University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Kathy Morton - Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019
11/2/2019 8:18:00 AM | Athletics
The Ragin' Cajuns won 204 games during Morton's career, along with four NCAA Regional appearances and the two World Series trips
LAFAYETTE - It was 1:30 a.m. at Louisiana Softball's hotel in Oklahoma City, many hours after the Ragin' Cajuns had been eliminated in a loss to UNLV in the 1995 Women's College World Series and finished fifth nationally, when coach Yvette Girouard got a knock on her door.
It was her team manager, saying that Kathy Morton wouldn't give him her jersey to get laundered before the next day's trip home.
"She wouldn't take off her jersey," Girouard said. "She didn't want it to end. I got up and sat with her in the lobby and she cried her eyes out. We sat there for hours before I finally got her to take it off."
Such was the passion that "Morty" played with during a stellar four-year career with the Ragin' Cajuns Softball team, one that finished with first-team All-America honors in both her junior and senior seasons in 1994-95. Louisiana reached the College World Series, their second Oklahoma City trip in three years, and Morton's potent bat was a big reason.
That powerful bat – at a time when pitching still dominated collegiate softball – and that passion are the biggest reasons that Morton is one of this week's inductees into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame, part of a group that will be honored as part of this year's Homecoming activities.Â
The Humble, Texas, product – no Cajun student-athlete was ever more aptly described by her hometown name -- was a four-year standard in the school's outfield lineup, and the Ragin' Cajuns won 204 games during that stretch along with four NCAA Regional appearances and the two World Series trips.
She hit .398 during her career, still the sixth-highest in school history, and ranks fifth in career doubles, offensive numbers that are even more impressive since softball was still very much a game of pitching, defense and finding ways to scratch runs.
"Pitching was still so dominating, the bats weren't as good as they are now, the teaching wasn't as good," Girouard said. "It was all about trying to get on base. But she was a true hitter. Her eye was excellent, her hands were quick, she was just gifted with a lot of offensive talent. I knew I'd probably never coach another hitter like that again."
"Pat Murphy (former assistant coach and now head coach at Alabama) made a great comment once, saying that Kathy Morton could still be on his team today and hit any pitching out there. She would be as relevant today as she was then."
Consistency was a hallmark of Morton, who today serves as an assistant coach at Clear Creek High in League City, Texas. She hit .360 or higher in each of her final three seasons and hit over .400 as both a junior and senior. When she ended her career, she was UL's all-time career leader in 12 different categories including home runs (43), RBI (187), walks (94) and slugging percentage (.676). Her .440 batting average was also a record and is still the second-best single-season mark in the storied Cajun offensive history.
It was those figures that earned her NFCA All-Region and All-Louisiana honors in each of her four seasons, and she was also named to the Women's College World Series All-Tournament team as a sophomore when UL made its first-ever Oklahoma City trip. The Cajuns lost 1-0 to UCLA in the national semifinals after beating Cal State Northridge, Connecticut and Arizona to reach the final four.
It was two years later that Morton was reluctant to pull off that Cajun jersey, one that ironically she never got back.
"Those were the days that we didn't give them their jerseys," Girouard said. "The family wanted to frame it but of course it was nowhere to be found. It's kind of sad that they never got that actual jersey."
Hopefully, induction into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame makes up for that.
Â
It was her team manager, saying that Kathy Morton wouldn't give him her jersey to get laundered before the next day's trip home.
"She wouldn't take off her jersey," Girouard said. "She didn't want it to end. I got up and sat with her in the lobby and she cried her eyes out. We sat there for hours before I finally got her to take it off."
Such was the passion that "Morty" played with during a stellar four-year career with the Ragin' Cajuns Softball team, one that finished with first-team All-America honors in both her junior and senior seasons in 1994-95. Louisiana reached the College World Series, their second Oklahoma City trip in three years, and Morton's potent bat was a big reason.
That powerful bat – at a time when pitching still dominated collegiate softball – and that passion are the biggest reasons that Morton is one of this week's inductees into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame, part of a group that will be honored as part of this year's Homecoming activities.Â
The Humble, Texas, product – no Cajun student-athlete was ever more aptly described by her hometown name -- was a four-year standard in the school's outfield lineup, and the Ragin' Cajuns won 204 games during that stretch along with four NCAA Regional appearances and the two World Series trips.
She hit .398 during her career, still the sixth-highest in school history, and ranks fifth in career doubles, offensive numbers that are even more impressive since softball was still very much a game of pitching, defense and finding ways to scratch runs.
"Pitching was still so dominating, the bats weren't as good as they are now, the teaching wasn't as good," Girouard said. "It was all about trying to get on base. But she was a true hitter. Her eye was excellent, her hands were quick, she was just gifted with a lot of offensive talent. I knew I'd probably never coach another hitter like that again."
"Pat Murphy (former assistant coach and now head coach at Alabama) made a great comment once, saying that Kathy Morton could still be on his team today and hit any pitching out there. She would be as relevant today as she was then."
Consistency was a hallmark of Morton, who today serves as an assistant coach at Clear Creek High in League City, Texas. She hit .360 or higher in each of her final three seasons and hit over .400 as both a junior and senior. When she ended her career, she was UL's all-time career leader in 12 different categories including home runs (43), RBI (187), walks (94) and slugging percentage (.676). Her .440 batting average was also a record and is still the second-best single-season mark in the storied Cajun offensive history.
It was those figures that earned her NFCA All-Region and All-Louisiana honors in each of her four seasons, and she was also named to the Women's College World Series All-Tournament team as a sophomore when UL made its first-ever Oklahoma City trip. The Cajuns lost 1-0 to UCLA in the national semifinals after beating Cal State Northridge, Connecticut and Arizona to reach the final four.
It was two years later that Morton was reluctant to pull off that Cajun jersey, one that ironically she never got back.
"Those were the days that we didn't give them their jerseys," Girouard said. "The family wanted to frame it but of course it was nowhere to be found. It's kind of sad that they never got that actual jersey."
Hopefully, induction into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame makes up for that.
Â
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