LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ten programs were honored by the NFCA as 2022 Division I Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year, announced the Association Thursday afternoon.
Representing each of the NFCA’s 10 Division I regions, these respective coaching staffs – University of Oklahoma, Northwestern University, Virginia Tech, University of Central Florida, University of Nebraska, Boston University, Oregon State University, University of Arkansas, Duke University and Arizona State University – garnered Coaching Staff of the Year honors. These 10 programs are eligible for the NFCA’s Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year award, which will be announced on June 23.
Regional (respective region only) and National Coaching Staffs of the Year are voted on by active member head coaches.
Central: University of Oklahoma
Head Coach: Patty Gasso
Associate Head Coach: Jennifer Rocha | Assistant Coach: JT Gasso | Volunteer Assistant: Kristen Zaleski
Making third consecutive WCWS Championship Series appearance … Entered Championship Series with a 57-3 record … Sixth consecutive trip to WCWS and 10th in last 11 years … Top overall seed for NCAA Tournament for third straight season … Posted a 3-1 record to reach Championship Series … 8-1 in postseason play prior to Championship Series … Big 12 regular-season champions … Top offensive team and pitching staff in NCAA DI … Have homered in 54 of 60 games and lead Division I with 147 long balls (2.45 per game) … Also lead DI in average (.368), OBP (.473), slugging (.727) and runs per game (9.22) … Boasts the lowest ERA (0.97) and most shutouts (33) in Division I … Have won 40 games via run-rule … 38-0 start to a season set DI record for best start to a season.
Great Lakes: Northwestern University
Head Coach: Kate Drohan | Associate Coach: Caryl Drohan | Assistant Coach: Michelle Gascoigne
Volunteer Assistant: Christine Christopoulos | Graduate Assistant: Morgan Newport
Director of Operations: Eden Rane
Big Ten regular-season champion … Finished with a 45-13 record, 19-4 in the Big 10 … No. 9 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament … Made first Women’s College World Series appearance since 2007 … Posted a 5-3 mark in the postseason … Swept the Evanston Regional in convincing fashion outscoring opponents 36-7 … Went on the road and defeated No. 8 seed Arizona State in a three-game Super Regional … Kate Drohan earned her 700th career win during Regionals … Drohan was tabbed Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Mid-Atlantic: Virginia Tech
Head Coach: Pete D’Amour
Assistant Coaches: Doug Gillis, Mike Lewis | Volunteer Assistant: Easton Herring
Earned regional coaching staff nod for the second consecutive year … Hosted an NCAA Regional and Super Regional for the first time in program history as the NCAA’s No. 3 overall seed … ACC regular-season champions … Posted 46-10 record, 21-2 in the ACC … Ranked as high as No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll … D’Amour was voted ACC Coach of the Year …. Battled back to win three elimination games, the final two over Kentucky to capture the Blacksburg Regional … Fell to Florida in a three-game Super Regional.
Mideast: University of Central Florida
Head Coach: Cindy Ball-Malone
Assistant Coaches: Tyler Heil, Whitney Jones | Volunteer Assistant: Kaija Gibson | Graduate Assistant: Alea White
Earned the No. 16 overall seed and hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history … Captured the Orlando Regional with wins over Villanova and Michigan (twice) … Advanced to the program’s first Super Regional … Fell to No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma in Super Regionals … Finished 2022 campaign 49-14 and 16-2 in AAC action … Won the AAC regular-season and tournament titles … It was the first AAC title since 2015 and the program’s third regular-season championship ... Ball-Malone was named AAC Coach of the Year.
Midwest: University of Nebraska
Head Coach: Rhonda Revelle
Associate Head Coach: Lori Sippel | Assistant Coach: Diane Miller | Volunteer Coach: Mackenzi Steele
Captured first-ever Big Ten Tournament title … Earned a NCAA bid, their first since 2016, and went 1-2 at the Stillwater Regional … Posted a 41-16 record, 17-5 in Big Ten play … Recorded most wins since 2014 … Team set a program record with 75 home runs … Revelle reached the 1,100 career win milestone.
Northeast: Boston University
Head Coach: Ashley Waters
Associate Head Coach: Becca Carden | Volunteer Assistant: Corey Waters
Collected its fourth straight regular-season Patriot League title … Finished with 40-17 overall and 16-2 league records … Waters repeated as Patriot League Coach of the Year … Recorded a program-record 27-game winning streak … Defeated then-No. 13 Georgia in Athens for the first victory over an SEC opponent since 2009 and first win against a nationally-ranked opponent since 2018.
Pacific: Oregon State University
Head Coach: Laura Berg
Associate Head Coach: Marcie Green | Assistant Coach: Eric Leyba | Volunteer Assistant: Shelly Prochaska
Director of Operations: Sarah Hoechlin
As an unseeded team, advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2006 and second time in program history … Posted a 6-3 mark in postseason play … Captured the Knoxville Regional as the No. 2 seed, winning three elimination games, including two over the host Volunteers on the final day to secure a Super Regional berth … Swept Stanford in Super Regionals on the road … Fell to Florida and Arizona at the WCWS … Finished season with 39-22 record.
South: University of Arkansas
Head Coach: Courtney Deifel
Assistant Coaches: Yolanda McCrae, Matt Meuchel | Volunteer Assistant: Annie Smith
Second straight regional coaching staff of the year honor … SEC regular-season and tournament champions for the first time in program history … Earned No. 4 overall seed in NCAA Tournament … Swept through the Fayetteville Regional with victories over Princeton and Oregon (twice) … Fell in three games to Texas in Super Regionals … Finished season with a 48-11 record (program record for wins) and 19-5 in SEC action … Deifel was named SEC Coach of the Year.
Southeast: Duke University
Head Coach: Marissa Young
Assistant Coaches: Josh Bloomer, Jessica Bracamonte | Volunteer Assistant: Nicole Schaffer
Assistant of Operations: Kayla Noch
Earned the No. 12 overall seed and hosted it first-ever NCAA Regional … Won the Durham Regional with victories over UMBC, Liberty and Georgia … Advanced to its first Super Regional … Matched a program record with 44 (44-11) victories … Fell to No. 5 UCLA in Super Regionals … Set a program record with 97 home runs, more than doubling the previous record of 47 … The Blue Devils led the ACC in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, home runs per game and scoring, all top-10 in Division I … Second straight regional coaching staff of the year honor.
West: Arizona State University
Head Coach: Trisha Ford
Assistant Coaches: Jimmy Kolaitis, Jeff Harger | Volunteer Assistant: Russ Heffley
Captured the Pac-12 title for the first time since 2011 … Earned the No. 8 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament … Swept through the Tempe Regional knocking off Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State (twice) … Fell to Northwestern in a three-game Super Regional … Finished 2022 with a 43-11 record and 20-4 in Pac-12 play … Did not lose back-to-back games all season … Won seven-of-eight Pac-12 series, including its first over UCLA since 2015 … Ford was voted Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaching awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from webinars to legal counsel, to in-person events and the National Convention.
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