ED HARGROVE
The gentleman above has won more games than you have.
Don’t feel bad, though, because he’s Ed Hargrove. And we’re not.
Hargrove — in his 25th season as the Cowley softball coach — picked up win No. 900 (followed immediately by No. 901) on Wednesday against Independence. The No. 3-ranked Tigers are tearing up the Jayhawk again this year, they’re 36-5 overall and 18-0 in league play with a five-game lead over Johnson County with eight games to play in the regular season.
All seriousness — 900 wins is a lot. Consistency and being able to stay in one place for a long time and build something — regardless of your profession — is a pretty underrated trait in our society.
Can anybody say 1,000?
Here’s part of the release from Cowley SID Rama Peroo:
Hargrove wins 900th game as Lady Tigers inch closer to another conference title
Continuing its dominance in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, the No. 3-ranked Cowley College softball team remained unbeaten in conference play with wins of 21-0 and 8-1 Wednesday at Independence Community College. With the wins, Cowley head coach Ed Hargrove reached the 900-win plateau with the victory in game one. The Tiger softball players recognized their coaches accomplishment with a celebration in between games.
“The players, and especially this group of sophomores, have taken a lot of pride in helping me get to that total,” Hargrove said. “This signifies the success of the program and the players we have had.”
The Lady Tigers, winners of 12 games in a row, are now 36-5 overall and 18-0 in the Jayhawk East. Cowley holds a five-game lead in the conference with eight games remaining.
“Highland is the biggest threat to us staying undefeated in the conference,” Hargrove said.
Against Independence, Kashilia Young went 5-for-5 with a home run and five runs batted in as Cowley won the opener 21-0 in five innings of play. Young has raised her batting average 35 points over the past 10 games as she is batting .521 on the season.
“She has really started to get her swing back over the past few games,” Hargrove said.
The Lady Tigers also got home runs from Jacey Juden, Breayle Tackett, and Rachel Burton in the victory. The homer by Burton was the reserve outfielder’s first of the season.
“It was good to see something really positive happen for Rachel,” Hargrove said.
Sarah Hocker, Taylor Cantillon and Ashley Spencer added three hits a piece as Cowley finished with 22 hits in the game. Juden (12-4) earned the win on the mound by allowing only two hits and no runs in five innings pitched. Juden struck out 10 and walked one.
“She has been throwing lights out of late,” Hargrove said.
Cowley had to fight much harder to win the second game as they led only 1-0 through the game’s first five innings of play. However, Sarah Smith’s three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning started Cowley on its way to an 8-1 win.
“That home run by Sarah kind of busted it open for us,” Hargrove said.
Kashilia Young added her 20th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh inning. Spencer improved to 17-0 on the season by tossing a complete game three-hitter. Spencer struck out nine and walked none.
“Ashley has exceeded our expectations, we know what we are going to get from her every time out,” Hargrove said.