University of Texas Arlington Athletics

The 2003 UT Arlington softball team set the standard that Maverick teams now are still trying to reach: a program-record 41 wins, Southland Conference Regular Season Championship, Southland Conference Tournament Championship and two NCAA Regional victories – the first, and only, such wins in program history.
 
The memorable and historic season started anything but that as the Mavericks got off to a 4-7 start through 11 games against strong competition; seven of those contests were against Power-5 teams – including a pair of losses by a combined three runs to the Florida Gators, one of which was a season-opening 5-4 setback in 8 innings.
 
However, behind the leadership of head coach Debbie Hedrick, the tide started to change in the 12th game of the year – which also happened to be the third matchup against Baylor in the first 20 days of the season. UTA jumped all over the Bears to the tune of a 10-0 victory, setting the stage for a record-setting rest of the season.
 
UTA opened Southland Conference play three days later and swept a three-game series from McNeese State as part of a six-game winning streak to rebound from the 4-7 start. After stepping out of league play again, UTA clipped off another pair of Southland series sweeps over Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana to start SLC play 9-0 and move its overall record to 19-9.
 
The Mavs would eventually start Southland action with a 10-0 record before suffering a loss to Northwestern State in mid-March. Unfazed, the club rattled off six-consecutive wins to move its record to 16-1 and never looked back en route to a 23-4 conference record – good for the second Southland Regular Season Championship in program history by 1 ½ games over Texas State (21-5-1).
 
UTA carried that momentum into Southland Tournament in Natchitoches, La., where it promptly won four games in three days. The Mavs opened with a 3-2 win over Sam Houston State before taking down Northwestern State, 4-0, and Nicholls State, 7-4 – which was a two-out, walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 7th by Autumn Petrino to advance to the championship game. There, UTA once again defeated Nicholls, this time by a score of 6-2, to earn its first – and only – Southland Tournament Championship.
 
Playing in an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, UTA was seeded 7th out of 8 teams in the Gainesville Regional and faced Oklahoma (which finished the season ranked #5 in the nation), Florida State (#19), Florida and Oregon State (both of which received votes in the final poll).
 
Undeterred, the Mavs – behind the right arm of 2003 Southland Pitcher of the Year and Tournament MVP Katy Cox – shut out Florida State, 1-0, in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game to snap the Seminoles' nation-best 27-game winning streak.
 
That, incredibly enough, set up a rematch of the season opener between UTA and Florida. This time, though, it was the Mavs getting the upper hand as they took down the regional hosts, blanking the Gators on their home field, 2-0.
 
Unfortunately, UTA would fall short in the winner's-bracket final to Oklahoma, 6-2, forcing the Mavs into a matchup with Oregon State for the right to once again face the Sooners for the Regional Championship. However, the Mavs dropped the contest to the Beavers, 2-0, bringing an end to the most decorated season in program history.
 
But a decorated season doesn't come without terrific coaching or decorated players, and that exactly what UTA had on its 2003 roster. Hedrick earned Southland Coach of the Year honors as the Mavs led the league in ERA (1.53) and fielding percentage (.966).
 
Cox led the Southland with a 1.31 ERA. Melanie Williams led all Southland players in batting average with an even .400, and in the field did not make a single error to also pace the SLC with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Falon Kwasnick ranked 1st in the Southland in putouts with 387.
 
Individually, Beverly Rowan was named Southland Utility Player of the Year as she split time at designated player and outfield, hitting .306 with 33 RBI and going a perfect 6-6 in stolen-base attempts. Williams, who led the league with 22 sacrifice hits, while joined Cox on the First Team; Kwasnick landed on the Second Team along with Rowan (designated player) and pitcher Jill Garro, who posted a 1.83 ERA in 27 appearances. Crystal Krebs earned a Third Team spot after hitting .284, and Rowan also garnered a Third Team selection as an outfielder. Additionally, joining Cox on the All-Tournament Team were Petrino, Williams and Rowan.