Former walk-on, future teacher Wilson has 9-game hit streak

Courtney Wilson couldn’t recall a specific moment last year when she felt she had truly arrived as a Division I softball player. But I could.

It happened right here at Madeira Beach in the eighth game of her freshman season. My wife was gracious enough to allow me to sneak away from the cold and our kids to watch the Coyotes play softball in sunny Florida. 

It was day two and USD and Drexel were tied 8-8 in extra innings. A fly ball was hit to Wilson in right field. She caught it and gunned down a runner trying to tag from second before she could even slide. Memorable!

A walk-off, three-run homer by Jamie Holscher in the bottom half and the Coyotes had a seven-game win streak.

Wilson started 48 games last year and hit .205 while crossing home 17 times. Not bad for a freshman walk-on who first caught coach Robert Wagner’s attention at a camp in Vermillion. She drove three hours from her hometown of Grand Island, Nebraska, and even missed one of her high school basketball games to attend.

Wilson attended two camps in all. Ultimately it was her athleticism and love of the campus that made for a perfect pairing. So much so that Wilson got a phone call from Wagner in the middle of this past summer.

“We had discussed the possibility of there being some scholarship money available at our end-of-the-year meeting, but nothing more prior to that phone call,” said Wilson. “It’s a super great opportunity for me and especially my mom. I totally love it here – my coaches, my team and school – and so it was a really good conversation.”

Fast forward to now and Wilson leads the Coyotes and ranks fifth in the Summit League with a .389 average. She’s batting .433 during a career-best, nine-game hitting streak, and already has three outfield assists to add to the four she posted last season.

“It’s a testament to her dedication and work ethic and the time that she’s put in,” said Wagner. “She puts a lot of extra time in outside of practice, and that, coupled with the fact that she’s a straight-A student, I mean that’s pretty special person.

“Every person is different and every person’s path is different. She didn’t come in a polished player ready to go. She had to work to earn a spot, and she has.”

Wilson has hit second in the order behind three-time all-Summit center fielder Camille Fowler. Wilson played center in high school, right field last year, and is in left this year. She’s working on making that adjustment and getting a feel for different reads off the bat.

“It’s a different angle,” said Wilson. “It comes off the bat different and quicker and you have to be able to read lefties and shift for slaps and all that stuff. I’m getting a lot more balls this year than I did last year in right.”

Offensively, Wilson hit away throughout high school to the tune of 21 home runs, but Wagner thought slapping would be a good tool for Wilson to add and noted it’s harder to put it in later in a career. So that became the focus for Wilson last year as a freshman. This year, she has become more well rounded.

“We said from the get go in the fall that she’d have the ability to generate some power," said Wagner. "I told her you don’t have to be a slap kid so let’s work on your swing and get back to what you’ve done for most of your life. It’s still a work in progress, but it gives her a lot more versatility and puts a lot more pressure and stress on the defense.”

“We were in our world series at the end of fall,” said Wilson. “That’s when I had just started getting back to hitting away, and I got up to the plate and stroked a triple to center field, and that really solidified the fact that I can do this and I belong here and I can hit and I want to play and I love softball.”

Amen.

When she’s not playing softball, Wilson is learning to become a teacher. She has another A-plus explanation for that.

“My elementary teachers were just awesome, and I feel like I want to help kids enjoy their education and help them want to go to school every day and help them to be great people in society.”

Wilson and the Coyotes resume play Friday with games against Georgetown (1:30 p.m. ET) and Manhattan (4 p.m. ET).