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Former Ooltewah Owl Boseman part of history as James Madison softball stuns No. 1 Oklahoma
Former Ooltewah Owls softball standout Kayla Boseman has helped the James Madison Dukes to their best season in program history including an upset victory over No. 1 Oklahoma in Game 1 of the College World Series. (Courtesy: @jmusoftball/Instagram)

Former Ooltewah Owl Boseman part of history as James Madison softball stuns No. 1 Oklahoma

OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (BVM) — History was made as James Madison softball left fielder Kate Gordon closed her glove around the ball for the third out in the bottom of the eight inning in the Dukes game against No. 1 Oklahoma on Thursday. The out finalized not only the first College World Series victory for the Dukes’ program, but also marked one of the biggest upsets in CWS history as they became the first unseeded team to win Game 1 since 2008. One Dukes member also has a deep connection with the Ooltewah community as former Ooltewah High School softball standout Kayla Boseman was with the team during the historic victory.

During her time with the Owls, Boseman became one of the best softball prospects in the entire country. Boseman would start off her Owls career with a bang, earning MaxPreps freshman All-American honors while also earning the platform’s National Freshman of the Year. She also earned other national recognition as a back-to-back finalist for the Tennessee Softball Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. She would also earn state honors by being named all-district and all-state by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association three times each.

By the time she was a senior, Boseman was a Division I commodity.  The stellar pitcher was ranked the 39th recruit of the 2018 class by FloSoftball, giving her plenty of collegiate choices to choose from. She would ultimately commit to Mississippi State straight out of high school where she’d play for a season, pitching 32.2 innings with a 4.29 ERA as a freshman.

Following that season, Boseman would transfer to JMU in 2020 where she would pitch to a 2-4 record in the circle, pitching 24.2 innings and throwing 13 strikeouts. This season, Boseman would appear in one inning as a pitcher, giving up two runs, though neither was earned, and a hit and a walk each. At the plate, Boseman has played in 13 games with two starts where she had 12 at-bats for two hits, one home run and two RBIs.

While she may not have played the most significant role on the Dukes team, Boseman’s production has proven to be crucial for the most historic team in James Madison history. With JMU still rolling in the College World Series, Owls fans should keep an eye on their hometown hero in the No. 99 purple uniform.