LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A pair of second-year head coaches, Canisius University’s Joe Gierlak and Grays Harbor College’s Jessica Madison have been revealed as the 2026 recipients of the Mary Nutter Scholarship. Gierlak and Madison will receive funding to attend this year’s NFCA National Convention, Dec. 9-12 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
Reviewed and voted on by the NFCA Awards Committee, the Mary Nutter Scholarship is an educational grant named for the former Pittsburg State (Kan.) head coach and 1997 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee who founded the National Sports Clinics. It seeks to continue Nutter’s effort to provide softball coaches at all levels access to the best minds in the sport to help them become better coaches themselves.
The duo will be awarded a complimentary Convention registration, $700 in travel reimbursement and up to four nights at the Convention’s host hotel.
Gierlak secured his first head-coaching role with the elevation to the position in May 2025. In addition to his assistant position with Canisius, Gierlak has spent time at both the NCAA Division I and II levels, getting his start under his father Dan Gierlak, who is entering his 40th season as Edinboro University’s head coach. He also was part of the staffs at University at Buffalo and Mercyhurst University.
“I’m a son of a coach and a lifelong learner,” said Gierlak. “Sitting down taking notes on a new drill, technique or culture-building tool excites me just as much as hitting a home run. An opportunity to lead and connect with the best this game has to offer could not only benefit me, but help those I’m teaching."
Emphasizing player development, team culture, and a competitive edge on and off the field, Madison dove in head first to the position at Grays Harbor, relying on her experience as both high school coach at Oakville and Aberdeen, and a standout collegiate player at Menlo College. Returning to where she grew up, Madison, who also serves a high school counselor, believes in building a program athletes want to become a part of, and assist them in their academic and personal life goals outside of softball.
“I am very appreciative of the opportunity to attend Convention and take advantage of the learning available to me,” said Madison. “I believe in empowering women and there’s no better game to learn these powerful life lessons from than softball.”
Gierlak and Madison will be recognized on Thursday, Dec. 10 during the Convention’s annual Mentoring Workshop presented by SixFour3.
ABOUT NUTTER
Nutter, who passed away in July 2012, compiled a 204-125 record over eight years at Pittsburg State University. She got her start in coaching with three years as a graduate assistant at Michigan State, after seven years as a teacher in nearby Elsie, Mich.
In 1981, Nutter won the first of three NAIA District 10 titles and the first of her three District 10 Coach of the Year honors (1981, 1982, 1985). That 1981 squad finished fourth at the NAIA national championship and she served as an assistant coach for the 1983 Pan American Tri-Nationals team and was a member of the 1984 U.S. Pan American selection committee. Nutter was a 1988 inductee into the NAIA Hall of Fame.
As a player, Nutter was a two-time first-team All-American (1974-75) for the Lansing Laurels, an ASA Women’s Major fastpitch team and spent 1976 as player-coach for the Michigan Travelers of the Women’s Professional Softball League.
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its extensive awards and scholarships program, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from NFCA podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and a National Convention.
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