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Shellie Cousins
Former NCAA All-American, two-time ASUN Player of the Year and National Pro Fastpitch star Shellie Cousins was named the seventh head coach in Stetson University softball history on Monday, July 26, 2021 and enters her third season leading the Hatters during the 2023 season.
The third youngest head coach in Division I during the 2022 season, Cousins, 28, poured her passion and energy into guiding her hometown team during her first season as head coach, after serving the past two seasons (2020-21) as an assistant coach to Frank Griffin, who retired in May 29, 2021 following a 25-year career with the Hatters.
Cousins won her first collegiate game as Stetson's head coach on Feb. 11, 2022 with an 8-2 victory over Georgia State - one of four Stetson softball head coaches to with their coaching debut. Her impact at the helm was felt all year, as the team improved overall from the previous season. The 21 wins in 2022 was 13 more than the year prior, while Stetson also won more road games (5) and league games (10) than in 2021 as well (2, 3). The last time the Hatters won more than 20 games in a season was 2018 (26), more than five road games was 2014 (11) and more than 10 ASUN games was 2014 (17).
There was an increase in wins in 2022, but it did not come at the expense of shying away from tough competition as Cousins scheduled the Hatters to face five ranked teams in 2022, the second most ever in a single season (1999), and the three contests against top 10 teams tied for the most (1998).
The 2022 Hatters also started the ASUN season strong, winning their first two league series for the first time since 2015 and registered its first three-game sweep of a league opponent - over Florida Gulf Coast April 9-10, 2022 - since 2015 as well, April 18-19, 2015 versus Northern Kentucky. Stetson then finished the regular season with a 7-6 come-back win at Liberty on May 6, handing the Flames (the ASUN regular-season and tournament champions) their lone conference loss of the year.
Going into 2023, Cousins made sure to again schedule tough competition in the season as the Hatters faced would once again face off against five ranked teams. Stetson would go on two win two of those matchups as they would defeat #23 UCF as well as #16 Georgia. During the season the team would even garner votes towards getting ranked. Cousins would continue building the win total as the Hatters would once again win more games the year before finish with a .500 conference and overall record. The Hatters 28 wins would be the most since 2016 for the program.
During a decorated four-year collegiate career at USC Upstate, Cousins set Division I school records in numerous categories, including batting average (.389), runs (218), hits (264), doubles (54), home runs (70), RBI (198), on-base percentage (.465), and slugging pct. (.805).
The catcher/outfielder was named ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2012, ASUN Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, a first team All-Region performer in 2012 and 2014, a second team All-Region selection in 2013 and 2015, and a third team NFCA All-American in 2014.
She set the conference all-time record with 218 runs scored and ranked among the top 10 all-time ASUN leaders in hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. She slugged 23 home runs as a senior en route her fourth straight first team ASUN all-conference selection, and she helped USC Upstate reach the NCAA Tournament in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Following her career with the Spartans, Cousins was drafted 23rd overall by Akron in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch draft. She played three seasons for the Racers, earning all-NPF team honors in 2017. She ranked among the league leaders in runs, hits, home runs, RBI, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and stolen bases that season while helping Akron reach the NPF Championship series.
In 2018, Cousins hit seven home runs with the Cleveland Comets, bring her career total to 24.
In addition to playing professionally, Cousins served as an assistant coach for North Greenville University from 2015-18. She assisted with all facets of the softball program, including recruiting, scheduling, budgeting, team travel, academics, and on-field coaching. She helped guide the Crusaders to their first conference championship in school history in 2017.
Cousins moved up to the Division I coaching ranks in 2018 when she served as an assistant coach at Furman University, again helping administer numerous areas of the Paladins’ softball program.
At DeLand High School, Cousins garnered a myriad of career accomplishments, including FHSAA 6A Offensive Player of the Year, Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Player of the Year, BrightHouse Networks Player of the Year, Daytona Beach News-Journal Athlete of the Year and a two-time Volusia County Player of the Year.
Cousins earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from USC Upstate in 2015. In 2017, she completed her MBA from North Greenville. She married Ben Cousins, Stetson's Assistant Director of Athletics for Facilities and Operations, on September 2, 2022.
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