In the latest look at the Assistant Coaching Carousel for 2020, we’ve got a handful of Division I hires, as well as a couple of former D1 assistants moving on to other levels.
Brooke Morris is the new first assistant for Bianca Duran, who was recently named the interim head coach at Louisiana Tech. Morris had been the Lady Techsters’ volunteer assistant and was previously a graduate manager for the program. A former Nicholls State player, she was a 2-time all-conference honoree and holds a spot in the top 5 in that program’s record books for career hits and runs scored.
Earlier in September, Siena head coach Casey Bump made the first additions to her inaugural coaching staff with a pair of volunteer assistant coaches. Stephanie Reinhardt and George Cooper joined Bump’s staff as the infield and hitting instructors, respectively. Reinhardt coached for three years at the high school level following a stellar playing career at Manhattan College, while Cooper is also a veteran of the travel ball and high school scenes.
Laura Dukes returned home to Lipscomb as the Bison’s new assistant coach. After beginning her playing career at Middle Tennessee State, Dukes played her final season of eligibility at Lipscomb and spent a year as the team’s graduate manager following her playing career. Her coaching resume is a diverse one, even in just a few years, as she has coached at Shepherd University, Austin Peay, and Belmont prior to returning to the Bison.
Former Tulsa infielder Tori Stafford has joined the staff at Arkansas as a graduate manager. During her playing career, which ended with her senior year in 2019, Stafford appeared in more than 200 career games, recording a .249 career batting average and more than 1,000 putouts as the Golden Hurricane’s first baseman.
New Mexico has added Brandon Maurer as the program’s new pitching coach. Maurer spent the last two seasons on staff at Fullerton College, where he was the program’s pitching coach. Prior to his coaching position at Fullerton College, Maurer spent several years as a manager at Cal State Fullerton, where he worked with the team’s pitching staff.
Nicole Sleith Schaffer, formerly the ace of the Robert Morris pitching staff, has been hired as the volunteer assistant at Duke. Schaffer was a three-time Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year during her playing career from 2012-15, and spent several seasons as an assistant coach at Division II Seton Hill, where she worked with the team’s pitching staff. She owns degrees in biomedical engineering and engineering management, and was most recently working in the private sector.
Newly-minted Division I member UC San Diego named Christina Washington as their new pitching coach. Washington spent the last two years as a volunteer assistant pitching coach at Cal State Fullerton, joining the Titans’ staff after a playing career that began at CSF and ended at Boise State. An all-conference freshman at Fullerton, Washington transferred to Boise State for her senior year and helped lead the Broncos to their first NCAA tournament berth and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player that same year.
Former Butler assistant Angie Bain has been named the head coach at Franklin College, a Division III school in Franklin, Indiana. Bain spent the past two seasons on staff at Butler, and previously coached at the high school and travel ball levels. During her playing career at Valparaiso, Bain set the program record for career at-bats and helped lead the Crusaders to two consecutive Horizon League tournament championships.
Longwood alum and former assistant coach Emily Murphy has been appointed as varsity softball coach at Fuqua School in Farmville, Virginia. Murphy will also serve as girls’ basketball coach and junior varsity volleyball coach, and will teach a variety of classes, including chemistry. Murphy was a four-time All-Big South honoree during her playing career at Longwood, and spent two years on Kathy Riley’s coaching staff.
