Rounding Third Softball

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has announced Head Coach Kathleen Rodriguez will not return for the 2026 season. Rodriguez coached the Islanders for four seasons compiling a 82-109 overall record and a 37-56 mark in Southland Conference play.

Central Arkansas Head Coach Jenny Parsons is retiring. Parsons spent the past 14 seasons at UCA first as an assistant/associate head coach, then the past four as head coach. During that time, she amassed 136 wins while notching an ASUN Championship in 2023 and appearing in the NCAA Postseason. Before joining the staff in Conway, she served as head coach for 10 seasons at Nicholls State.

Lori Meyer is retiring as head coach at Minnesota State Mankato. The Hall of Fame Coach spent 41 seasons leading the Mavericks compiling 1,444 wins. During that time MSU made 18 trips to the NCAA Regional Tournament and three appearances in the NCAA National Championships (1987, 2011 and 2017), with the 2017 squad winning the NCAA Division II National Championship.

Minnesota State will promote Associate Head Coach Kristle Wolcott as the fifth head coach in program history. Wolcott has been on the Mavericks staff for 14 seasons.

RTS heads to DFW for next week’s National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Grapevine, TX. Coverage starts Sunday with all eight participating teams pre-event practices. Competition starts Monday as action gets going at 1 pm CST. Check back here and on all RTS Social Media platforms for live in-game updates through Wednesday as the NCCAA crowns their 2025 National Champion.

Rodney DeLong has resigned as head coach at North Texas. DeLong led the Mean Green seven seasons compiling a 232-119 overall record. In 2025 UNT finished 36-21 and played in the championship game of the AAC Tournament.

Dallas Christian College Head Coach Ryan Lindsey will step down at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Lindsey has led the Crusaders for the past three seasons. He directed the program to back-to-back Regional Championships and NCCAA World Series appearances. DCC will host the event next week in Grapevine, TX.

RTS has learned that assistant coach Megan Watkins will be promoted to head coach. Watkins is in her first season with DCC after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant at UT Dallas.

Monti Van Brunt will continue on the Dallas Christian staff as an assistant coach in 2026.

Head Coach Jarnett Lono and Hawaii Pacific have parted ways. Lono had been with the Sharks since 1995 as an assistant coach until her promotion in 2017. The program alum was part of the Coaching Staff of the Year when HPU won the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship. The 2025 HPU squad went 18-36 and 12-24 in PacWest Conference play.

Rich Calvert has been named the next head coach at Long Island University. The coaching veteran spent 21 years leading the program at Drake until 2023. He won 568 games during his tenure.

The hire by LIU-Brooklyn although solid on the experience side, brings into question why the Sharks did not go with Interim Head Coach Andy Russo who was named as part of the Northeast Conference Coaching Staff of the year along with assistants Bill Gehrke and Ryan Henry. Russo led the program this season after longtime former coach Roy Kortman left the program last October.

Stacey Johnson-Whitfield will not be returning as head coach at Furman. Johnson-Whitfield led the Paladins the last four seasons. She compiled a record of 81-133 in Greenville. FU finished the 2025 season 15-38 and 5-16 in SoCon play.

Less than 24 hours after the retirement of head coach Mike Ruechel, Buffalo has found their new leader. The Bulls have promoted assistant coach Chelsea Plimpton to lead the program. Plimpton served last season as the pitching coach at UB. This is her first head coaching opportunity after serving on staffs at Villanova, Massachusetts, Marist, Fordham, Towson, and St. Lawrence.