Casey (Jones) Cottrill
Casey (Jones) Cottrill
  • Year:
    2014

Bio

A winner on the field and in the classroom, Casey (Jones) Cottrill was inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Cottrill was a two-sport standout at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School in Wichita prior to attending Cowley. At Kapaun, she was named an All-City basketball and softball player her senior season.

Following her stellar high school career, she decided to attend Cowley College since the school provided her the team opportunity to play both sports. Cottrill helped the Cowley basketball team finish with a record of 25-7 as a freshman. As a sophomore, she decided to solely concentrate on playing softball. As a member of the Lady Tiger softball team, she was named an All-American catcher during the 1993 season as she batted .353 with an on base percentage of .431.

Following her stellar freshman campaign, Cottrill helped the Cowley softball team achieve what was at the time a school-record 38 wins in the 1994 season.

“My sophomore softball team was full of great athletes and personalities meshed well together,” Cottrill said. “I believe that if you have a good pitcher and catcher, your team has one up on all others.”

As a sophomore, she led Cowley with a .427 batting average and an on base percentage of .621. Cowley head coach Ed Hargrove was not surprised by Cottrill’s success during her two years at the school.

“She was probably the first high profile catcher we signed into the program,” Hargrove said. “So many freshmen can come in and have outstanding freshmen years and then have their numbers fall off statistically as sophomores because they put so much pressure on themselves, but that didn’t happen to Casey.”

Cottrill enjoyed the opportunity to attend Cowley College and play for Hargrove.

“Ed inspired me to play the game of softball to the best of my ability,” Cottrill said. “My experience at Cowley was amazing. This was the first time away from home and I had the time of my life. I made many friends, experienced many amazing things with both sports and finally learned that softball was my sport to pursue.”

After Cowley, Cottrill was offered a full scholarship to Mercer University, but only stayed one year. She completed her softball career at Neman University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1997. She earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Wichita State University in May, 2013.

Cottrill has served as a preschool, kindergarten, and first grade instructor and is currently teaching kindergarten with USD 385 Andover Public Schools district.

In 2000, she married Jeff Cottrill, whom she met as a student at Cowley College. In 2001, the couple welcomed their first child, Julia, and in 2003, they welcomed their second child, Carson. The family resides in Wichita.

Being named to the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame is an honor that Cottrill does not take lightly.

“I know during my time at Cowley I met many great athletes and I feel honored to be selected as a part of this great honor,” Cottrill said. “I know that Cowley College was an important part of my life and a part of who I am today. I will always be grateful to Ed Hargrove for allowing me to play softball for him since I was at Cowley on a Basketball scholarship. I also owe so much to my parents for allowing me to play all the sports that I did in order to get to where I was at the beginning of my college career. I understand now how much time and dedication it took from my parents to prepare me for the college level as I now spend many, many hours on the sidelines of a football or softball field enjoying the time with my children.”

At the time of her All-American selection in 1993, Cottrill was just the fifth Lady Tiger softball player to be named All-American. Since then, the softball program has had 33 more players receive such an honor.

“She was a hard-nosed player that you knew you were going to get your best from each time out,” Hargrove said. “She was one of the early stars we had and a trailblazer in the program. It is good to see the success she had recognized.”