By RHIANNON POTKEY, Special Contributor

When Texas Lutheran University head coach Wade Wilson was recruiting Caelee Clark, he always mentioned college softball’s stolen base record. Wilson told Clark that if she came to the Division III school in Seguin, Texas, she would have the chance to put her name at the top of the list.

Clark thought it was just something Wilson said to entice her to join the program, but it ended up being prophetic. The senior infielder set the career stolen base record for all NCAA levels on March 19th in a win over Bethel University.

Two-time New Balance/NFCA Division III Golden Shoe recipient Clark swiped base No. 258 to break a tie with Georgia’s Nicole Barber, who set the record in 2004. Clark’s record came in just 156 games, a whopping 122 games less than Barber. Clark entered the weekend with 264 stolen bases in 159 games.

“The record was in the back of my mind always, but it felt impossible my freshman year because the number seemed so high,” Clark said. “But as I started stealing more bases, I thought maybe this could really be a goal for me. It started to feel more possible.”

A week before becoming the all-divisions career stolen base leader, Clark broke the Division III record with her 247th, which exceeded former TLU Bulldog Kelly Jurden (246 from 2018-22).

Clark, a Montgomery, Texas native, achieved both milestones while playing at home at Ed Kruse Stadium, allowing her parents to be in attendance to help her celebrate.

“It was literally God’s timing at its finest,” Clark said. “I was very glad I could break the records in front of them. They brought me a whole bouquet of flowers. It was really sweet.”

Clark stole 66 bases as a freshman, 87 as a sophomore, 64 as a junior and has 47 so far in 24 games this season. The 87 stolen bases in 2024 was the third-most in a single-season in NCAA history across all divisions. Clark reached that mark in only 38 games. She also set the single-game Division III record that season with seven stolen bases.

As she got closer to setting the career record this month, Clark tried not to get distracted by the attention.

“I honestly felt relieved once it was done. I felt like there was a lot of pressure building into it,” she said. “Not that I really like keeping up with my own stats, but I had people around me that reminded me. Leading up to it, I felt a little bit stressed. But I just tried to stay within myself and do the little things right like I’ve always done.”

Born to Run
Clark’s speed has been apparent since she took her first steps. Her mom was a track star, and her dad, who played multiple sports, could run fast well. They passed the trait down to their three daughters.

“When we were little, my dad would always have us race and I never thought anything of it. But I feel like that’s where running fast came from – me always wanting to beat my older and younger sister,” Clark said. “Obviously, when you are younger, you're not as coordinated. But growing up, I would use my speed to steal bases.”

Clark has never done any special drills to improve her base running. Her instincts have developed through repetition and learning how to time each pitcher’s release. Her TLU coaches give her the steal signal nearly every time she’s on base. Opposing teams have tried to catch her by performing pitch outs, but it rarely works.

“I’ve done it so many times that it just becomes like second nature,” Clark said. “Usually during practice, I try not to even slide at all for the most part because I don’t want anything to happen. I save it for games.”

Clark had some interest from Division I programs when she was being recruited out of high school during the COVID pandemic, but nothing solid materialized.

“I wouldn't have changed the D3 route for anything,” Clark said. “We're not on a contract athletically per se, so if you're here at TLU or any other D3 it's because you actually want to be there. You're choosing to show up every single day and put in the work. It's not just because it's a requirement because you need it for your tuition or to be able to stay on the team.”

Base running role model

Between practices, games, and classes, Clark works as an admissions ambassador at TLU and as a sales associate at Home Depot from 6-10 a.m. twice a week. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology, and recently interviewed with a company to become a financial advisor.

“They’re looking for college athletes that have a drive, good communication skills, and are able to put in hard work,” Clark said. “One day, I plan on maybe going back and getting my master's in psychology as well.”

Given how many games still remain on TLU’s schedule this season, Clark has a chance to run away with the stolen base record and make it hard to reach for future generations. But at least one player already wants to chase her down.

At a crawfish boil team fundraiser last weekend, a 10-year-old girl told TLU’s head coach she was going to break Clark’s record.

“She was so shy that she wouldn’t say anything to me in person,” Clark said. “But I asked her about it and she started giggling. I told her, ‘If someone has to beat it, I hope it’s you.’”

Special contributor Rhiannon Potkey is a national writer and columnist for D1softball.com and has written extensively about softball and other sports for multiple news outlets. She is also the Executive Director and Founder of the successful non-profit Goods4Greatness, which provides sports equipment & participation fees for low-income kids. Follow her updates on X at @RPotkey