Robert Wakefield has announced the 2023 season will be his last as head coach at Mid-America Christian University. He will retire after a 45-year coaching career, the last 12 leading the Evangels. Wakefield heads into his final season with a 284-276 record at MACU. He posted six 30-plus win seasons in his tenure with a high mark coming in 2021 when the program won the NCCAA National Championship.
Presentation College To Close
Presentation College an NAIA Institute located in Aberdeen, SD has announced it will cease operation at the end of this academic year due to financial and sustainability challenges. This will include the schools athletic department which sponsors eight sports. The softball program will compete in the 2023 season under first-year Coach Erin Skinner before folding. The Saints finished the 2022 season 12-30.
Core Joins Coaching Staff at Texas A&M-Commerce
RTS has learned that Christine Core will join the coaching staff at Texas A&M-Commerce ahead of the 2023 season. Core has been a head coach at both Lincoln University and Covenant College. She had joined the staff at Virginia last fall as Director of Operations. TAMUC will be playing their first season of DI as a member of the Southland Conference after transitioning from DII.
Snow College Players Dies In Car Accident
RTS is saddened to report the passing of Snow College Sophomore Paige Rydalch. The Stockton, Utah native died Monday after a two car-crash traveling on State Route 132. Rydalch played infield for the Badgers and was a consistent offensive contributor hitting .342 in the 2022 season. Snow College Softball will dedicate this season to Rydalch in honor of the way she lived her life on and off the field the team announced.
DI Preseason Top 25 Released
The preseason Division I Top 25 has been released. As expected the back-to-back defending National Champion Oklahoma Sooners sit at the top. Checkout the complete Top 25 Preseason Poll from DISoftball.
| Rank | Team | Final 2022 Record | Final 2022 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 59-3 | 1 |
| 2 | UCLA | 51-10 | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 48-14 | 3 |
| 4 | Florida State | 53-7 | 12 |
| 5 | Florida | 49-19 | 5 |
| 6 | Alabama | 44-13 | 18 |
| 7 | Northwestern | 45-13 | 6 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 48-11 | 8 |
| 9 | Clemson | 42-17 | 15 |
| 10 | Georgia | 43-18 | 23 |
| 11 | Stanford | 39-22 | 16 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 41-18 | 20 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | 46-10 | 7 |
| 14 | Texas | 47-22-1 | 4 |
| 15 | UCF | 49-14 | 13 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 37-19 | 19 |
| 17 | LSU | 34-23 | NR |
| 18 | Arizona | 39-22 | 9 |
| 19 | Auburn | 40-17 | NR |
| 20 | Louisiana | 48-13 | 24 |
| 21 | Washington | 38-17 | 21 |
| 22 | Duke | 44-11 | 14 |
| 23 | Oregon | 33-19 | NR |
| 24 | North Texas | 38-15 | NR |
| 25 | Ole Miss | 41-19 | NR |
Elish Takes Player Development Position
Former Oklahoma State Cowgirl, Texas Longhorn, and Oregon Duck Pitcher Miranda Elish has landed a new position. The multi-time collegiate award winner is joining the Batbusters-Indiana as Director of Player Development. She will oversee all the fundamental and skills instruction for the club. The Indiana native will also sit on the Board of Directors for the organization.
King Retires From Penn
After 19 seasons and 354 wins, Leslie King has announced her retirement as head coach at Penn. King went 175-148-1 in the Ivy League winning four straight South Division titles from 2012-15. In 2013 the Quakers advanced to the program’s first NCAA Regional after wining the Ivy outright. Associate head coach Danielle Gonzales will serve as the program’s interim head coach this season.
Hawkins Rejoins Staff at North Alabama
East Mississippi Community College Head Coach Whitney Hawkins has departed the program to rejoin the coaching staff at DI North Alabama. She led the program at EMCC for the 2022 season. Hawkins trades one set of Lions for another where she achieved great success in her first tour from 2014-2016. UNA went 130-41 during that time winning the DII National Championship in 2016 as she directed the Lions pitching staff.
Obrest Joins Coaching Staff At NKU
Ashley Obrest has joined the coaching staff at Northern Kentucky. The former Boston College Head Coach had been serving on the staff across town at Boston U the past three seasons. She will be responsible for the catching and infield corps for the Norse. Obrest collected 200 wins in her eight seasons leading BC. She also had stints on staff with programs at Colgate and Concordia.
Johnson Out As Amherst Coach Under Suspicous Circumstances
Amherst College Head Coach Jessica Johnson has announced her retirement. Johnson coached the Mammoths for nine seasons amassing a 160-70 record while also making three NCAA Postseason appearances, including a fifth-place World Series finish in 2015.
The timing of the retirement has been called into question publicly including by some of Johnson’s former colleagues within Amherst’s Conference. Hall of Fame and Williams College Coach Kris Herman took to Social Media after the institutes official announcement. Herman has indicated there was some sort of institutional investigation which resulted in Johnson’s retirement and not a resignation. Herman said coaches within the NESCAC had made inquires, yet no information had been made available about the “mysterious” move.
RTS reached out to Amherst for official comment and details of any sort of investigation, and was only referenced to the official institutional press release.