Former Bucs making impact at Birmingham-Southern

The Birmingham-Southern College softball team put together one of its best seasons in school history in 2019, with a roster consisting almost entirely of players from Alabama, including three from the city of Hoover.

Shelby Lowery, Paige Williamson and Mallory Mus — all graduates of Hoover High School — played roles for a Panthers team that finished with a 35-7 record and advanced to a regional final in the NCAA Division III tournament. 

All of them were in their first year at Birmingham-Southern, Williamson and Mus as true freshman and Lowery a transfer after playing two years at the University of Montevallo. Lowery was initially apprehensive of joining a new program, but those concerns were quickly quelled.

“I was pretty nervous,” she said. “Everybody just accepted everybody. We were all kind of on the same level. It was a lot easier than I expected.”

Throughout the season, Lowery served as the Panthers’ primary pinch-hit option off the bench. While not in a starting role, Lowery said there was no resentment. That mindset permeated the entire team and set the stage for its success.

“My role this year wasn’t a starter and I was perfectly OK with that,” she said. “A lot of that had to do with the girls. We all accepted our roles, no matter what they were.”

The season didn’t just start for the Panthers when the actual games began. The groundwork was laid in the fall, with tough workouts and the development of a strong team bond.

“[Head coach Kimball Cassady] had us doing the hardest workouts I’ve ever done,” Lowery said. “She pushed us to our limits and that helped us grow as a team. It made our team chemistry even better. Her and [assistant coach Jeff Gillespie] had everything focused around God and God’s purpose for us.”

Lowery said Cassady also instilled in her the confidence needed to thrive in a pinch-hitting role, which is regarded as one of the toughest roles for a softball or baseball player. For the year, Lowery hit for a .250 average and drove in seven runs.

During the season, the Panthers went on a 21-game winning streak. They won the Southern Athletic Association regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Marshall Regional at East Texas Baptist University. 

Throughout the long stretch of wins, Lowery said the number of consecutive victories would be mentioned occasionally, but there was never much time or energy spent dwelling on it.

Birmingham-Southern was eliminated from the regional after a pair of losses to Texas Lutheran, the team that went on to win the national championship. Sandwiched between those defeats was an upset win over East Texas Baptist.

“It helps to say that we’ve been there,” Lowery said of the postseason experience. “We know what it takes to make it this far and we know what it takes to make it further.”

Lowery started the final two games of the season at first base — a position she transitioned to this year after playing second base most of her career — following an injury to starter Savannah Lee. Despite the unfortunate circumstance, Lowery is hopeful those two starts are a preview of what’s ahead for her senior year.

“I’m working toward being a more consistent hitter,” she said. “My goal is to get on base the majority of the time. … I want to be a great first baseman and I love it.”

Mus saw most of her action through the year as a pinch runner, scoring 15 runs and stealing five bases in 32 games. Williamson battled injury and appeared in 13 contests. Both could see their roles increase next season as well.