Carrie Kyne, a former Shawnee State alum who was a two-time all-conference infielder and was a part of the 1999 American Mideast Conference-winning Shawnee State softball team, returns for her second season inside the SSU softball program as a trusted assistant and tactician, having led the Bears to their best season in 25 years serving under head coach Kristen Bradshaw.
In 2025, Bradshaw led the Shawnee State softball program to back-to-back winning seasons as SSU finished 27-18. The program excelled in a massive way academically, with 22 of the team's 24 players obtaining GPAs above 3.0 and the program posting the maximum amount of players on the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Team for the second consecutive year under Bradshaw's direction, with Jenna Christopher, Bianca Belo-Diaz, Cameryn Davidson, Sierra Dunnagan and Mackenzie Hale all obtaining CSC Academic All-District honors.
Nationally, Davidson became the program's first-ever CSC-NAIA Academic All-American in its history -- as the designated player was named as a First-Team CSC-NAIA Academic All-American as a result of her efforts in the classroom.
On the field, a total of seven players were named as All-RSC talents, with Christopher, Davidson, Dunnagan and Hale all being named as First-Team All-RSC honorees and Genavie Espinoza, Emily Moore and Emma Wargel earning Second-Team All-RSC billing. Four of those seven honorees played an infield position in 2025 -- which Kyne primarily works with.
En route to a 36-11 overall record, Kyne was part of a coaching staff that led Shawnee State to the River States Conference's East Division Championship in SSU's first season inside the River States Conference. The program ultimately obtained a River States Conference Tournament Runner-Up finish. SSU led the conference in batting average (.341) and remained in the top-25 all season nationally in that category, with the 36 wins serving as the most by any Shawnee State group since SSU went 36-12 during Kyne's freshman season in 1999.
During the 2024 season, Shawnee State ripped off winning streaks of 10, seven, four and eight games in a row, won 13 of its 36 contests by mercy rule, posted 10 come-from-behind wins, notched a 6-2 overall record in one-run games and collected three walkoff victories in a six-day span, all while tying the fifth-most victories in a single season in program history.
Her infield expertise ultimately led to SSU producing in a high manner from an infield standpoint -- as four players, including Bianca Belo-Diaz, Sierra Dunnagan, Mackenzie Hale and Lauren Spears, were named as All-River States Conference honorees, with Dunnagan and Hale earning First-Team All-RSC honors and Dunnagan leading Shawnee State in hits, walks, RBI while finishing second on the team in batting average. Spears (.994 fielding percentage, one error in 170 defensive chances) and Hale (.985, four errors in 270 defensive chances) were SSU's top two defensive infielders.
Academically, the Shawnee State softball program continued its strong tradition of standing tall in the classroom. A total of 18 players of the 21 on the roster in 2024 finished with cumulative grade point averages above 3.0, and of those 18 players, 10 of them finished with cumulative GPAs above 3.5.
A total of seven individuals, including Cassie Berry, Cameryn Davidson, Mackenzie Hale, Haley Hawes, Lauren Spears, Allison Tom, and Emma Wargel, were each named as NAIA Scholar-Athletes while Berry, Spears, Tom, Amariah Hoerner and Bianca Belo-Diaz were named to the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Team for softball. Spears topped off the list of achievements by winning the program's first-ever conference-wide Champion of Character Award when she was bestowed with River States Conference Female Champion of Character honors on July 12, 2024.
Kyne, who played for Shawnee State from 1999 to 2002, was a part of three NAIA National Qualifying Tournament teams during her time at Shawnee State, as the Bears also qualified for NAIA postseason competition in 2001 and 2002 in addition to the 1999 season. Kyne was named as an Honorable Mention All-American Mideast Conference selection during her junior year in 2001, then stepped up her play to First-Team All-AMC status in 2002.
Kyne's past experiences include a distinguished career in education, where she has served as a teacher in the Wellston City School District and Scioto Valley (Piketon) Local School District, as well as a school psychologist at Minford. For the past decade, Kyne has served as the Executive Director of Special Education Programs and Psychology with the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center, and, during a six-year span, even served as a part-time Army National Guard Sergeant from February 2013 to March 2019, holding down two jobs with the Ohio Army National Guard and SCOESC for nearly five years.
Kyne ultimately graduated from SSU in 2002 with a bachelor's degree before advancing and obtaining a master's degree in school psychology at Dayton in 2008 and a education specialist master's in 2009 from Dayton, as well. In 2022, Kyne earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Cumberlands (Ky.).
"I'm thrilled to return to Shawnee State University to assist Coach Bradshaw," Kyne said. "She brings a ton of energy and excitement to the program and a wealth of knowledge about the game that our players and this program truly deserves. Shawnee State has a long-standing history of excellence and success in many of its athletic programs. This legacy is important to us, and we understand that it holds significant meaning for the players, coaches, and fans who worked so hard to establish it. We are committed to upholding that tradition and to supporting these young women in becoming the best versions of themselves both on and off the softball field. Each player on our team has the potential to leave Shawnee State University and go on to make significant impacts in their careers and communities. It's important to us to help provide them with the tools they need to fulfill that potential, and we cannot wait to get started."
