SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Former Chattanooga softball player Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse has been selected for induction into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame. She is the fourth member of the Class of 2022 to be announced this week, as the league will announce one member of the 2022 induction class each day from May 16-20.
 
One of the most prolific hitters in league history, LaCourse played for the Mocs from 2008-12 and was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012 and the SoCon Female Athlete of the Year in 2011-12, becoming the first and still only softball player to win the award. One of just five four-time first-team All-SoCon selections in league annals, LaCourse took the honor at first base in 2008 and 2009 and designated player in 2011 and 2012 after missing the majority of the 2010 season with injury. She also earned second-team honors at pitcher in 2009.
 
Ten years after the conclusion of her career, Fuzzard ranks fifth in SoCon history with a .371 career batting average, while her 216 RBIs are a league record by an even 30 and she’s tied for the career lead with 13 sacrifice flies. She’s tied for second in doubles with 56 and ranks in the top 10 in hits (267), home runs (43), walks (104), total bases (452), on-base percentage (.456) and games played (243).
 
LaCourse also made her mark on the SoCon’s single-season record book with several appearances in those top-10 lists, including setting the league record with 74 RBIs in 2011 and turning in the second-best on-base (.543) and slugging (.846) percentages in SoCon history in 2012. Her .416 batting average that year ranks third in a season in UTC history and is in the SoCon’s top 10.
 
The Huntington Beach, California, native exceled in all three phases of the game, leading the league with 18 pitching wins in 2011 and ranking eighth in Chattanooga history with 47 for her career. LaCourse also fielded her position, ranking second in UTC history with a career .992 fielding percentage.
 
LaCourse helped Chattanooga to SoCon regular-season titles from 2008-11 and tournament titles in 2008, 2009 and 2011, participating in NCAA Regional play those three seasons. The Mocs went a combined 40-5 in SoCon play over her final two seasons, becoming the first team to win 20 league games in a season and then the first to do it twice. UTC went 44-14 overall in 2011, with that winning percentage of .759 a school record that still stands.
 
A member of the league's 100th Anniversary Team, a two-time NFCA All-South Region second-team selection and a three-time SoCon All-Tournament Team pick, LaCourse was named the SoCon Player of the Week eight times in her career, second-most in league history, and SoCon Player of the Month three times, sharing that record with three others. She also earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors once.
 
As a senior in 2012, she was one of three SoCon nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award and was one of 30 national candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. She was a member of the Academic All-SoCon squad in 2012 and earned spots on the SoCon Academic Honor Roll in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
 
After the completion of her playing career, LaCourse served as a volunteer assistant for Chattanooga for a year before earning a full-time coaching role there from 2013-18, helping the Mocs to SoCon tournament titles and NCAA Regional appearances in 2014 and 2015 and a SoCon regular-season title in 2015. Her pitching staffs led the league in ERA in 2014 and 2015 and saves in 2014 and 2018.
 
LaCourse is the fourth Chattanooga Moc to be enshrined into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame, joining Class of 2011 members Regina Kirk (women’s basketball) and Shannon Wommack (women’s cross country/track & field) and Class of 2020 member Terrell Owens (football, men’s basketball and track & field). LaCourse is the fourth member of the Class of 2022 to be announced this week, joining Georgia Southern’s Anita Buggins, Western Carolina’s Kirk Roach, and ETSU’s DeShawne Blocker.
 
Student-athletes who competed for a minimum of two seasons in the Southern Conference were eligible for consideration, along with coaches and administrators who spent at least five years in the league. A pool of more than 200 candidates from the conference’s current and former member institutions were nominated for consideration. The pool of former student-athletes, coaches and administrators was cut down to 40 individuals who comprised the final ballot. A voting panel of 20 media members and league administrators made the selection of the induction class.
 
Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse on her selection to the SoCon Hall of Fame:
“My time at Chattanooga and in the Southern Conference was incredibly special to me. I would like to thank the voting committee for recognizing me for this great honor.
 
