Morrison softball clinches NUIC South title in first season

MORRISON — Playing their first season in the NUIC South, the Morrison Fillies weren’t exactly sure what to expect.

But they knew they wanted to win.

Led by senior ace pitcher and tone-setter Bella Duncan along with an improved offense, the Fillies made it happen Tuesday night with a 7-0 win over Milledgeville.

Duncan, a Western Michigan University recruit, pitched a two-hitter with 17 strikeouts and went 4 for 4 with an RBI as Morrison (16-4, 9-0) won its 11th straight game. The Fillies clinched the conference crown by handing Milledgeville (14-8, 7-2) a second loss in conference.

Junior catcher Allie Anderson had three RBIs.

“These past three years that I’ve been on the team, we’ve definitely grown each year,” she said. “So this is like a big title for us.”

The Fillies had some down years after taking third at state in 2017 under Tammy Deter, even going winless.

Morrison coach Chelsea Eads, a 2014 Morrison graduate who played for Deter, experienced plenty of winning in her playing days. Now she’s helping to lead the charge in her second year as head coach with a new conference title under her belt.

“They compete. They want to win,” she said of the team. “They want you to push them, and that’s exactly what you want as a coach.”

A big part of Tuesday’s win, she said Anderson and Duncan have grown as a duo.

“The way Anderson has improved on her catching skills with Bella Duncan [in the circle] has been absolutely incredible,” Eads said. “From watching her freshman year all the way to her junior year now is outstanding.”

Anderson said the team’s bats have been key this season backing up Duncan in the circle. Anderson leads the team in RBIs and is second to Duncan in hits.

“I definitely have a whole team to back me up every time I’m up to bat,” she said. “Even if I have an off night, they’re always there for me.”

She’s been a catcher the last few years and said she loves being behind the plate for Duncan.

“She has the most enthusiasm,” Anderson said. “If I get down, she’s there to pick me up, [and] I pick her up.”

Anderson said it can be a challenge catching for the fast-paced Duncan.

“It can be tough, because sometimes she likes to say she doesn’t even know where she’s pitching,” she said. “And if she doesn’t know, I definitely don’t know, so that’s always fun. I like it.”

Duncan said the team realized a conference title could be on the horizon when it got to 5-0 in the league. With a win over Amboy, they could sweep the league in their first season.

“Everyone wanted it really bad,” she said. “That’s what I think has taken us this far is every single person on the team wants it.”

Duncan relishes setting the tone at the leadoff spot or attacking hitters in the circle. She pitched her fifth no-hitter on Friday.

“I really look forward to being a leader on this team,” she said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to be the first one on base, to get the first strikeout, and that means a lot to me.”

She had a double, three singles and scored four runs Tuesday. She walked two in the game and hit a batter in the first inning, but her strikeout ability continued to offset any threats.

Milledgeville had a runner get to third in the sixth inning, but she struck out the next two batters.

“It kind of makes me focus a little harder and realize like, ‘All right, here you go, pick it up,’ ” she said. “And that’s what I did this game.”

She said Anderson’s catching and bat are a big part of the team’s success.

“I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for her, pitching-wise,” Duncan said. “She has come such a long way since her freshman year, and I wouldn’t want anyone else back there.”

Duncan said it was also special to see Eads coach the team to a conference title.

“She really pushed us today and really reminded us that we can do this, we just have to go out there and do it and want it,” she said. “She really motivated us to want it today.”

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Morrison’s Allie Anderson drives the ball to right for the Fillies first run of the game against Milledgeville Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Alex T. Paschal)