A sure sign that Concord's Softball program is gaining more respect can be found within the ranks of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The league's coaches have selected three Lady Lions for all-conference honors, including a 1st-Team selection for the first time since 2002.
Freshman 3B Samantha Clement earned the 1st Team spot, with fellow freshman Kristen McClure and Tamara Smith gaining spots on the Honorable Mention squad.
Concord went 21-26 this season, a vast improvement over 2009's record of 1-32.
The Lady Lions finished 9-17 in the WVIAC, good for 11th place. CU qualified for the WVIAC Tournament this season, after missing out on the playoffs last year.
Coach Sabrina McCullough installed Clement (left) as Concord's leadoff hitter at the start of the season, and Clement produced. The first-year player from La Plata hit an impressive .401, second-best in the league. She was also second in the WVIAC with five triples.
Clement topped Concord in slugging percentage (.650), on-base percentage (.481), walks (19), stolen bases (11), total bases (89) and assists (112) in 47 games.
Clement also gave the Lady Lions their season's signature moment – her two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 7th against Glenville State March 18th lifted CU to a 4-3 win and snapped a 51-game conference losing streak (below).
McClure (right) was Concord's cleanup hitter for much of the season and gave the Lady Lions consistent run production. The freshman from Inman, SC led the Lady Lions with 30 RBIs and 12 doubles. She posted a .532 slugging percentage and a .392 on-base percentage.
Her .371 batting average was 11th in the WVIAC.
Her highlight day was April 14th, when she went 7-9 as Concord swept rival Bluefield State in a WVIAC doubleheader. She clouted two doubles, drove in three runs and scored once.
Smith was Concord's #1 pitcher all season, finishing 13-10 with a 3.80 ERA. She appeared in 30 of the team's 47 games, starting 24, with 20 complete games and one save. In 177 2/3 innings, the freshman from Roanoke, VA walked 40 and struck out 125.
Smith (left) set the tone for Concord's turnaround campaign when she earned the WVIAC's first Pitcher of the Week award of the season on February 23rd. She went 2-1 that week, winning both ends of a doubleheader at Fayetteville State (NC) on February 21st, including a complete-game, 13-strikeout effort in the first game. On that day alone, Concord doubled its victory total from all of the prior season.
