{"id":18879,"date":"2025-10-23T15:30:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T19:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=18879"},"modified":"2025-10-23T15:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T19:30:12","slug":"wildcat-softball-named-delaware-team-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2025\/10\/23\/wildcat-softball-named-delaware-team-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildcat Softball Named Delaware Team of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The record-breaking Wilmington University softball team was named the 2024 Delaware Team of the Year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (DSBA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2024 squad set a program record with 46 wins, going 46-16 overall. They won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Regular Season, the CACC Tournament Championship, the NCAA Division II East Region I Tournament, and the Division II East Super Regional Series \u2014 all for the second year in a row \u2014 and advanced to their second straight Division II Softball Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wildcats became the first Wilmington program to win a game at an NCAA finals site, defeating Augustana, 5-2, and finishing the World Series with a 1-2 record. They finished ranked No. 5 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Head Coach <strong>Mike Shehorn<\/strong>, a Delaware native, led the program to back-to-back Division II World Series appearances with a home-grown team, featuring 12 Delaware student-athletes on the 2024 roster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBeing that I\u2019m a Delaware guy, born and raised in Kent County and now being up here coaching,\u201d says Shehorn, \u201cthis is something that I never even expected. I\u2019ve just seen so many great teams at different levels get that honor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the first Wilmington University team and the sixth college squad to win the DSBA award since its introduction in 1999. The Wildcats join the 2005 Wesley College NCAA Division III football semifinalists and four University of Delaware teams: the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA champion football team, the 2007 NCAA Tournament Final Four men\u2019s lacrosse team, the 2011 CAA champion men\u2019s soccer team, and the 2016 NCAA title-winning field hockey squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wildcats were honored during&nbsp;the DSBA\u2019s annual awards luncheon&nbsp;on Presidents Day, Feb. 17, at Riverfront Events on the Wilmington Riverfront. <strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2014 Bob Yearick<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45{margin-top:0em;}.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1290px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:0em;padding-right:0em;padding-bottom:0em;padding-left:0em;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}.wu-text-col,.wu-img-col {\tmin-height: 114px;}.wu-text-col &gt; div,.wu-img-col &gt; div {\tflex: 1;}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18046_b8b324-45 alignnone FULL wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-right-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-middle kb-theme-content-width\">\n<style>.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 figure.image-is-svg {-webkit-margin-after: 1em;  margin-block-end: 1em;}img[src$=\".svg\"] {  max-width: 220px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18046_74cd32-05 kb-section-dir-horizontal wu-img-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image18046_ccb11d-1f:not(.kb-image-is-ratio-size) .kb-img, .kb-image18046_ccb11d-1f.kb-image-is-ratio-size{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-image18046_ccb11d-1f .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image18046_ccb11d-1f image-is-svg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"230\" height=\"120\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilmu-cta-logo-wu.svg\" alt=\"Wilm U post footer logo\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-17727\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col > .wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:#eeeeee;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}.kt-row-column-wrap &gt; .wp-block-kadence-column {align-self: stretch;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da &gt; div {  padding-block: 1em;}.kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da p:last-of-type {  -webkit-margin-after: 0;  margin-block-end: 0;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18046_24d7f6-da kb-section-dir-vertical wu-text-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"NoMargin\" style=\"font-size:1rem\"><em>Want to read more in-depth stories? Explore our latest <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/category\/magazine\/\">magazine articles<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The record-breaking Wilmington University softball team was named the 2024 Delaware Team of the Year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (DSBA). The 2024&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":18881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[1059,14,15],"class_list":["post-18879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","tag-magazine-fall-2025","tag-wilmington-university","tag-wilmu"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":1059,"label":"Magazine Fall 2025"},{"value":14,"label":"Wilmington University"},{"value":15,"label":"WilmU"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Wilmington-University-Softball-480x480.jpg",480,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"alyssa","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/alyssa\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":1059,"name":"Magazine Fall 2025","slug":"magazine-fall-2025","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1616,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":27,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":14,"name":"Wilmington University","slug":"wilmington-university","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":571,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":357,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":15,"name":"WilmU","slug":"wilmu","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":572,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":291,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18879"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18990,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18879\/revisions\/18990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}