The collegiate softball offseason is a time for evaluation, reflection, and rebirth. That rebirth comes in many forms, one of which can come at the top of program in the change of its leadership. Whether that is by coaches moving on to other opportunities. or being moved on to other opportunities; the change can dramatically change the landscape of collegiate softball.
Division I draws the most attention when moves are made at that level. Rounding Third Softball grade the 34 coaching changes in the top spot in the 2019 off-season with grades being bestowed from an “A+”, down to the failing grade of “F”. RTS solicited a group of current and former collegiate coaches to make these grades based on their background and expertise in the sport and profession. An average grade was awarded based on each of the responses per with a short explanation for the grade.
Abilene Christian
Abigail Farler
Grade: B
Hired a coach who is a winner, but not at the level of the Southland Conference and Division I. Inherited a decent squad at Corban and lead them to a lot of success at the NAIA Level. No direct ties to the softball talent rich State of Texas. Brought in a good staff to help in the transition.
Akron
Meaggan Pettipiece
Grade: C
Losing record as head coach at Division II Northwood. Not many people were itching to get this job as it has been a program that has been struggling for years. Comes from the staff at fellow MAC member Kent State that has had some good success in the last few years. Should make head way having already recruited that state and region.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Michael Bumpers
Grade: D-
Not many people knocking on the door to take this job at a place that does not care if they have the sport to begin with. Matching that is an athletic department that does not take softball seriously and will not make a quality hire to improve the situation. UAPB just misses a failing score by at least trying to bring some consistency to the program by removing the interim tag and bringing a coach back for a second year.
Alabama State
Todd Bradley
Grade: A-
A home run hire by Alabama State. An odd move seen by some to leave a historic power like Fresno State to move to a mid-major in one of the near bottom conferences in the country. Might be the smartest move of the offseason however, as the Fresno State Ship slowly starts showing signs of taking on water. A well-traveled coach who has experienced success and failure that proves invaluable. Bradley will work to have success and is a real student of the game. Respected recruiter nationally and will be able to build on the success Alabama State has established under their former regime.
Army
Cheryl Milligan
Grade: B+
A very successful veteran coach with numerous NCAA National Championships. She will have to learn to recruit to the USMA and what fits to that environment. Similar however to the Division III model, she has had a ton of success at in not really dealing with athletic scholarships per se. Army has had the conference and NCAA Postseason success and can again under this new leadership.
Belmont
Megan Rhodes Smith
Grade: C
The “local” well-known hire being a Nashville native and former Tennessee Lady Vol. No experience as a leader of a team and encompassing the entire process of managing the team will be a challenge for this position specific pitching coach. Made staff hires of other locals she was familiar with which might be comfortable, but might not lead to much success the program had found under the previous head coach. Having been on the staff with a solid Lipscomb program just down the street, time will tell if this grade could be proven low.
Boston College
Amy Kvilhaug
Grade: C+
An experienced coach that had announced her retirement just over a year ago from St. John’s. Did have some success in the back half of her run with the Red Storm. Knows the Northeast and recruiting nationally. Takes over what has to be one of the least successful program traditionally in all of Power 5. Little support from the institute and not a good situation with the facility. An average hire from a program that needed more of a shot in the arm.
Buffalo
Mike Ruechel
Grade: B
A veteran of coach of many different levels that seems to bring consistency to a program that has had none. Led Buffalo as an interim last season and should improvement for a program that had been in shambles. Bulls had relied on the tired “great player, must be great coach” mentality in the past which led to little success for the program, but did bring NCAA Violations and Probation. Not many people wanting this gig in the frozen tundra of South Canada, but made a good move on removing the interim tag.
Central Michigan
McCall Salmon
Grade: B
A veteran coach with great leadership abilities and well respected in the State of Michigan. Replaces a long-standing head coach that probably held on too long and affected the ability of the program to be consistent in their conference and on a national level. Did well at NAIA/DII Davenport, but can that translate to the DI level? Seems to be a good hire after quite a few people passed on the job. Central Michigan shot big and missed seemingly ending up with a head coach that could prove bigger is not
always better.
Connecticut
Laura Valentino
Grade: D+
A lackluster hire that spent time with programs at Duke, UNC Charlotte, and Fairfield with very little to any success at each stop. Might end up being a great head coach, time will tell. Meanwhile, scores of proven coaches at other levels continually are passed up in favor of political or hires made easy by administrators. She and her assistant are from the Hofstra Coaching Tree, which has produced some quality coaches and winners shows a bit of a positive.
