By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the NCAA closed out the record books for the 2023-24 academic year on Tuesday, Tennessee Tech Softball came away with a statistical champion as Mac Fitzgerald led all of Division I softball in stolen bases per game.
Fitzgerald, a native of Portland, Tenn., finished the 2024 season with an average of 0.87 stolen bases per game, beating out Denver Lauer (USC Upstate, 0.81), Kaliyah Gipson (Jackson State, 0.77), Megan Delgadillo (Cal State Fullerton, 0.76) and Anna Dethlefson (UC Davis, 0.75) for the honor.
The speedy Tech second baseman also finished third in total stolen bases with 41 in 47 games, while Delgadillo had 44 stolen bases in 58 games and Lauer 43 swipes in 53 contests.
Fitzgerald is the fourth player for the Golden Eagle program all-time to earn NCAA statistical champion honors, joining TTU Sports Hall of Famers Melanie Marshall (RBI [41] in 1986), Beth Boden (home runs [25], total bases [177] in 2007) and Stephanie Fischer (home runs [27], home runs per game [0.43], slugging percentage [1.019] in 2008).
She stole four bases in the team's finale in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament contest against Southern Indiana, tying Stacy Hughes' record of four – set against Penn in 1996. Fitzgerald also had 11 games with multiple stolen bases this past season.
Fitzgerald's 41 steals this season is third in program history for a single campaign – behind Hughes' 44 in 1997 and 42 in 1996. She also finished her career third in program history in stolen bases, trailing Hughes (131) and Melody Christian (89).
