America 250: Vote on Treasure Coast's all-time best from softball
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Between state champions, national champions and stars that have shined on the high school and college level, softball is an important part of the athletic fabric on the Treasure Coast.
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USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time in conjunction with the United States' 250th anniversary.
Additionally, the USA TODAY Network will highlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states. This will include trailblazers and trendsetters whose influence reaches beyond championships and statistics. First, we are going to take a look at athletes in their individual sports.
This week, we're honoring the stars of baseball. It was no easy task to narrow this list down with so many impactful figures hailing from the Treasure Coast.
Listed in alphabetical order, the players on the list were all high school standouts before moving on while the coaches were all champions at their respective level.
Dale Atkinson
The first person on this list has guided Indian River State College to national prominence through his 26 years as head coach. The Martin County High School graduate led the Lady Pioneers to NJCAA National Championships in 2002 and 2024 while winning 79 percent of his games. IRSC has won 18 Southern Conference Championships, four Florida state titles, six FCCAA region 8 crowns and recorded six top-five finishes in the NJCAA Tournament. A former NFCA Coach of the Year, Atkinson has been inducted into the FSCAA Hall of Fame and IRSC Hall of Fame.
Shannon Cowart
Cowart was at the center of the area’s first state high school softball title. After leading John Carroll Catholic to state-runner up finish in 1995, Cowart was the best player on the Rams’ Class 3A state title in 1996. That season, she posted a 23-5 record with an 0.47 ERA with eight shutouts and 252 strikeouts. Through three seasons with the Rams, Cowart went 60-10 with an 0.55 ERA, 26 shutouts and 602 strikeouts. She was named to the 3A Player of the Year as a junior, captured area Player of the Year honors twice and earned a spot on the All-State First Team twice. Cowart played collegiately at Broward Community College and Keiser.
Jennifer Drawdy
Before Cowart, Drawdy was the standard at John Carroll. She was a four-year starter for the Rams at shortstop, ending her career with a superb senior campaign in 1993. That year, Drawdy was named to the All-State First Team after batting .532 with nine home runs, 19 extra-base hits and 53 RBIs and 35 runs scored. She was also the first area player to participate in the FACA All-Star Game, taking MVP honors. Drawdy later played for Babe Ruth League baseball the following summer before playing softball collegiately at Florida State.
Jenny Gladding
Arguably the most decorated player on our list has left a lasting legacy both at the high school and college levels. Gladding’s remarking journey started at Martin County High School, where totaled eye-popping numbers and produced a Class 5A state title as a freshman. She posted a career record of 91-8 with 1,454 strikeouts, an 0.23 ERA, which was lowered to 0.06 in the postseason, 30 no-hitters, 55 shutouts and 87 games of 10 or more strikeouts. At the plate, Gladding batted .412 with 14 home runs, 58 extra-base hits and 126 RBIs. Gladding was named to the All-State First Team four times and the area’s Player of the Year on three occasions.
Following her prep career, Gladding went to pitch in the NCAA Women’s College World Series twice for Arizona, winning a national title in 2001 and finishing as a national runner-up in 2002. She later starred at Florida in 2003 and 2004, earning her time there with numerous career and season records. Gladding was inducted to the UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Sam Harrell
Prior to playing at the college level at East Tennessee State and Bowling Green, Harrell was a standout pitcher for the Okeechobee High School softball team. She was named TCPalm’s Player of the Year, the Class 7A Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the All-State First Team after leading the Brahmans to a district title and the regional finals in 2012. In that season, she posted a 14-4 record with an 1.26 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 150 1/3 innings pitched. She was named to the All-State Second Team as a junior and ended her time with 709 strikeouts and a career ERA of 0.88.
Roger Mathews
The first high school coach on this list accomplished many area firsts during his 35 seasons in the dugout. Mathews delivered the area’s first state title, guiding John Carroll Catholic to the Class 3A state title in 1996. Through his time with the Rams, and later Port St. Lucie and Lincoln Park Academy, he compiled a 572-290-2 record. Mathews’ teams had 10 seasons of 20 wins or more, 17 district titles, seven state appearances and two state runner-up finishes.
Jessica Mendenhall
This slugger not only made her mark at Port St. Lucie High School, but was a key figure in IRSC’s first run to a national championship. Mendenhall was crowned the area’s Player of the Year in 2001 after batting .485 with 11 doubles, 18 RBIs and 14 runs scored while posting a 6-4 record with an 0.15 ERA and 159 strikeouts through 92 1/3 innings pitched. She originally was signed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs, but instead opted to join the Lady Pioneers in 2002, when she batted .402 as a freshman third baseman and earned All-America First Team honors. Mendenhall was also on the roster in 2005 when the team finished as the national runner-up.
Lori Miller
Miller compiled an immaculate resume during her time coaching Martin County, Jensen Beach and Port St. Lucie. Her career head coaching record stands at 438-280 with eight 20-win seasons, eight district titles, 14 regional appearances, six regional finals, two final fours and one state title with the Tigers in 1997, which was the first softball state championship for an area public school.
Lisa Newman
Newman was the engine behind the best season in Fort Pierce Westwood history as she led the Panthers to a Class 3A state runner-up finish in 2002 as a sophomore. She posted a 16-7 record with 324 strikeouts, an 0.30 ERA and four no-hitters while batting .483 en route to being named the Palm Beach Post’s Large Schools Co-Player of the Year. Following an injury-plagued junior campaign, Newman responded with a senior season with a 14-5 record and 218 strikeouts to take Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers Player of the Year. In both seasons, Newman was named to the 3A All-State First Team. She later took her talents to IRSC, where she helped the Lady Pioneers finish as the national runner-up in 2005 and third in 2006.
Ashley Rosado
Daughter of John Carroll Catholic head coach Rico Rosado, Ashley Rosado was the leader behind the Rams’ second state title in 2017. That year, she was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 3A Player of the Year as she went 15-4 with a 1.57 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 125 innings pitched while batting .438 with five home runs, 30 RBIs and 48 runs scored. Ashley Rosado was twice named to the 3A All-State First Team and twice a finalist for TCPalm’s Player of the Year, winning the award in 2017. She played collegiately at Southeastern Community College in Iowa before wrapping up her collegiate career at St. Thomas.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vote on Treasure Coast's all-time best from softball