Delaware State
Jeff Franquet
Grade: A
Seems like an excellent hire by a coach that had been away from the collegiate game for a while. Had good success with coaching stops at Central Florida Community College, Jacksonville, Georgian Court and Central Connecticut State. Solid instructor of the game and has recruiting connections nationally. Could face some early challenges in selling a program with not many resources and little past success. Should be able to build a solid program in a mostly weak conference.
Detroit Mercy
Marc Gillis
Grade: B-
The easy hire of an assistant coach that helped build a championship program there. Does not have the experience at being in charge of a program, but knows this particular squad and all the working pieces. Detroit is a tough sell and this particular institute does not seem very interested in softball even with the success of a conference championship and NCAA berth last season. They let the former head coach walk away into retirement out of mostly frustration and the non-commitment of the institute. The safe hire in this circumstance could be the best hire.
Eastern Illinois
Tara Glasco Archibald
Grade: C
A quality pitching coach for sure, but does that translate to leading a program? A name and “bloodlines” only go so far. They needed to hire a head coach with more leadership experience, but got a solid position coach with a name/brand. Has a chance to put her mark on a program that struggled last season and saw their head coach depart for a second time for a Power 5 position.
Florida International
Chris Steiner
Grade: A
A quality hire, a great recruiter, and brings a lot of passion and energy. Earned a move up the coaching ranks after building solid programs at Alabama State and Auburn-Montgomery. Has had success everywhere she has been. Florida International could be her toughest challenge selling the Miami area to recruits in the softball rich State of Florida, while competing against old-school powers like Florida, Florida State, and South Florida along with the plethora of other solid schools in the state at all levels. Could finally bring consistent success to a program that has seen a lot of inconsistent success.
Green Bay
Sara Kubuske
Grade: B-
Hiring a DII assistant would normally raise eyebrows, but Green Bay is a difficult place to win and has never really been committed to the sport being notorious for being the lowest paying head coaching job in DI. Spent some time as an assistant at a quality DII school at the University of Indianapolis. Respected coach, but no DI or head coaching experience. Could prove to be a solid hire and much more than “You get what you pay for”.
Idaho State
Cristal Brown
Grade: C+
Solid success at the DIII level and has a well thought of reputation in the profession. Can that be translated to success on the grandest stage however? Brought in by a new AD who is a former collegiate athlete because she felt this head coach could get this ship going in the right direction by bringing energy and pride to the program. A program still in its infancy that had seen some good early success with the programs first head coach, but had hit rock bottom with its second one. This hire could be a hit-or-miss depending on how recruiting goes early.
Louisiana Tech
Maria Winn-Ratcliff
Grade: B+
A great recruiter thought of very highly in the profession. Has had great success on the Junior College Level that could transition to more the same at the Division I level. Takes over a good situation in Ruston with a solid program being left behind by the former head coach. Good move to hire a veteran head coach from another level over young assistant or a hot name from Power 5. Quality hire for the timing middle of the fall.
Loyola Chicago
Alicia Abbot
Grade: B-
A Chicago Native with solid recruiting connections in the region. Served the last five seasons as Associate Head Coach at Northern Illinois that saw some success during her time there. Hired on a former DI Head Coach in Beth Golitko from Western Illinois, which could help with a smoother transition to the Captains Chair. Young coach known for being a smart and a good student of the game.
Maryland
Mark Montgomery
Grade: A
In breaking the gender barrier that has long been in place in the Big 10, Maryland made a hire that is known for rebuilding downtrodden programs. Montgomery is a coach that has paid his dues, is well respected and liked in the game, and is a personality on the recruiting front. A home run hire by the Terps considering the time of year.
Mississippi State
Samantha Ricketts
Grade: C
One of the most underwhelming hires of the offseason considering the high-profile nature of the position. Has spent plenty of time at the highest level, will see quickly whether it translates to success as a head coach. Players love her; not sure if “love” will be enough to pay off in the toughest conference in the nation. Many good names came up for this job, but the AD seemingly went with the easy hire.
Missouri-Kansas City
Kerry Shaw
Grade: C-
The early frontrunner for this job that turned out to be one of the worst run and longest search processes of the offseason. Seemed to be the safe hire with local ties being from Missouri. His previous head coaching stop at DII University of Mary yielded below average results. His big break joining the staff at Texas as hitting coach yielded below average results and a quick escort toward the exit after one season in Austin.
