Rounding Third Softball

The NCAA Softball Rules Committee in their recent meeting has proposed implementing video review and allowing coaches to have two video review challenges beginning in the 2021-22 academic year. A hot topic throughout the 2021 softball season, many conferences experimented with video review in their postseason championships including the SEC and ACC. Those experiments for the most part went well and were praised by coaches. All rule proposals must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The panel is scheduled to discuss softball recommendations August 12.

Oklahoma has added All-Pac 12 player Alyssa Brito to their roster. Brito spent last season at Oregon. As a freshman for the Ducks, Brito collected Second Team All-Pac 12, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and Pac-12 All-Defense accolades and was named to the NFCA’s All-Pacific Region Second Team.

Fresno State has named Stacy May-Johnson their new head coach. May-Johnson spent the past two seasons at Utah Valley where she compiled a record of 36-35. She has also had coaching stops at Eastern Kentucky, Purdue, Louisville, and Iowa through her career.

In what can only be taken as a sad joke, total lack of concern for their student-athletes, and poor leadership in conducting an in-depth search by their athletic administration and Athletic Director Tim Hall, SIU-Edwardsville has named assistant baseball coach P.J. Finigan interim head coach. In one of the most active hiring seasons on recent record (and it only being July 2), Hall explained “With us just coming out of COVID, and other factors, the pool of candidates wasn’t as strong as I would have liked it to be, nor what this storied program deserves.” Finigan brings zero coaching or recruiting experience in the sport of softball having spent his whole coaching career in baseball.

Houston has announced the hiring of Courtney Oliver as associate head coach. Oliver joins the Cougars after leading the program at fellow AAC competitor East Carolina the last six seasons. The hiring comes as a bit of a surprise as Oliver had been considered high on the list of potential candidates for the open head coaching position at Hofstra being a program alum.

Ashley Fleming is joining the coaching staff at Missouri-St. Louis. She fills the assistant position that was recently left behind by Lauren Lappin who joined the coaching staff at Arizona. Fleming spent the last six years as head coach at McKendree where she compiled a record of 149-119.

Georgia Southern and new head coach Sharon Perkins has announced her inaugural coaching staff. The Eagles have added Heather Gelbard and Mary Beth Dennison to the staff. Gelbard will work with the GSU hitters and comes from South Carolina where she spent the last two seasons as the volunteer assistant. She also had coaching stops at Barry, Florida Atlantic, and was head coach in stints at both Maryland-Baltimore County and Florida International. Dennison is a Georgia Southern alum and returns to Statesboro as pitching coach after serving on staffs at Michigan, Georgia College, and East Georgia State.

Rhode Island has named Whitney Goldstein their new head coach. Goldstein has served the last eight seasons leading the program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She was named NEWMAC Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2019 and ECAC New England Coach of Year in 2016. Before coming to WPI she was an assistant at Amherst College after an All-American playing career at UMass.

Louisiana Tech has added Shelby Hiers to their coaching staff. Hiers joins the Lady Techster program under new head coach Josh Taylor after spending the past two seasons as the volunteer assistant at Georgia. The former Arkansas standout helped guide the Bulldogs through a miraculous run in the NCAA Postseason that was capped with an appearance at the 2021 Women’s College World Series.

Mercer finally landed on their new head coach. The Bears have hired Santa Fe College coach Lindsay Fico to lead the program. Fico coached the Florida JUCO the last three seasons compiling a 70-58 record. Before her first collegiate appointment at Santa Fe, the former Florida Gator infielder worked in private lessons and coached club ball.