“My coaches, teammates and support staff made everything I accomplished on the field possible. They pushed me to be my personal best every day, and their impact has been felt well after my playing days.
 
“It is a privilege to be among those inducted this year, and to be added to a list of truly special people and student-athletes is something I will cherish forever.”
 
2022 Induction Class
DeShawne Blocker, ETSU, Women’s Basketball
Kirk Roach, Western Carolina, Football
Anita Buggins, Georgia Southern, Women’s Tennis
Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse, Chattanooga, Softball
TBA (Friday, May 20)
 
2020 Induction Class
Lynne Agee, UNCG, Women’s Basketball
Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Football
Terrell Owens, Chattanooga, Football/Men’s Basketball/Men’s Track & Field
Rod Thorn, West Virginia, Men’s Basketball/Baseball
Wayne Tolleson, Western Carolina, Baseball/Football
 
2018 Induction Class
Mike Ayers, ETSU/Wofford, Football
Ron Carter, VMI, Men’s Basketball
Susan Gardner Mayhorn, Western Carolina, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Chal Port, The Citadel, Baseball
*Les Robinson, The Citadel/ETSU, Men’s Basketball/Administration
Debbie Southern, Furman, Women’s Tennis
 
2016 Induction Class
Stephen Curry, Davidson, Men’s Basketball
Armanti Edwards, App State, Football
Brad Faxon, Furman, Men’s Golf
Keith “Mister” Jennings, ETSU, Men’s Basketball
Karen Pelphrey, Marshall, Women’s Basketball
 
2014 Induction Class
Rushia Brown, Furman, Women’s Basketball
Eddie Cameron, Duke, Football/Men’s Basketball
Clint Dempsey, Furman, Men’s Soccer
Jerry Moore, App State, Football
Charlie Teague, Wake Forest, Baseball
 
2012 Induction Class
Angie Barker, ETSU, Women’s Track & Field
Percy Beard, Auburn, Men’s Track & Field
*Jim Burch, Southern Conference
Dick Modzelewski, Maryland, Football
Paul Scarpa, Furman, Men’s Tennis
 
2011 Induction Class
Dexter Coakley, App State, Football
Lefty Driesell, Davidson, Men’s Basketball
Regina Kirk, Chattanooga, Women’s Basketball
Gen. Robert Neyland, Tennessee, Football
Vic Seixas, North Carolina, Men’s Tennis
Shannon Wommack, Chattanooga, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
 
2010 Induction Class
Everett Case, NC State, Men’s Basketball
Mary Jayne Harrelson, App State, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Fred Hetzel, Davidson, Men’s Basketball
“Hot” Rod Hundley, West Virginia, Men’s Basketball
Banks McFadden, Clemson, Football/Men’s Basketball
Wallace Wade, Alabama/Duke/SoCon, Football/Commissioner
*J. Dallas Shirley, Southern Conference
 
2009 Induction Class – Inaugural Year
Megan Dunigan, Furman, Women’s Tennis
Dick Groat, Duke, Men’s Basketball/Baseball
Sam Huff, West Virginia, Football
Charlie Justice, North Carolina, Football
Melissa Morrison Howard, App State, Track & Field
Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest, Men’s Golf
Adrian Peterson, Georgia Southern, Football
Frank Selvy, Furman, Men’s Basketball
Jerry West, West Virginia, Men’s Basketball
Valorie Whiteside, App State, Women’s Basketball
 
* Special Contributor
 
 
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
The Southern Conference, in its 101st season of intercollegiate competition, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and helping build lifelong leaders and role models. The conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first conference basketball tournament (1921), to tackling the issues of freshman eligibility (1922), to developing women’s championships (1984) to becoming the first conference to install the 3-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer. The Southern Conference is the nation’s fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.
 
The conference currently consists of 10 members in six states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 21 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.