Courtney Shields

Courtney Shields enters her first season as student assistant  at North Alabama. The former Lion standout lettered two years for the UNA softball team, culminating with the team winning the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Shields played center field for the Lions and collected 139 hits over two seasons. As a senior, she hit .408 while starting all 67 games during the team's championship run. She led the team with 23 doubles and added three triples and eight home runs for a .657 slugging percentage.

At the Division II World Series, Shields led the team with a .500 batting average. She went 9-for-18 at the plate with a double, a triple and two home runs. She was named to the 2016 all-tournament team.

Post-season awards included first team All-Gulf South Conference and D2CCA first team All-South Region honors. She also received a D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention and was a second team All-South Region pick by the NFCA. During the regular season, Shields was named GSC Player of the Week on March 22. She later received an all-tournament nod after UNA captured its first GSC title in 29 seasons.

Shields will have both coaching and managing duties to assist the program. She will graduate in January, 2017 with a degree in occupational therapy.