The softball program at the United State Military Academy has gone through definite transition the last six months. The fall brought with it the abrupt resignation of head coach Michelle DePolo after 10 seasons; then the naming of longtime Senior Associate Athletic Director with a Travel Ball background Bob Beretta as interim head coach for the 2019 season. The Cadets are currently moving toward the end of the 2019 season and currently sit around .500 at 25-26 overall and 8-7 in the Patriot League. Once Army wraps up their season in the next few weeks (NCAA Postseason not withstanding), where does Army look for their next head coach? That question might have already been answered with the stealth-like hiring of Cheryl Milligan.
For those that don’t go to school athletic pages to check on roster moves or adds during the season, the addition of a three-time National Champion Head Coach to the Black Knight Coaching Staff might have gone unnoticed. Milligan was quietly added as an assistant coach officially after the start of the season (Although it remains a mystery exactly when. She apparently replaced Brittany Robinson on staff that herself was just hired last fall.). While the timing of the addition seems odd, the quality of the addition is anything but. Milligan spent 15 seasons at the helm of Tufts University and in that time won Division III National Championships in three straight years from 2013-2015. The 2015 team went undefeated 51-0 and is the best record of any softball team in NCAA History.
Milligan stepped down last November citing wanting to “Spend more time with her family”, just to pop up less than six months later on the coaching staff at Army. Milligan however is being true to her word, as her husband Jamie Pinzino is the Associate Head Coach with Army Baseball and now work in the same department together. This naturally leads to the thought that Milligan taking the reins of the Army Softball program would be attractive to her as working around your husband each day would definitely lead to more “time” with family.
While the USMA will most likely open the position for a national search after the conclusion of the season; Could they already have this succession plan in place? Could the timing of DePolo’s departure in October and then the subsequent resignation of Milligan at Tufts the following month be connected? The odd timing of adding Milligan to the coaching staff can’t be denied and could indicate an attempt to get a jump on familiarizing her with the program before taking the reins this summer. Adding her as an assistant first also keeps from further overturning the ship (or tank in this case) with a third head coaching change in a six months. While this could seem a bit farfetched to the naked eye, connecting the dots to put a three-time national championship coach in the Captains (Generals) Chair at West Point doesn’t.