Friday Features: UNA Senior Duo Hoping to Relive 2016 Title Run
By Chris Megginson
Two years ago,
Bailey Nelson and
Reagan Tittle were sophomores beginning to make their mark on the University of North Alabama softball program. The leadoff-hitting outfielder and starting shortstop were enjoying a 46-5 record fresh off winning the Gulf South Conference regular season and hosting the conference tournament in Florence, Alabama, while playing with confidence the season wouldn’t end anytime soon. It didn’t, as UNA finished 60-7 on the season to claim the NCAA Division II national championship.
This weekend, Nelson, Tittle, and the Lions are back in familiar territory, hosting the GSC Championship as regular season champs with a 42-5 regular season record. The duo hopes the slight parallel between their sophomore and senior seasons plays on for the next three weeks.
“Our expectations this year are to go all the way,” Nelson said. “At the beginning of the year, we were picked to finish fifth in conference. That kind of set a fire under us …
Coach (Ashley) Cozart let us know that last year was a good year because we made it to the regionals, but we’re better than that. We have higher standards than that because we know we can do better and we should do better.”
Tittle agrees.
“Our motto this year is ‘leave our mark.’ I think this season is going to be looked back to a lot, and we’re trying to make it as memorable as possible,” Tittle said. “Last year was a down year for us. It was an average season, but we were disappointed. During the offseason, me and Bailey really talked about it a lot. We believed this team can be like the 2016 team and make a run for it.”
Nelson and Tittle, the Lions’ only four-year seniors, are two of five players remaining from UNA’s national championship team, joined by juniors
Mackenzie Roberts, Shelby Woodard and
Destiny Wright. Beginning with that 2016 season, the duo has rarely come off the field, having played in nearly every game entering today. Cozart, UNA’s head coach, says that helps define who they are as players.
“We’re always going to hope we recruit bigger and better players, but those two took it personally and said, ‘I’m not going to let someone come in and take my spot,’” Cozart said. “They worked out every summer. If they weren’t working out, they were coaching softball and becoming students of the game. They’re oddballs and that’s what I love about them. If softball is going on, they’re there.”
Cozart believes the senior leadership she sees from the duo models that of the example set by the 2016 seniors, and which has filtered over to the Lions other four senior transfers (
Katie Parr, Kara Brewer, Marissa Hancock and
Lexie Norlfeet). She says the team’s goal of reaching the national championship in Salem, Virginia, their leadership and mentality all resemble her senior class from two seasons ago.
Nelson says that is by design.
“I grew up a lot during that season because I was playing with a very competitive senior class and they pushed me to be my best version of me,” she said. “I’m so thankful for that senior class because they helped me develop into the player I am today. I’m trying to take the role of what they did for me so I can do that for my underclassmen right now … I try to show every day that no matter what the situation, I’m going to give it 110 percent because I never know when my last game will be.”
Tittle says her past experience of growing in a program and watching the seniors has marked her senior season.
“Those seniors led by example, and we try to model after them,” Tittle said. “We know people look up to us because they know the experience that we have. We try to not take that lightly and be the best role model we can and on the field be the leaders that we need to be.”
Both players are four-year starters for UNA, with Tittle having started and played in 218 games. Nelson has 202 games played (181 starts) on her resume as of May 1.
Having already set the program’s single-season runs record (75) in 2016, Nelson has 174 career runs with the program record (188) in reach. Her 12 stolen bases this year have helped her earn Second Team All-GSC honors and become the school’s all-time leader (52).
“My goal every time I get up to bat is to give myself a chance to get on, because I know that no matter who’s behind me, they’re going to move me, and I’m going to score,” Nelson said.
Title, who was named First Team All-GSC this year, just as in 2016, has 30 career home runs, one shy of the school record (31). She is close to becoming the UNA player to see the most in-game action with program records of 224 starts and 227 games played within reach with a deep postseason.
Cozart says she’s enjoyed watching Nelson’s transition from a freshman who struggled a bit to a leader the last three years.
“She kicked it in gear and took on this whole new realm of softball,” Cozart said.
