By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The 2022-23 academic year marked the 75th anniversary of the Ohio Valley Conference, which began in 1948 and currently ranks as the eighth-oldest Division I Conference.
As part of the celebration of the storied accomplishments of the League, a Committee working in conjunction with current and former schools, captured the “best-of-the-best” in each sport and celebrate the top athletes in league history with 75th Anniversary Teams across all OVC sports. A similar listing was compiled during the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the league.
The Skyhawks landed seven total honorees (six student-athletes and one coach) on the OVC 75th Anniversary Team for the sport of softball, including fives members of the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame.
Jenny Bain (2009-12)
Bain led UT Martin to four different OVC championships and the school’s first two NCAA Regional appearances in her four-year career (2009-12). The program’s only three-time All-OVC first team honoree, she was part of the 2010 Skyhawk squad that won a school-record 47 games while she was also a key member of the 2012 team that tallied a school-record 23 OVC victories. The Hendersonville, Tenn. native was OVC Freshman of the Year in 2009 and is UT Martin’s all-time leader in games played (238), hits (237), doubles (54), home runs (40), runs batted in (170), total bases (411) and extra-base hits (94). She was rewarded for her stellar career by being inducted into the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kaci Fuller (2021-Present)
Ranking as the only current softball player to make the OVC 75th Anniversary Team, Fuller has already proven her worth through her first three seasons in a Skyhawk uniform. The Huntingdon, Tenn. native has garnered three All-OVC honors while also adding NFCA South All-Region accolades in her already decorated career. The dynamic outfielder ranks first in program history with a .381 batting average while sitting third in school history with a .560 slugging percentage and fifth with .417 on-base percentage. Her best season came in 2023 when ranked amongst the nation’s top hitter with a .404 batting average while adding nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 30 RBIs.
Chelsea Jones (2009-12)
Jones was OVC Pitcher of the Year, OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player, All-OVC first team and a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region honoree in 2012, shattering seven school records as a senior. The Tullahoma, Tenn. native still ranks first in school history in wins (56), games started (91), innings pitched (555.1) and strikeouts (476). She was an integral member of four combined OVC championships in her career, helping UT Martin to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. Along with being inducted into the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, she has also served as an assistant coach for the Skyhawk program since 2020.
Paij Lintz (2007-10)
Lintz became the program’s first-ever OVC Pitcher of the Year in 2010 while also playing a big role in the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009 and first-ever OVC championship in 2010. A two-time All-OVC selection, Lintz ranks as the program’s all-time leader in career appearances (121) and saves (8) while also ranking second with 51 career victories and 432 strikeouts. The Lewisburg, Tenn. native posted a stellar senior campaign with a 25-3 overall record while adding a 2.11 ERA with five shutouts and 174 strikeouts in 172.1 innings of work.
Leah Taylor (2011-13)
Taylor was a three-time All-OVC honoree as she became just the second Skyhawk to be named OVC Player of the Year in 2012. The speedster also nabbed All-American accolades that same season, helping UT Martin sweep both the OVC regular season and tournament championships for the first time ever. Despite the fact she only played three seasons (2011-13), the Brownsville, Tenn. native remains the program leader in runs scored (162), triples (18) and stolen bases (110) while ranking in the top-10 of eight other major offensive categories. Along with being inducted into the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021, she was a career .320 hitter in a Skyhawk uniform, a two-time Capital One Academic All-American and was one of only three females to win the 2012-13 OVC Scholar Athlete Award.
Megan Williams (2007-10)
A 2017 UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee, Williams became the program’s first-ever OVC Player of the Year in 2010. A three-time All-OVC honoree, she helped lead UT Martin to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009 and first-ever OVC championship in 2010. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. outfielder graduated as the program’s all-time leader in hits (236), triples (11) and total bases (371) while her 72 hits and 124 total bases in 2010 were also Skyhawk single-season records.
Donley Canary (2002-19)
Canary guided the Skyhawk softball program to 581 victories – fourth-most in OVC history – during his 18 seasons as head coach. He led UT Martin to a pair of OVC regular season championships, two OVC Tournament titles and three postseason appearances – including the program’s first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2012. A two-time OVC Coach of the Year, the Owensboro, Ky. native coached two OVC Players of the Year, a pair of OVC Pitchers of the Year, two OVC Tournament Most Valuable Players, four OVC Freshmen of the Year and 99 All-OVC selections. He was later inducted into the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
Below is a listing of the top softball student-athletes and coaches in OVC history.