North Carolina A&T
Patti Raduenz
Grade: A
A great hire for a school in the MEAC and at that level. Raduenz has been away from the game for several years after building a solid program at Elon. Tough sell on the recruiting side, but with her connections she would be able to quickly bring the program up to a competitive level.
UNC Charlotte
Ashley Chastain
Grade: D
A young coach with no head coaching experience at any level and has been mostly just a pitching coach at each stop. This leads to questions on being able to lead a program and oversee all facets effectively. A hire by a mid-major Division I that was LONG overdue for change in their program. They seemingly jumped at the chance at hiring a Power 5 assistant from a program that has made great strides without doing their due-diligence first to see the timeline/crossover of coaches and success there. Took over a good situation at Ole Miss and in a short stint there was able to seemingly maintain what the previous pitching coach built. Did not see as much success at her previous stop with the punching bag of the Big 10 Michigan State. Also a concern as she did not surround herself with much experience coaching staff wise which doesn’t add to pros column.
Robert Morris
Jexx Varner
Grade: C+
An alum who has significant assistant experience and a four-year run as the boss at Lafayette. Hard to hold his record at Lafayette against him, as that school has had but one winning season in nearly 20 years. Had the interim tag removed after last season so time will tell on what he can establish moving forward.
San Diego
Jessica Pistole
Grade: B+
This is how they hire in sports that Athletic Directors care about. They find someone who has been successful at a another level or a smaller conference and gives them the opportunity at the next level. San Diego went after some big assistants, and could not land any of them based on what they were able to offer. They ultimately got the right fit however. A Southern California Native with great connection and a national championship already under her belt.
Santa Clara
Gina Carbonatto
Grade: B
Carbonatto learned under some good coaches and put herself in environments to learn how to grow as a coach. She has had success on different levels, and will help Santa Clara grow from a program that has struggled for consistent success. This is a job with some challenges, but she is familiar with the area. Had a great pitcher at UC Davis that she coached up and hung her hat on to land this head coaching job.
SIU Edwardsville
Jessica Jones
Grade: C+
Comfort hire for SIUE to remove the interim tag after last season. Has not been a head coach and had had hit-and-miss success at many of her stops as an assistant. Probably deserves a shot at the job after serving the retiring head coach for six years as an assistant. She has her opportunity to put her own mark on the program and earn her keep.
Southern Miss
Brian Levin
Grade: A
Excellent reputation as a steady hand who can recruit. Although not around for a long period, he quickly built Belmont up and turned around a disastrous situation and culture left for him by the previous staff. He inherits a decently talented squad at Southern Miss. Southern Miss has missed on some previous coaches; they seemingly have scored on this hire.
St. John’s
Bob Guerrio
Grade: B-
Ton of experience as an assistant and turned in a good year as the interim in 2019. Team has had some success in the Big East, and he has been a key part of that success. Seemed to be a no-brainer for the promotion and keeps the program on solid ground and moving forward with a little difference voice out front.
Tennessee Martin
Brian Dunn
Grade: D-
This was a job several quality coaches were looking at based on the past successes and solid footing of the program. Admin decided to go the local route with a coach that hasn’t been on the collegiate level for 15 years. There were some better options with more experience interested in this job and the administration didn’t do justice to the program that has been built and its student-athletes.
Tennessee Tech
Michelle Depolo
Grade: C
Had some hit-or-miss success in a nine-year run as head coach at Army. A sudden resignation in the fall of 2018 raised some eyebrows. Spent most of her career in the Northeast, which could be a challenge now dropped in the middle of SEC Country to recruit and in a conference dominated most every year by Jacksonville State. Definitely an upgrade however for the program leadership wise previously.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Kristen Zaleski
Grade: B+
Solid hire for a program that had some success in the past, but have made some poor hires the last few times out. They might have found an answer with a coach that has had a lot of success and is well thought of in state. Zaleski had a lot of success on the JUCO level, and knows in-depth the talent rich State of Texas from the recruiting standpoint.
Tulsa
Crissy Strimple
Grade: B+
A long time mainstay at Tulsa has waited patiently and is now rewarded. Tough to replace a successful coach like John Bargfeldt, but she has the familiarity and know how to make a seamless transition. The program should continue down the same path it has in competing for conference championships and the NCAA postseason each year.
Western Illinois
Open
Grade: F
WIU and their administration gets an automatic failing grade for not having a coach in place with the fall season being well over halfway done and the prime recruiting time opening up. The position seemingly is not very attractive based on the salary and other requirements expected from the position.