Rounding Third Softball

The NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee has now extended the recruiting Dead Period for Division I through January 1. This latest extension keeps DI Softball Coaches on-campus and allows no in-person evaluations, visits, or camps. The move has now completely wiped out all recruiting during the allowable DI Softball Calendar for 2020. The current extended Dead Period was set to expire September 30.

RTS has learned that Fairleigh Dickinson Assistant Coach Bridget Rafter has accepted the head coaching position at Fairleigh Dickinson Florham. Rafter has spent the last three seasons helping rebuild the program at FDU’s DI Flagship and will now take charge at their DIII Campus.

Looks as if former Louisiana Tech Coach Maria Winn has returned to the junior college ranks joining the coaching staff at Galveston College as an assistant. Winn returns to JUCO where she experienced great runs at both Western Nebraska and Tyler as head coach. She spent one pandemic shortened season at La Tech where she went 8-16.

Sources with knowledge of the move have informed RTS that Saginaw Valley State Head Coach Todd Buckingham has stepped down to accept the top assistant position at DI Western Michigan. Buckingham spent the last eight seasons turning the Cardinals into a Top 25 caliber DII program. In 19 years as a head coach he combined for a 479-391 record. He also had coaching stops at Indiana University Southeast and Bluefield State.

In a very surprising move Louisiana Tech has gone the interim route naming program alum Bianca Duran head coach. The relatively young coach worked on both former coaches Maria Winn and Mark Montgomery’s Staffs since 2017. The move to fill the open position seemed to be close to its completion as multiple candidates had made their way to campus in the last week and a half. This move could indicate Tech Administration could either not find a fit, or were possibly rebuffed by those candidates. The move to only name Duran “interim” leader seemingly ties her hands in recruiting aspects with an unsure future after the 2021 season. It also brings in question staffing of assistant coaches that could take a leap of faith possibly being in Ruston just one year.

Franklin College has named Angela Bain head coach. Bain spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Butler. Last year the Bulldogs racked up a Big East-best 15 wins before the 2020 season was cut short by the pandemic.

Auburn has named Kendall Potts volunteer assistant coach. Potts joins the Tigers Staff after pitching at both Baylor and Texas A&M. She appeared in a total of 117 games with the Bears and Aggies and closed her career with 266 strikeouts and a 37-21 record.

Davis & Elkins has named Elle Fracker their new head coach. Fracker comes to the Senators after leading the program at Fort Lewis College from 2015-19. She also served as assistant then head coach at Valley City State and worked on staffs at Oberlin and Drexel.

SUNY Potsdam has named Brianna Ferchen head coach. Ferchen spent the last year leading Plattsburgh State. Before joining the Cardinals she was an assistant at SUNY Cortland for two seasons helping guide them to a conference and NCAA Regional title in 2017.

Oklahoma Panhandle State will name Marc Benjamin head coach RTS has learned. Benjamin has spent the past few years in private instruction and as a recruiting consultant. He has had assistant coaching stops at Campbell and Southern Utah and served as head coach at Barton Community College.