University of Delaware Athletics
Kerwood Signs Deal With Atlanta Smoke, Hess Signs With Beveren Lions
5/21/2025 12:16:00 PM | Softball
NEWARK, Del. - Former University of Delaware softball players Billie Kerwood and Morgan Hess have announced post-playing career plans following their tenures with the Blue Hens. Kerwood has signed with the Atlanta Smoke of the Women's Professional Fastpitch, while Hess has signed with the Beveren Lions in Belgium.Â
Kerwood spent one season with Delaware and earned CAA Pitcher of the Year honors and NFCA All-Region First-Team recognition. She went 23-10 in 194 innings with a 1.59 ERA, 250 strikeouts, 13 complete games, four shutouts, and has held opponents to a .190 BAA - setting program records for wins and strikeouts in a season. She became the first CAA pitcher to lead the conference in ERA, wins, and strikeouts since 2017, and also led in innings pitched, complete games, and BAA and was second in shutouts. On April 18 against Hampton, she threw the program's 19th-ever no-hitter. Kerwood ended her career as one of five active pitchers with 700 career strikeouts. In her last 12 appearances of season, allowed just six earned runs in 58.1 IP (0.72 ERA) with 89 SO, 28 hits allowed, and 19 walks allowed. The Smoke have won back-to-back WPF league titles.Â
Hess played her final two seasons for Delaware and was a First-Team All-Region and All-Conference selection in both years, the third player in program history with two First-Team All-Region honors. She has earned an All-Conference selection in every season of her collegiate career - two at Presbyterian and two at Delaware. In her two years at Delaware, Hess hit .324/.372/.567 with 95 hits, 13 home runs, and 63 RBIs and went 25-11 in the circle with a 2.42 ERA in 234 innings. She also pitched two no-hitters - the third player in program history with multiple no-hitters. Hess is sixth in program history in slugging percentage, eighth in OPS, and ninth in career home runs. The Lions will compete against other teams from Belgium before playing in the European Cup in Paris, France. In the Belgian Tournament, Beveren finished second last year and first in 2023.Â
Delaware had a historic season in 2025 that led to its third CAA Regular Season Championship in four seasons. The Blue Hens set program records in home runs, doubles, strikeouts, conference wins, consecutive conference wins, run-rule victories, and consecutive run-rule victories in a season. Its 23 conference wins were the most ever by a CAA team. Delaware is one of eight Division I teams with at least 20 conference wins in the last two seasons.Â
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