Shaw, Tyree sign to continue their softball careers

FULTON, Miss. – Julia Shaw and Riley Tyree have signed to continue their softball careers after their time at ICC. Shaw will stay in state and play at William Carey University while Tyree will return to her home state and play at the University of Montevallo.

Shaw, a pitcher from Hernando, led the team with 111 strikeouts while throwing five shutouts and posting a 3.14 earned run average in her final season at ICC. At the plate, she recorded six home runs and batted in 30 runs.

When talking about her time at ICC, Shaw said "it means everything" to her.

"My teammates are the best friends I could ever ask for and my coaches are the best role models I could ever ask for," Shaw said. "The campus is great. This is just exactly where I wanted to spend my first two years of school."

Shaw joins the Crusaders that compete in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) and are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Tyree, a catcher from Trussville, Ala., led the Indians with 43 runs batted in while posting a .347 batting average and also recording 70 put outs in her final season at ICC.

Although she is excited for the next level, Tyree spoke about what her time at ICC has meant to her.

"It means the world to me," Tyree said. "These were literally the best two years of my life. I've met my best friends here, had the best coaches here and I'm very thankful for that."

Tyree joins the Falcons that compete in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) and are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II member.

ICC head softball coach Kelly Beth Ernest spoke highly of the two signees and their contributions to the program over the past two years.

"Julia Shaw and Riley Tyree have been big parts of this program since I've been here the past few years," Ernest said. "I think I've written three lineups in total without Riley Tyree in it, so on the field and off the field, Riley has been a quiet leader, but really shows up at the plate and on defense. Julia, on the other hand, is just a spitfire. She's ready to go, has all the confidence in the world, and she's given a lot of confidence to her teammates because of that."