Student-Athletes (67)
Maigin Alexander (OF), Jacksonville State (2005-06)
Rachel Anderson (OF), Southeast Missouri (2017-21)
Mykaela Arellanes (OF), Southeast Missouri (2017-19)
Jenny Bain (SS), UT Martin (2009-12)
Diana Barreras (SS), Eastern Kentucky (2001-04)
Taylor Beshears (OF), Jacksonville State (2018-19)
Sara Borders (INF/OF), Jacksonville State (2012-15)
Lori Bayless (P), Tennessee Tech (2001-04)
Jenna Bradley (OF), Murray State (2010-11)
Beth Boden (SS), Tennessee Tech (2005-08)
Megan Burton (SS), Eastern Illinois (2018-22)
Rebecca Butler (3B), Morehead State (2008-11)
Bonnie Bynum (P), Tennessee Tech (2004-07)
Cheyenne Cavanaugh (OF), Belmont (2018-22)
Haley Chambers-Book (P), SIUE (2013-15, 2017)
Allison Cheatham (OF), Middle Tennessee (1995-98)
Candice Clark (INF), Tennessee Tech (1994-97)
Rachel Countryman (SS), Jacksonville State (2001-04)
Jonelle Csora (P), Eastern Kentucky (2000-03)
Stephanie Dallmann (OF), Tennessee Tech (2000-03)
Ella Denes (INF/OF), Jacksonville State (2013-16)
Jenny Doehring (INF/P), Southeast Missouri (2000-01)
Stephanie Fischer (UTIL), Tennessee Tech (2005-08)
Rachel Fleming (OF), Jacksonville State (2007-08)
Adrienne Fortmann (P), Tennessee Tech (1998-01)
Kaci Fuller (OF), UT Martin (2021-present)
Diane Gallagher (OF), Eastern Kentucky (2009-12)
Alex Gjevre (P), Morehead State (2007-10)
Whitney Gillespie (P), Jacksonville State (2015-17)
Sierra Gilmore (INF), Murray State (2018-22)
Tiffany Harbin (P), Jacksonville State (2011-14)
Hannah James (P), Murray State (2019-22)
Chelsea Jones (P), UT Martin (2009-12)
Carly Kellam (P), Jacksonville State (2005-06)
Beth Keylon (INF), Tennessee Tech (1992-94)
Lisa Kraxner (C), Southeast Missouri (1995-96)
Danielle Liberatore (P), Tennessee Tech (2014-17)
Danielle Liermann (3B), Austin Peay (2016-19)
Paij Lintz (P), UT Martin (2007-10)
Amber May (P), Eastern Illinois (2009-11)
Alex McDavid (INF), SIUE (2012-15)
Melinda McDonald (C/DH), Jacksonville State (2002-05)
Hanna Mennenga (P), Eastern Illinois (2012-13)
Andrea Miller (SS), Austin Peay (1993-96)
LeeAnn Mongar, Tennessee Tech (2000-03)
Paige Murphy, Eastern Kentucky (2015-18)
Jenny Oermann (INF), Southeast Missouri (1995-98)
Lexi Osowski (INF), Austin Peay (2019-22)
Jamie Parker (INF), Eastern Kentucky (1994-96)
Kim Palmer (OF), Southeast Missouri (1995-98)
Daniela Pappano (OF), Jacksonville State (2004-07)
Stacey Perkins (C), Austin Peay (1993-94)
Karla Pittman (P), Jacksonville State (2007, 2009)
Nikki Prier (1B), Jacksonville State (2007-10)
Morgan Rackel (P), Austin Peay (2018-19)
Sara Reichert (INF), Southeast Missouri (1994-97)
Rachel Rook (P), Southeast Missouri (2018-22)
Kim Sarrazin (C), Eastern Kentucky (1977-00)
Debbie Schmelz (P), Southeast Missouri (1996-99)
Faith Sims (P), Jacksonville State (2016-19)
Jodi Smith (OF), Southeast Missouri (1993-96)
Kelly Swanson (INF), Eastern Kentucky (1997-00)
Leah Taylor (OF), UT Martin (2011-13)
Angela Thompson (P), Austin Peay (1992-95)
Jessica Twaddle (3B), Murray State (2014-17)
Kelsey White, Southeast Missouri (1999-00)
Megan Williams (OF), UT Martin (2007-10)
Coaches of Note
Tory Acheson, Tennessee Tech
Donley Canary, UT Martin
Jana McGinnis, Jacksonville State
Sandy Montgomery, SIUE
Lana Richmond, Southeast Missouri
Jane Worthington, Eastern Kentucky