Former Warrior Cook receives final honors from Drake softball

Former Indian Hills softball star Shanna Cook didn’t let her intercollegiate career end without a bang.

Cook finished off a senior season in which the former Warrior was named a first-team all-Missouri Valley third basemen by leading the Drake Bulldogs to a deep run in the MVC Tournament.

Cook fueled Drake’s offense in four postseason games, staring in an elimination game against Southern Illinois and conference pitcher of the year Cassidy Scoggins. Cook nailed a pair of two two-run homers, keeping the Bulldogs’ season going with a 4-1 win over the Salukies.

Cook’s feat — which also tied an MVC Tournament record and gave Drake a school-record second postseason win — made the Sioux City native only the second Bulldog player to hit two homers in a game. Cook joined Olympian Dani Tyler, who accomplished that feat for Drake in 1994.

For her final season, Cook led Drake with a .310 batting average, 53 hits and 32 RBI, stats that ranked Cook seventh in MVC for hits and RBI. Cook also finishes fifth on Drake’s all-time home run list for a season (7) and for a career (9).

Cook earned first-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA and NJCAA Division I All-American status as well as All-Academic honors during her two years at Indian Hills. The MVP of IHCC’s 2004 team still owns a number of Warrior records including career hits (180), single-season hits (120) and career stolen bases (66).

Cook’s IHCC and Drake teammate, Cassie Heller, represented the City of Bridges proudly in her first season in Des Moines. The Ottumwa native finished a stellar season in the pitching circle by closing out Drake’s final win of the year, earning her fifth save in the Bulldogs’ MVC Tourney win over Southern Illinois.

Swanson, Kirkwood finish season at JUCO DII National Tournament

Another grad of Ottumwa that finished an intercollegiate season with a deep postseason run was Sabrina Swanson. Swanson completed her freshman year at Kirkwood by leading the Eagles on a dramatic run to the NJCAA Division II National Softball Tournament.

The Eagles advanced to nationals by earning a somewhat surprising Region XI Tournament title in Fort Dodge. Seeded fourth to being the tournament, Kirkwood ran through four straight victories at Harlan Rogers Park capped by a 10-0 blowout of second-seeded Muscatine in the regional championship game.

Kirkwood lost two tough games at the national tournament in Bloomington, Ill., but not without Swanson leaving a mark. In a wild 10-8, opening-game loss to Blackhawk College, Swanson led the Eagles, scoring the team’s first national tourney run on a second-inning solo homer as well as adding a third-inning RBI single that helped Kirkwood build an early 4-0 lead.

Courier sports writer Scott Jackson can be reached at stjackson@mchsi.com.