Liberty promotes Paige Cassady
After a quintet of seasons as the pitching coach at Liberty, Paige Cassady has been promoted to the title of associate head coach, according to a school press release on Monday. Cassady has spent the past five seasons on the Flames’ coaching staff and has been a part of back-to-back conference-champion Liberty squads. She has helped tutor pitcher Julia DiMartino to a pair of Big South conference Pitcher of the Year trophies and has overseen the program post a lower ERA year-to-year in each year of her tenure.
McNeese names Corbello as volunteer assistant
A year removed from her last pitch for the Cowgirls, Baylee Corbello is returning to McNeese State as the program’s new volunteer assistant coach. Corbello spent the first three seasons of her career at LSU before transferring to McNeese State for her senior season. During her sole season with the Cowgirls, Corbello posted an 11-5 record and a 3.33 ERA. Corbello was a part of a pair of Women’s College World Series teams while at LSU, in 2015 and 2016, and earned all-region honors as a freshman.
Boston adds Brenna Morrissey as assistant coach
Brenna Morrissey has been named the new assistant coach at Boston, joining the Terriers’ coaching staff for the 2019 season. Morrissey takes the position of Bill McDonald, who will transition into the volunteer assistant’s role with the program. Morrissey spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and previously coached at Harvard as well as a variety of sports at the high-school level. Morrissey spent her playing career at Assumption College and Georgia State, earning all-conference honors at each school during her tenure.
Hailey Breakwell hired as Saint Francis assistant
Saint Francis first-year head coach Jessica O’Donnell has made the first addition to her inaugural coaching staff, naming Hailey Breakwell to the role. Breakwell spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant at Wichita State, part of the coaching staff that led the Shockers to an at-large bid in the 2018 NCAA tournament. Breakwell was the 2014 Big Sky Player of the Year while at Idaho State, and earned all-conference and all-region honors during her playing career with the Bengals. Breakwell has also suited up for the New Zealand national program.
Buffalo fills out coaching staff
Buffalo interim head coach Mike Ruechel, who is expected to remain in charge of the Bulls’ program through next season, has filled out his coaching staff, adding Jody Hennigar and Cortney Radke as assistant coach. Hennigar spent the 2018 season on the staff at Jacksonville, shepherding the squad’s pitching staff to a 2.80 team ERA and twenty-seven victories. He is a former travel ball coach and is a longtime Canadian men’s fastpitch player… Radke spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, tutoring standout hurler Hannah Vet during her tenure with the Bobcats. A former North Florida standout, Radke ended her playing career in the all-time top ten in five statistical categories in the program’s record books.
Cervantes returns to Kentucky as graduate assistant
Kentucky program legend Brittany Cervantes is returning to Lexington, this time in a different spot in the Wildcats’ dugout. She will serve as a graduate assistant coach on the program’s staff. A 2012 UK graduate, Cervantes’ name still sits atop the program’s all-time home run and RBI records, and in the statistical top ten in an additional five categories. Cervantes has played professionally for several years and was named the National Pro Fastpitch league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and played for the Scrap Yard Dawgs’ professional team in 2018. Cervantes previously served as an assistant coach at Loyola.
Quolas, Holmgren fill George Washington coaching staff
Shane Winkler has filled out his inaugural coaching staff at George Washington, naming Kiana Quolas and Laina Holmgren as the Colonials’ new assistant coaches. Quolas spent the 2018 season on staff at George Mason, leading the Patriots’ pitching staff to a 3.45 team ERA and the #4 seed in the conference tournament. She previously coached at Youngstown State after a playing career at Coastal Carolina that saw her earn a pair of Big South Pitcher of the Year awards… Holmgren played under Winkler at Charleston Southern, finishing her career as a Buccaneer after beginning it at Boise State. The position at George Washington is the first of any kind in Holmgren’s coaching career.
Amanda Buchholz joins DePaul coaching staff
Amanda Buchholz will round out the DePaul coaching staff as an assistant coach, joining the Blue Demons after a single season on staff at Pittsburgh. At Pitt, Buchholz was part of the ACC Coastal Division-winning squad and helped lead the Panthers to the ACC tournament title game. She previously coached at Ohio State for five seasons and spent three years on staff at Miami (Ohio). A Nebraska alum, Buchholz is known as a defensive coach and is expected to serve in that role on the Blue Demons’ staff. As a player at Nebraska, Buchholz earned first-team all-conference honors.
Pittsburgh hires Van Faussien as assistant coach
Calling him ‘the first person [she]called’ after being hired at Pittsburgh, new Panthers head coach Jodi Hermanek announced the addition of Brock Van Faussien as the program’s second assistant coach. Van Faussien spent the 2018 season as the volunteer assistant coach at Georgia, a part of the Women’s College World Series-reaching Bulldogs’ program. A longtime baseball coach, Van Faussien previously coached baseball at Southeastern Louisiana and Liberty and enjoyed a stint on staff at Clemson in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Coaching Move Tracker
- Maxine Rodriguez has been named the new assistant coach at Saint Louis. Rodriguez was most recently an assistant coach at George Washington…
- Virginia Tech added Matt Guemmer as the Hokies’ volunteer assistant coach. Guemmer has been a high school and junior college coach and served as a student manager at Missouri in the early part of this decade. He will be the program’s outfield coach…
- Texas Tech promoted Sam Marder to associate head coach. Marder spent the past two seasons as the Red Raiders’ primary hitting coach and is a former professional player and Ohio State Hall of Fame inductee…
- Texas State added former Texas Lutheran pitching great Maitlin Raycroft as the Bobcats’ graduate assistant coach. Raycroft threw thirteen no-hitters and posted a 1.26 ERA during her career at TLU. Saint Mary’s alum Olivia Van Hook was also named the Bobcats’ volunteer assistant coach…
- Daniel Nicolaisen has been promoted on the Seton Hall coaching staff, now an assistant coach after spending the 2018 season as the Pirates’ volunteer assistant…
- Maryville College alum Megan Mihaliak has been named the volunteer assistant coach at Tennessee Tech.
