General | 7/15/2025 1:00:00 PM

OXFORD, Ohio- The River States Conference is pleased to announce the selection of the softball team at Shawnee State University as the 2024-25 recipient of the River States Conference Women's Team of Character Award. The Bears were selected after a vote from the athletic directors of the River States Conference.

The RSC Team of Character awards honor one men's and one women's team each year for their exemplary character and sportsmanship on the field, on campus and in the community. A deserving team demonstrates the NAIA's five core character values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership. The award is patterned after the national team of character award presented by the NAIA.

Over the last year, members of the Shawnee State softball program, or the entire team, have participated in or volunteered to work community events such as the Bear Run, which raises funds to support the community and the university’s athletic department, Portsmouth River Days, which offers live music, a grand parade, a pageant, children's activities, spectacular fireworks, and delicious food, participated in the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation 5K Tombstone Trot, which raises proceeds for the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation who restores, preserves and enhances the beauty, architectural integrity, monuments and horticulture of the cemetery through those funds, and have also volunteered their time at the Battle of the Paddles Pickleball Memorial Tournament at Mound Park, which raised money for the Southern Ohio Medical Center’s Cancer Center Compassion Fund.

The SSU softball program has also had members of its squad volunteer to give private softball lessons either at Fox Head Development in Wheelersburg, Ohio or at local softball fields around the area on their own time.

Lastly, the Shawnee State softball program made all these dedications to the community while continuing to excel in other areas. Athletically, Shawnee State finished the season 27-18 and has gone 63-29 overall over the last two years, while setting the program record for the number of student-athletes that posted a 3.25 or above academically. This past season, posted the third-highest team GPA in the athletic department (3.64) and set a program record for the number of student- athletes that were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes, as 11 individuals were honored by the NAIA as a result.

The Bears will now be considered for the national Team of Character award, given out annually by the NAIA and sponsored by the NAIA's Conference Commissioners Association.