Stewart Signs for Softball with Piedmont University
Recently, Charlestown High School senior Aiden Stewart was joined by family, friends, and coaches as she became the first in the Pirates’ Class of 2025 to sign a celebratory letter of intent to attend school and play softball at Piedmont University next year.
Located in Demorest, Georgia and nestled on 300 beautifully wooded acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont’s main campus lies just minutes from the Chattahoochee River and about an hour each way to Athens and Atlanta. Students at Piedmont University are fortunate to live in one of the finest outdoor recreation areas in the U.S. and can enjoy hiking and camping in several nearby state and federal parks, get away from it all on the nearby Appalachian Trail and the Chattahoochee National Forest, or enjoy all a big city has to offer within an hour’s drive.
Piedmont University has 80 programs of study, including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, and the education specialist degree, with an undergraduate 10:1 student–faculty ratio, an average class size of ten students, and 99% of full-time students receiving financial aid with a 64% acceptance rate.
The Piedmont Lions compete at the NCAA Division III level in the Collegiate Conference of the South with member schools in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee including Agnes Scott College (GA), Asbury University (KY), Belhaven University (MS), Covenant College (GA), Huntingdon College (AL), LaGrange College (GA), Maryville College (TN), and Wesleyan College (MS). Piedmont is home to twenty two varsity sports for men and women. Piedmont University has earned three consecutive NCAA DIII Commissioners Cups which are given to top athletic program in USA South.
The Piedmont Lions Softball program has boasted a 511-281 record in its 20 year NCAA era with ten divisional titles, six conference tournament titles, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances under the same head coach.
Stewart will major in biology/chemistry with a concentration in marine science at Piedmont University. Ironically, the science building is named Stewart Hall. When asked about her choice to attend school there and play softball, she replied “I chose Piedmont for the home away from home feeling. Coaches Martin, Greer, and Whiteside have offered me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing collegiate softball while also inviting me into a community of Christ where I can lead and build relationships with those around me. Additionally, I’ll be able to study biology in ways I didn’t know I could do. From the moment I stepped on campus to the non-traditional route of recruitment, and seeing so many signs of what feels like divine intervention, I knew Piedmont was the place for me and I can’t wait to begin my journey there and see where it leads me in this life!”
Charlestown softball coach Joe Witten shared his sentiments on Stewart saying, “Homerun-Goal-Touchdown-Score- Slam Dunk” : Piedmont tallies a winner! When I first met Aiden as a freshman, I was immediately drawn to her ability to ascertain what my message in class and to the team was very quickly. She has an instinctive ability to absorb information and then apply it much faster than nearly everyone her age. This is a real eye catcher for a coach and one that easily leads people without delay. She makes her day full of information, knowledge, and grit. Then she delivers on time as very few can these days. I am so fortunate and blessed to have had her briefly play a role through my life during these past few years. I can’t wait to see her name and her leadership forge these new waters as she continues to row the boat down south for her hometown, where it all began, as a Charlestown Pirate.”
WPMQ, The Pirate Network congratulates Aiden and wishes her a healthy and prosperous future as a Piedmont University Lion.
