Joey Lye is stepping down as the head coach at Bucknell in order to continue playing for the Canadian national team.
Lye, who finished her third year leading the program with the end of the 2020 season, was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2019 after leading her squad to a 28-24 overall record and a 14-3 conference showing that year.
A member of the Canadian National team since 2010, Lye helped lead the Canadian squad to a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. She spent a significant portion of the 2020 spring season away from Bucknell in preparation for the Games, which were scheduled to be held in July but were postponed to 2021 due to the global pandemic.
Bucknell athletic director Jermaine Truax, in a school statement, said, “I’d like to thank Joey for all that she has done for the Bison softball program, and we wish her all the best as she pursues her Olympic dream.”
The Bison finished the abbreviated 2020 season with an 8-14 overall record, including a victory over the Big 10’s Rutgers. The program has just one coach actively on staff following Lye’s departure, pitching coach Jordan Richwood who joined the staff in December of 2019.
