As we finish 2014 and transition into 2015, we’re looking back over the last year to the stories we thought were most powerful on FullCountSoftball.com and its predecessor, StudentSportsSoftball.com.

Over the next 10 days we’ll repost an article each day as we count down from No. 10 to No. 1.

These will be stories that were exclusive and proprietary to FCS.com; we ran some great articles that were written from other sources and repurposed on this site, but those were not considered for this list.

What you’ll see over the next 10 days are stories that deal heavily with topical softball issues, major accomplishments or, my favorite area, human interest features including athletes overcoming odds and obstacles.

You’ll discover—or “re-discover”—stories that will touch you, inspire you and/or make you happy to be connected to softball and its players in one way or another as we learn more about the people and their triumphs on and off the field!

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First, though, we look at the features from the last year on Full Count (starting Aug. 5, 2014) and those on Student Sports Softball going back to Jan. 1, 2014 that are “20 Runners-Up” to the Top 10…

Top Stories – 20 “Best of the Rest” (listed chronologically):

Click on links below to go to stories…

• Should pitchers & catchers call games? (2/28)
  Follow-up: Calling pitches: another coach perspective (3/2)
• My Favorite Catcher. Ever. (4/11)
• Shellnut overcomes adversity… and miles (4/17)
• Gwen Goes Cross Country (5/20)
• Bradie’s “Season of Adversity” (5/23)
  Follow-up: Coach Corta: Close to the Heart (5/25)
• To Those Who Defend Our Nation… (5/25)
• Recruiting: a parent’s perspective (6/30)
• Topical Issue: Overpitching (7/22)
• Alexis Holloway’s field(s) of dreams (7/24)
• Anatomy of a Batbuster tryout (8/17)
• How football influenced a top softball coach (8/25)
• Zoe Shaw: baseball to Bruin (8/29)
• Recruiting: the benefits of a “Macaroni Party” (8/30)
• The Firecrackers expand nationwide (9/22)
• Breaking news: 4 college players killed (9/27)
  Follow-up: More on fatal bus crash (9/29)
• MaKenna Burns faces her biggest foe (10/12)
• Giving thanks: “this amazing second chance” (11/28)