NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State softball associate head coach Tina Kramos has been named the Greek Softball National Team head coach. Kramos is in her 16th year at ISU and played for Greece's 2004 Olympic Team in Athens.

"It is truly an honor to be selected by the Greek Softball Federation to serve as head coach," said Kramos. "The opportunity to give back to the federation for all that they gave me is great and I am excited to help continue growing the game of softball in Europe."

Kramos was selected to the Greek National Team in the summer 2002. Earning multiple championships, Kramos played for the team that won the 2003 European Championship in Italy, while the Greek National Team took second-place honors in 2005 at the European Championships in Prague. Kramos was also a member of the Greek National Team that competed in the 2006 World Championships in Beijing, China.

As an assistant coach at ISU, Kramos serves as the primary hitting instructor and has coached three All-Americans (Amber Smith – 2006; Kara Nelson – 2007, 2010; Abby Olson – 2010). She played a role in then-freshman Kara Nelson earning the 2007 Valley Player of the Year Award; the first time in conference history that a freshman has had that award bestowed upon her.  Nelson went on to claim a second MVC Player of the Year honor in 2011 under Kramos' guidance, while catcher Elizabeth Kay won the award in 2013.

Prior to her coaching career, Kramos was a member of the Missouri State softball team from 1990-95 and a two-time All-Valley First-Team selection.  A strong hitter and fielder with the Bears, Kramos still ranks first in the MSU annals for assists in a single season (152), and second-most in a career (487). In the batter's box, Kramos produced 94 runs in her four-year MSU career, a mark that stands as the fourth-best all-time in school history.  She was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.

Kramos and the National Team are preparing for the 2015 European Championships which will be played in Rosmalen, Netherlands from July 19-25.

-- Courtesy of GoRedbirds.com