Legendary Florida Southern head coach Chris Bellotto will retire after the 2020 season, the school announced earlier in March. Assuming the head coaching role following Bellotto’s retirement will be current assistant coach Mo Triner.
Bellotto has spent nearly forty years as the Mocs’ leader, helming the program since 1982. During her career, Bellotto has earned more than 1,300 career wins, with twenty-four conference titles and the 1993 Division II national championship trophy to her credit. She stands in second place among active Division II coaches in career victories, and led the program from a slow-pitch softball program through a transition into a fastpitch program.
The Mocs have reached the NCAA tournament twenty times under Bellotto’s leadership, playing for the national title on three occasions. Her program’s 1993 title still remains the sole championship won by a softball team out of the Sunshine State Conference. Bellotto has been named the Sunshine State Conference’s Coach of the Year fifteen times, and was inducted into the conference Hall of Fame in 2000.
Triner joined the Mocs’ coaching staff in the fall, and previously spent twelve years on staff at South Florida, her alma mater, from 2003-15. She spent three years on staff at Virginia Tech, and enjoyed a multi-year career as a professional softball player. During her own playing career at USF, Triner was a two-time all-American and won ninety-two games as a Bull. She was inducted into the program’s Hall of Fame in 2011.
Florida Southern currently sits at 8-14 on the season, with a 1-8 record in conference play. The program finished the 2019 season with a 16-28 overall record, and a .233 winning percentage in conference matchups.
