Written by Spencer Aiello // Photo by Balazs Balassa
Senior Nicole Shano made Harding history Sunday, April 2, when she hit a home run in a Great American Conference (GAC) game against Henderson State University as a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth inning, breaking the Lady Bisons softball team’s home run record of 31 home runs.
The record is one that has been fought over before in recent times. The previous holder of the record was Peyton Mills who recorded the 31st home run in 2019. Before Mills, teammates Kimmy Hendricks and Amanda Berdon held and fought for the record in 2017.
Shano now holds the record for most career home runs during their time at Harding with 32 home runs. She is not the only current Lady Bison on the career home run list, however; she is joined by senior Hanna Jones, sophomore Emma Curry and junior Chelsea Blankenship. Jones sits sixth all-time with 18. Curry and Blankenship are tied for seventh at 15 each.
Shano said she came in not knowing what her time was going to be like at Harding.
“I had no idea if I was ever going to break records,” Shano said. “I just didn’t know how it was going to play out.”
Shano explained how important the moment of hitting the home run and the moments afterward were to her.
“I was running from first to second, and I was so cheerful,” Shano said. “But I remember as soon as I hit second base and went all the way home, I had tears rolling down my face as I was running the bases because just in that moment, I knew I broke the record, and I knew I did it in probably one of the worst mental states I’ve ever been in while playing in a game.”
Shano wanted to give praise to her teammates for getting her to this moment and for what they have meant to her.
“I just know I can always go to them and talk to them about things, and they always know what to say to me,” Shano said. “I just think knowing that I have so much support outside of whatever happens between the lines has been the biggest mental changer for me.”
Softball head coach Ashley Reeves described what kind of attitude and work ethic Shano has.
“Nicole is one of the top players,” Reeves said. “She’s going to compete. She wants to win. She wants to do well.”
Reeves said Shano has benefited the softball program.
“We’re really proud of Nicole and what she’s done for this program these last three years and this year,” Reeves said.
The softball team has continued to stay hot as the end of the regular season nears, having swept Ouachita Baptist University at home this past Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8. The Lady Bisons then beat Arkansas Tech University April 11.
The wins moved their overall record to 34-9 and their GAC record to 19-5.
Assistant coach Chris Wiman reinforced the motto of expanding ideas in terms of what the program has done.
“It’s ‘How can we do something that the program’s never done?’” Wiman said. “That’s the focus.”
Wiman shared what he thinks the future of the program will look like in the future years.
“I think we’re on pace to exceed every other year except [2017], and they went to a Super Regionals that year,” Wiman said. “In reality, with the exclusion of that one year, we’re trying to do something the program hasn’t ever done.”
