2026 Catamount Softball Roster
Biography
| Hits |
2 vs Furman (3/21/2026) |
| Runs |
1, 3x last vs Furman (3/21/2026) |
| RBIs |
2 at N.C. Central (4/21/2026) |
| Doubles |
2 vs Furman (3/21/2026) |
| Home Runs |
1 vs N.C. A&T (2/11/2026) |
| Stolen Bases |
1 at N.C. Central (4/21/2026) |
| Hitting Streak |
2 games, March 21, 2026 |
2026 (Freshman):Â Saw action in 26 games with 13 starts as eight came as the WCU catcher and five were as the designated player for the Purple & Gold... totaled eight hits which included a pair of doubles and a homer with three runs scored and four RBIs... she also reached base safely five times via a walk and had one sacrifice bunt... also added a steal to her stat line... had her first career multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 performance in a 7-4 win over Furman (March 21) that included two doubles and a run scored as head coach Jim Clift earned his 300th career victory... had her first career multi-RBI contest with a two-run single during WCU's record-breaking 20-1 victory over N.C. Central (April 21)... hit her first career homer on opening day in a 16-2 run-rule win over N.C. A&T (Feb. 11)... tallied a 1.000 fielding percentage in limited opportunites behind the plate... part of an offense that broke single-season team records in batting average (.313), slugging percentage (.505), on-base percentage (.385), hits (504), doubles (73), runs (368), runs batted in (337), total bases (812), steals (79), and sacrifice flies (24)...
HIGH SCHOOL: The freshman backstop comes to Cullowhee after a four-year prep career at Lord Botetourt High in Virginia. Russell compiled a .410 batting average in her prep career, with an impressive 1.066 on-base plus slugging percentage over her four years. She accumulated 104 hits throughout her four seasons. Â The Blue Ridge, Va. native stepped up her offensive production as a junior, posting a .565 batting average and knocking in 27 runs, followed by a .473 average, five homers, and a 1.415 OPS as a senior.
Following both her junior and senior seasons, Russell was named Blue Ridge Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference and all-region honoree. She also garnered second-team All-state from Virginia. As a freshman, Russell was part of a program that was district champions, Region III D champions, and the 3A Virginia State runners-up.
Russell's father, Richard, was a former student-athlete who played football at Concord University, where he wore number 75, the same number Russell will wear for the Catamounts. Russell's cousin Zack Kelly is in his fourth year as a reliever in the Boston Red Sox bullpen.
Statistics
Season Statistics
No statistics available for this season.
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