University of Delaware Athletics
Photo by: Mikey Reeves
How Billie Kerwood Went From Conference Rival to The Best Pitcher in the CAA With Delaware
5/7/2025 12:00:00 PM | Softball
NEWARK, Del. - Billie Kerwood's senior season at Delaware was a long time coming. After committing to the program before entering high school, she spent years facing UD as a conference rival. But she always envisioned herself in Newark, and is finally able to call herself a Blue Hen after transferring to Delaware for her final season.
"I knew this was a place I've always wanted to be," Kerwood said. "It literally means the world to me to be here."
A coaching change and rule changes in the NCAA caused Kerwood to re-open her original commitment, and she ended up at Monmouth. After spending her first three years in West Long Beach, pitching against Delaware as a CAA rival for two seasons when the Hawks joined the conference, Kerwood entered the transfer portal and joined the Blue Hens for the 2025 season.
"It is nothing but the best thing I could ask for," Kerwood said. "It's truly a family, a home. I couldn't have asked for a better year. You know when everything just looks right, feels right - that's what it is. The girls are awesome, the coaching staff is awesome. It just lives up to the expectations of everything they said prior to me committing here."
Kerwood said she was nervous about entering the transfer portal and originally didn't want to because she had a losing record at Monmouth.
"It was really nerve-racking," she said. "But everyone was like 'you have to do it, you're never going to know' so I went in, took a leap of faith, and Delaware was one of the first schools that reached out. Once I came on my visit, it was just kind of like 'this is my place.'"
The softball program was coming off a 39-win season a year ago, a school record, and had won regular season titles in 2022 and 2023. The team was graduating former Pitcher of the Year Emily Winburn - a four-time All-Conference and All-Region selection - along All-Conference and All-Region players Julia Boyet and Julz Garber in the lineup. After 11 new players, including Kerwood, joined the team, seven via the transfer portal, Delaware was picked No. 1 in the CAA Preseason Poll, Kerwood was named by D1 Softball as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Delaware won its third CAA regular season championship in four seasons, and Kerwood joined Winburn as the only players in school history to be CAA Pitcher of the Year.
"I had no pressure on me at Monmouth, we didn't win as much," Kerwood said. "I knew I had big shoes to fill when with Emily out. That was my role coming in - shutting people down how Emily did. That's what they were looking for and hopefully I've lived up to that challenge. Everyone made sure I had a level-head and that I wasn't changing anything I already have done."
At Monmouth, Kerwood amassed 22 wins in three seasons, pitching to a solid 3.33 ERA and struck out 459 hitters in 443.1 innings. She was on the 2022 MAAC All-Rookie Team, and led the CAA in strikeouts with 157 in 2023 as a sophomore. Kerwood said the success she had, especially right away, gave her a boost of confidence as she began her collegiate career.
"I know everybody going into college says, 'it's a completely different ball game, the level is way more intense' and I just made sure I kept doing what I knew how to do," Kerwood said. "Nothing was changing from my game of play."
Kerwood faced Delaware six times over her career, helping Monmouth to a win in a non-conference game in 2022 before Delaware won the next five in CAA play. In 2023, Kerwood pitched all seven innings in a 1-0 loss, giving up an unearned run. She threw another complete game in the first game of the series in 2024 with one earned run allowed, but UD ended up sweeping the series - with Kerwood giving up the walk-off hit to Chloe Blantz in the finale.
"It sucked facing them," Kerwood said. "They were my hardest competition. Every time we had games against them, I was like 'I have to make sure I'm on my A-game, look what you missed out on.' Any other team I could get away with some things but 1-through-9 in the order, they were my toughest offense that I had to deal with. They were chirpy, they were chippy, they were gritty."
Head coach Jen Steele says the same of Kerwood - that she was a tough matchup for Delaware every time they faced her.
"She's such a fierce competitor," Steele said. "We hated how effectively she changed speeds; it always threw off our rhythm at the plate."
This year, Kerwood has more wins in one season at Delaware, 23, than she did in three years at Monmouth. She has set the single-season program record for wins, strikeouts (238), pitched a no-hitter against Hampton on April 18, and, in her return to Monmouth, tied a school record for strikeouts in a conference game with 15 on April 25. Nationally, Kerwood ranks fourth in the country in strikeouts and wins, ninth in innings pitched (172.1), 15th in ERA (1.58) and strikeouts per seven innings (9.3), 21st in strikeout-to-walk rate (4.49), 22nd in hits allowed per seven innings (4.79), 23rd in WHIP (0.98), and 32nd in shutouts (4).
"I've never been a part of something like this," Kerwood said "I'm just living in every moment, every pitch with my team. It's just awesome and I never expected it because I never had it before. It's the best thing ever. You feel like you're on cloud nine 24-seven."
She says her success comes from the work she puts in during the summer, when she trains five-days a week so when she arrives to campus for the academic year, the work is more maintenance.
"I work with my dad all the time," Kerwood said. "Whether it was just drills, pitching, spins, all the stuff. Coach Steele has worked with me tremendously on fine-tuning my curve, my screw, rise, change, all of it. Little tweaks to where it takes my game to the next level."
Steele said even though Kerwood has always had exceptional talent, they've focused on maximizing her strengths and expanding her arsenal of pitches.
"Those added looks, along with her improved velocity and command, have made a significant impact on her performance," Steele said.
Kerwood is unsure on exactly what her plans are after graduating, but wants to still be involved in the sport.
"I'm hoping to just stay in softball and keep coaching or practicing or playing somehow, some way," she said.
Kerwood and Delaware are the No. 1 seed in this week's CAA Tournament - the first time in her career she will pitch in the postseason. Delaware enters the tournament having won a program record 13-straight conference games.
