Stetson University Athletics

Shellie Cousins was named the seventh head coach in Stetson Softball history on July 26, 2021 after spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the Hatters… A DeLand native, former NCAA All-American and professional softball standout, Cousins has continued building her hometown program while returning Stetson to championship and NCAA postseason competition. Her tenure reached a new level in 2026 as the Hatters captured the ASUN Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional… Stetson then defeated No. 9 Florida State, 8-3, for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014. Cousins began her tenure as head coach with an immediate improvement in the Stetson program… The Hatters won 21 games in 2022, a 13-win improvement from the previous season, while also increasing their road and conference win totals. Stetson won its first two ASUN series for the first time since 2015 and recorded its first three-game conference sweep since 2015 with a sweep of FGCU… The Hatters closed the regular season with a 7-6 comeback victory at Liberty, handing the eventual ASUN regular-season and tournament champion its only conference loss of the season. The upward trend continued in 2023 as Stetson finished with 28 victories, its most since 2016… The Hatters also defeated nationally ranked UCF and Georgia and received votes in the national polls during the season. Stetson returned to the top of the ASUN in 2026, capturing the program's sixth conference tournament championship with a 4-0 victory over Central Arkansas… The title was the Hatters' first ASUN Tournament Championship since 2014 and secured Stetson's return to the NCAA Tournament. Hayley Arnold delivered a complete-game shutout in the championship game and was named ASUN Tournament MVP after throwing 11.1 consecutive scoreless innings during the tournament. Arnold was joined by Ava Braswell, Nicole Edmiaston and Irianis Garcia on the ASUN All-Tournament Team. The Hatters carried their championship momentum into the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, opening tournament play with an 8-3 victory over No. 9 Florida State… The win marked Stetson's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014 and sent the Hatters into the winner's bracket. Stetson produced 12 hits and two home runs against the Seminoles… Amber Chumley finished with three hits, four RBI and a home run, while Logan Forman added a two-run home run. Arnold earned the victory in the circle before Braswell closed the game with two scoreless innings of relief. The victory also featured another program milestone as Garcia scored her 54th run of the season to establish a new Stetson single-season record. The 2026 campaign marked the most significant season of Cousins' tenure to date… Stetson captured the ASUN Tournament Championship, advanced to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional and earned a postseason victory over nationally ranked Florida State. Following the NCAA Regional opener, the Hatters had recorded 37 victories on the season while producing one of the most memorable postseason runs in program history. Cousins' tenure at Stetson has included continued development throughout the lineup and pitching staff… The 2026 postseason highlighted that depth as multiple Hatters played significant roles throughout the team's championship and NCAA Tournament runs. Arnold was named ASUN Tournament MVP, while Arnold, Braswell, Edmiaston and Garcia earned ASUN All-Tournament recognition. The NCAA Regional victory over Florida State also included Garcia's program-record 54th run of the season, reflecting another individual milestone during the championship campaign. Cousins earned her first collegiate victory as Stetson's head coach on Feb. 11, 2022, with an 8-2 win over Georgia State… She became one of four head coaches in program history to win their Stetson coaching debut. The Hatters faced five nationally ranked opponents during her first season, tied for the second-most ranked matchups on a Stetson schedule at the time… Three games came against top-10 opponents. Despite the difficult schedule, Stetson posted its strongest conference start in several years and closed the regular season by handing Liberty its only ASUN loss. Cousins began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at North Greenville University from 2015-18 while also competing professionally. She assisted with recruiting, scheduling, budgeting, team travel, academics and on-field coaching… During her tenure, Cousins helped guide North Greenville to the first conference championship in program history in 2017. Cousins moved into the Division I coaching ranks in 2018 when she joined the Furman University softball staff as an assistant coach… Her responsibilities included several areas of the Paladins' program before she returned home to DeLand and joined the Stetson staff. Cousins' coaching career includes stops at Stetson, Furman and North Greenville… Her résumé includes conference championships as both a head coach and assistant coach along with NCAA postseason experience. Before beginning her coaching career, Cousins put together one of the most decorated playing careers in ASUN history at USC Upstate… She was named ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2012 before earning back-to-back ASUN Player of the Year honors in 2014 and 2015. Cousins was a four-time First Team All-ASUN selection and earned NFCA All-Region honors in each of her four collegiate seasons… She was named a Third Team NFCA All-American in 2014. During her career, Cousins established USC Upstate Division I records in batting average (.389), runs (218), hits (264), doubles (54), home runs (70), RBI (198), on-base percentage (.465) and slugging percentage (.805). She also established the ASUN career record with 218 runs scored and ranked among the conference's all-time leaders in hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. Cousins slugged 23 home runs as a senior and helped USC Upstate reach three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2013-15. Following her collegiate career, Cousins was selected 23rd overall by the Akron Racers in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch Draft… She spent three seasons with Akron before competing for the Cleveland Comets. Cousins earned All-NPF honors in 2017 while helping Akron advance to the NPF Championship Series… She ranked among the league leaders in runs, hits, home runs, RBI, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and stolen bases during the season. In 2018, Cousins hit seven home runs for Cleveland to bring her professional career total to 24. A DeLand native, Cousins starred at DeLand High School before beginning her collegiate career… Her prep honors included FHSAA Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year, Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Player of the Year, Bright House Networks Player of the Year and Daytona Beach News-Journal Athlete of the Year. She was also a two-time Volusia County Player of the Year before continuing her career at USC Upstate. Cousins earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science from USC Upstate in 2015… She completed her Master of Business Administration from North Greenville University in 2017. Cousins married Ben Cousins in September 2022.