Indiana University Athletics
Cawley’s Return Adds Fifth-Year Experience
2/19/2016 9:54:00 AM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – IU Softball head coach Michelle Gardner wasn't going to come out and explicitly tell Shannon Cawley how badly she wanted her to delay graduation and come back for a fifth-year senior season.
But she made it about as clear as she could.
"I understand if you decide you want to get a job in the real world, but I wouldn't mind if you stayed," Gardner told Cawley sometime before the start of last season. "If you go, I get it and I'm happy for you. But you can stay, too."
Gardner paused.
"Did you miss the part where I said I want you to stay?"
A little more than one year later, Gardner got her wish. Cawley is back covering ground in the outfield and providing a proven bat in a lineup looking to build on a record-breaking 2015 season. She's a much-needed veteran voice in a dugout looking to establish a winning culture while she finishes up a master's degree at the Kelley School of Business in information systems with a concentration in business analytics and business intelligence.
"This school and program have given me so much," Cawley said. "It was almost selfish of me not to use the last year."
Cawley's decision to return for a fifth season was made before the start of her redshirt junior season. After tearing an ACL and missing what was supposed to be her true junior season, she knew she'd have an option to return but initially figured she would never use it.
Cawley said she wanted to decide before the start of last season because she didn't want it looming over her and her teammates during games. The emotional toll would have been too much of a burden.
When she began weighing the pros and cons of another offseason of workouts and a full slate of games—not to mention turning down job offers—Cawley turned to a support group that included her coaches, family and athletic director Fred Glass.
"I tried to finally allow myself out of it and kind of let other people give me some guidance who had been around the block a few times," Cawley said.
Ultimately, it was words of wisdom from her father that sealed the deal.
"You know Shannon," her father said, "the real world isn't going anywhere. It can wait for you."
Cawley returns a .316 batting average, 10 home runs and 43 RBIs from one year ago. Gardner said she's the type of dependable hitter with enough speed and power to make her a threat every time her spot in the order comes up.
The dependability breeds confidence that players up and down the dugout feed off of, regardless of their own experience.
"I've always kind of looked up to Shannon, I think we all do," senior catcher Kelsey Dotson said. "It's a respect thing that just comes with experience. You know you're going to get her best every time she's out there."
That work ethic has never been in question, Gardner said, but she's asking for even more out of Cawley in her final season.
Gardner wants Cawley to carry herself like the fifth-year senior she is. She wants to see her leading the team off the field, mentoring younger kids and leaving the program better off. She said that role ramped up the last few weeks as the season has begun.
"We're asking a lot out of her," Gardner said. "But she's matured. You know, she's always worked hard, that's never been an issue, but there's part of it that's just about growing up. Not only for herself, but for these other girls that look up to her."
It's a responsibility Cawley won't be taking lightly. She wouldn't have come back if she wasn't going to take it seriously.
The fifth-year was an unexpected opportunity, Cawley said—one she doesn't want to waste.
"You always have a different perspective when you come back as a fifth-year senior," she said. "People always say you want to leave it better than you found it, and that is truly something I want to do."