"I just don't want anything to change," Kerwood said. "I am really excited be there with the team and hopefully get us all a conference championship because it would mean so much to everyone on the staff and on the team."Â
"I knew this was a place I've always wanted to be," Kerwood said. "It literally means the world to me to be here."
A coaching change and rule changes in the NCAA caused Kerwood to re-open her original commitment, and she ended up at Monmouth. After spending her first three years in West Long Beach, pitching against Delaware as a CAA rival for two seasons when the Hawks joined the conference, Kerwood entered the transfer portal and joined the Blue Hens for the 2025 season.
"It is nothing but the best thing I could ask for," Kerwood said. "It's truly a family, a home. I couldn't have asked for a better year. You know when everything just looks right, feels right - that's what it is. The girls are awesome, the coaching staff is awesome. It just lives up to the expectations of everything they said prior to me committing here."
Kerwood said she was nervous about entering the transfer portal and originally didn't want to because she had a losing record at Monmouth.
"It was really nerve-racking," she said. "But everyone was like 'you have to do it, you're never going to know' so I went in, took a leap of faith, and Delaware was one of the first schools that reached out. Once I came on my visit, it was just kind of like 'this is my place.'"
The softball program was coming off a 39-win season a year ago, a school record, and had won regular season titles in 2022 and 2023. The team was graduating former Pitcher of the Year Emily Winburn - a four-time All-Conference and All-Region selection - along All-Conference and All-Region players Julia Boyet and Julz Garber in the lineup. After 11 new players, including Kerwood, joined the team, seven via the transfer portal, Delaware was picked No. 1 in the CAA Preseason Poll, Kerwood was named by D1 Softball as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Delaware won its third CAA regular season championship in four seasons, and Kerwood joined Winburn as the only players in school history to be CAA Pitcher of the Year.
"I had no pressure on me at Monmouth, we didn't win as much," Kerwood said. "I knew I had big shoes to fill when with Emily out. That was my role coming in - shutting people down how Emily did. That's what they were looking for and hopefully I've lived up to that challenge. Everyone made sure I had a level-head and that I wasn't changing anything I already have done."
At Monmouth, Kerwood amassed 22 wins in three seasons, pitching to a solid 3.33 ERA and struck out 459 hitters in 443.1 innings. She was on the 2022 MAAC All-Rookie Team, and led the CAA in strikeouts with 157 in 2023 as a sophomore. Kerwood said the success she had, especially right away, gave her a boost of confidence as she began her collegiate career.
"I know everybody going into college says, 'it's a completely different ball game, the level is way more intense' and I just made sure I kept doing what I knew how to do," Kerwood said. "Nothing was changing from my game of play."
Kerwood faced Delaware six times over her career, helping Monmouth to a win in a non-conference game in 2022 before Delaware won the next five in CAA play. In 2023, Kerwood pitched all seven innings in a 1-0 loss, giving up an unearned run. She threw another complete game in the first game of the series in 2024 with one earned run allowed, but UD ended up sweeping the series - with Kerwood giving up the walk-off hit to Chloe Blantz in the finale.
"It sucked facing them," Kerwood said. "They were my hardest competition. Every time we had games against them, I was like 'I have to make sure I'm on my A-game, look what you missed out on.' Any other team I could get away with some things but 1-through-9 in the order, they were my toughest offense that I had to deal with. They were chirpy, they were chippy, they were gritty."
Head coach Jen Steele says the same of Kerwood - that she was a tough matchup for Delaware every time they faced her.
"She's such a fierce competitor," Steele said. "We hated how effectively she changed speeds; it always threw off our rhythm at the plate."
This year, Kerwood has more wins in one season at Delaware, 23, than she did in three years at Monmouth. She has set the single-season program record for wins, strikeouts (238), pitched a no-hitter against Hampton on April 18, and, in her return to Monmouth, tied a school record for strikeouts in a conference game with 15 on April 25. Nationally, Kerwood ranks fourth in the country in strikeouts and wins, ninth in innings pitched (172.1), 15th in ERA (1.58) and strikeouts per seven innings (9.3), 21st in strikeout-to-walk rate (4.49), 22nd in hits allowed per seven innings (4.79), 23rd in WHIP (0.98), and 32nd in shutouts (4).
"I've never been a part of something like this," Kerwood said "I'm just living in every moment, every pitch with my team. It's just awesome and I never expected it because I never had it before. It's the best thing ever. You feel like you're on cloud nine 24-seven."
She says her success comes from the work she puts in during the summer, when she trains five-days a week so when she arrives to campus for the academic year, the work is more maintenance.
"I work with my dad all the time," Kerwood said. "Whether it was just drills, pitching, spins, all the stuff. Coach Steele has worked with me tremendously on fine-tuning my curve, my screw, rise, change, all of it. Little tweaks to where it takes my game to the next level."
Steele said even though Kerwood has always had exceptional talent, they've focused on maximizing her strengths and expanding her arsenal of pitches.
"Those added looks, along with her improved velocity and command, have made a significant impact on her performance," Steele said.
Kerwood is unsure on exactly what her plans are after graduating, but wants to still be involved in the sport.
"I'm hoping to just stay in softball and keep coaching or practicing or playing somehow, some way," she said.
Kerwood and Delaware are the No. 1 seed in this week's CAA Tournament - the first time in her career she will pitch in the postseason. Delaware enters the tournament having won a program record 13-straight conference games.
"I just don't want anything to change," Kerwood said. "I am really excited be there with the team and hopefully get us all a conference championship because it would mean so much to everyone on the staff and on the team."Â
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