Author: jmcleod

Just two years away from the 2020 Olympic Games, the potential field has begun to take shape for the sport’s return to the Olympic slate. After being removed from the Olympic roster following the 2008 Games, softball will return to the Olympics in Tokyo for 2020. Host country Japan along with the United States, both perennial powerhouses in the sport on the international front, are heavy favorites to compete for the gold medal. The field of competition behind the pair of nations remains something of a race between several countries to earn the right to compete for a position on…

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New Louisville head coach Holly Aprile has filled out her full-time assistant coaching staff, announcing the additions of Griffin Joiner and Ashley Lane as the new Cardinals assistant coaches. Joiner coached under Aprile at Pittsburgh during the 2018 season, while Lane spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State. The position at Pittsburgh was the first of Joiner’s full-time coaching career, as she worked with the Panthers’ pitchers and catchers. A former catcher at Kentucky herself, she helped Giorgiana Zeremenko earn first-team all-region honors from behind the plate, while shepherding the program’s pitching staff to a…

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UPDATE 08/06/18: Louisiana-Lafayette has officially announced Roberts’ hiring. He will serve as the Ragin’ Cajuns’ associate head coach. Mike Reuchel has been named the interim head coach at Buffalo. ORIGINAL STORY: ​​Mike Roberts is expected to be named the new assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, sources have confirmed to JWOS. Roberts spent the 2018 season as the head coach at Buffalo, and will leave the Bulls to join head coach Gerry Glasco and the Ragin’ Cajuns program. During Roberts’ sole season at Buffalo, he led the program to a 16-31 record, a seven-win improvement over the previous season. Prior to being…

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Emily Crane rejoins Missouri as volunteer assistant The Tigers all-time great will return to Columbia under the program’s new coaching staff and serve as the volunteer assistant. Crane has spent three years in the National Pro Fastpitch league as a player and will return to her alma mater for the first coaching position of her career. Named an all-American in her senior season, Crane finished her career in the top ten in six different statistical categories. Omaha adds Tatum Edwards as assistant coach The first hire of the Amanda Rivera-Eberhart at Omaha was another familiar face to Big Ten softball…

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Former Marshall head coach Jen Steele has been hired as the new head coach at Delaware, the Blue Hens announced in a press release on Monday. ​Steele spent the 2018 season at Marshall, her sole campaign at the helm of the Thundering Herd, before departing under suspicious circumstances earlier in the summer. Steele’s Herd squad finished the ’18 season with an overall record of 25-29-1, and a 13-9-1 mark in Conference USA matchups. The Herd finished third in the conference’s eastern division. Early in July, it was announced that Steele would not be returning to Marshall. No reason was given…

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Three members of the National Championship-winning Florida State squad were in Miami on Saturday night to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Marlins took on the Washington Nationals. Meghan King, Carsyn Gordon, and human highlight reel Jessie Warren all took the mind at Marlins Park, and all three got to throw individual first pitches. Billy the Marlin, the Marlins mascot, was on the receiving end of each pitch. The trio of star Noles each had an undeniable impact on their team’s run through the 2018 postseason en route to the Women’s College World Series title and a national…

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UPDATE 07/27/18 11:19 — Florida officially announced Bosch’s hiring on Friday morning. He will serve as an assistant coach. Miranda Kramer has been named the interim head coach at Syracuse. ORIGINAL STORY: Syracuse head coach Mike Bosch is expected to be named an assistant coach at Florida, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Bosch had been the head coach at Syracuse the past three seasons, assembling an 88-65 overall record during his tenure. The Orange posted a 28-36 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play under his leadership, most recently finishing ninth in the conference’s overall standings in 2018.…

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On Wednesday, the news broke that former Akron pitcher Lexie Handley would be transferring to Auburn for the final three seasons of her career. Handley was named the 2017 Mid-American Conference’s Freshman of the Year before redshirting the 2018 season due to an injury. She carries three years of remaining eligibility to the Plains. Handley sat down with Justin’s World of Softball to discuss her decision to head to Auburn; the rehab process following her injury; what she’s most looking forward to about playing in the SEC; and more. Justin’s World of Softball: What made you want to head to the…

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South Carolina has named program alum Kaela Jackson as the program’s new hitting coach. Jackson spent the last three seasons at Michigan State as an assistant coach, working with the Spartans offense. She helped lead the Spartans to a 26-26 record in 2018, a year after shepherding the team’s offense to top-ten rankings in three national statistical categories. In the 2017 season, the State hitters ranked 6th nationally in slugging percentage; 8th in doubles per game; and 9th in home runs per game. Prior to joining the Michigan State staff, Jackson had served on the staff at her alma mater,…

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Who is she? Chelsea Hawkins, a former slugging outfielder for the South Carolina Gamecocks. What is she known for? Hawkins played for South Carolina from 2011-14, becoming the primary right fielder for the Gamecocks over her final three seasons. A versatile player, she started at four different positions during her time in Columbia, including catcher; designated player; and center field in addition to her ‘regular roost’ in right. She finished her career with her name throughout the Gamecock record books, including third all-time in home runs (21) and fourth all-time in home runs per game (0.11). Here’s something interesting… Chelsea was not the…

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