Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse

Softball

Chattanooga (2008-12)

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Bio

One of the most prolific hitters in league history, Michelle Fuzzard 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 says:

“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.”

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