Tittle possess the “it factor” according to Cozart, while displaying a “swag that when she shows up to the park, you look at her, and say, ‘man, who does she play for.’”
Having been the starting shortstop for four seasons, Cozart says she’s not ready to not see Tittle’s No. 22 in the lineup.
“She’s one of the best shortstops I’ve ever coached or seen play the game. I don’t think there’s ever going to be another Reagan Tittle,” Cozart said.
Cozart says she preaches “confidence is when hard work meets opportunity, and those two definitely have the hard work and when they have the opportunity they have that confidence … They’ve been through so many game situations, they’ve done it all, and I think that has helped them be a leader and be a better player.”
This past summer was one of those moments when Nelson and Tittle received an opportunity, along with other GSC players, to play for the Alabama Stars against Team USA. They were two of four players to record a hit of Team USA pitching, including two hits for Nelson. She says she reminds herself of that experience when in the batter’s box this season.
“I try to keep that in the back of my head, because if I’m capable of getting two hits off Team USA pitching, then I’m capable of doing it at that moment,” Nelson said.
Nelson and Tittle have been used to spending summers together through softball, having played travel ball together in high school when Nelson was at Lynn High School and Tittle at Florence’s Central High School.
“Reagan is family for me. We live together. We’re best friends. I wouldn’t trade any of the memories that I have with her. She’s just one of the best people I know. To say I got to spend the last four years with her, and I get to end my career with my best friend, is something I’m so thankful for, and I’m happy UNA brought us two together,” Nelson said.
Both hope to extend that end a game at a time.
“This season’s been unbelievable. I couldn’t ask for anything better for my senior year. I love everybody, each and every one of them. I have that feeling that it’s going to end very well, and I’m excited to see where it goes,” Tittle said. (Bailey and I) told ourselves before this season started that we’re going to give everything we have. We’ve had an unbelievable career, and whatever happens, we’re going to give it our all.”
UNA has won 19 of its last 20 games entering the GSC Championship after bouncing back from two losses at home to Mississippi College on March 23 with an 18-game win streak. The streak was snapped April 28 at UAH, but the Lions closed the regular season with a win, which Tittle thinks was perfect timing entering postseason.
“A lot of teams could have rolled over (after the MC losses). It could have been easy to quit and say we’ve done so well, but to come out with an average season, but to bounce back and be on the path we’re on right now says a lot about the team,” she said. “I think we learned a lot about ourselves this past weekend. Going into conference and getting that loss out of the way sometimes you want to get the win streak out of the way and sometimes that does add pressure to the season.”
UNA opened the GSC Championship Thursday night against Lee University, the team which eliminated the Lions from the NCAA South Regional last season. The Lions not only avenged the loss, but Tittle had a grand slam to solidfy the Lions’ place on top.
The GSC Championship is set to conclude May 5 and UNA, ranked fourth nationally and second in the region, will await their seeding for the NCAA South Regional, which will be played May 10-12.
Follow Megginson on Twitter @jcmeggs. Email comments to megginsonjc@gmail.com.
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2017-18 Friday Features Archive
September 1 |
Mississippi College
September 8 |
Montevallo
September 15 |
Valdosta State
September 22 |
West Georgia
September 29 |
Alabama Huntsville
October 6 |
Union
October 13 |
West Alabama
October 20 |
West Florida
October 27 |
Delta State
November 3 |
Christian Brothers
November 10 |
Shorter
November 17 |
North Alabama
November 24 |
Lee
December 1 |
AUM
December 8 |
West Florida
Decemeber 15 |
Mississippi College
December 22 |
Lee
December 29 |
West Alabama
January 5 |
Valdosta State
January 12 |
Christian Brothers
January 19 |
Montevallo
January 26 |
AUM
February 2 |
Mississippi College
February 9 |
West Florida
February 16 |
North Alabama
February 23 |
Alabama Huntsville
March 2 |
Broadcasters
March 9 |
Delta State
March 16 |
Alabama Huntsville
March 23 |
Lee
March 30 |
West Alabama
April 6 |
Montevallo
April 13 |
Valdosta State
April 20 |
Shorter
April 27 |
Delta State