for two wins the following day to claim the national title. Left-handed pitcher Hillary Carpenter was named the national tournament's Most Outstanding Player after producing an NCAA Tournament record five victories, including two on the championship day. Brooklynn Clark was named first team All-America by NFCA, D2CCA and HERO Sports. She batted .498 for the year and was also named the GSC Player of the Year and the D2CCA National Player of the Year.

For the season, UNA also had four players earn All-America honors, seven All-South Region selections, six All-GSC picks and the GSC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.