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The college softball coaching carousel was “hoppin’” on Thursday and Friday, with nearly a dozen announcements of newly-hired coaches and newly-formed staffs.
Here’s a rundown of the headlines as Extra Inning Softball contributor Justin McLeod of Justin’s World of Softball chronicles some of the latest moves…
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Bucknell hires Anna Kirk, Tim Cuozzo
For the first time under head coach Sarah Caffrey, the Bisons have a full, three-member coaching staff. Kirk played at Ohio State and most recently served on staff at Ashland University (D2) while Cuozzo was a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech. The pair will join Caffrey’s staff for her second year at the helm in 2022, and both fit the same bill of “energetic youth” that Caffrey brought to the table when she was hired.
Northwestern State hires Lexi Smith
After spending a few weeks with a bare staff, Donald Pickett named Lexi Smith as the Lady Demons’ pitching coach on Friday. Smith was the pitching coach at Southwestern University (D3) last season, her first collegiate coaching job following a playing career at Temple College and Texas A&M.
Colorado State hires Shana Easley
Seeking to fill their second assistant’s position, the Rams picked up a familiar in-state name in Shana Easley. Easley was head coach at Northern Colorado from 2013-18 and was the 2014 Big Sky Coach of the Year. After leaving UNC to spend the 2019 season as the volunteer assistant at Arkansas – her alma mater – Easley has spent the last two years outside of college softball.
Samford hires Jeff Gillespie
First-year head coach Kimball Cassady brought a familiar face with her across town, announcing the addition of Jeff Gillespie to her inaugural staff at Samford. Gillespie will be the team’s pitching coach and work with the outfielders. In addition to his four-year tenure with Cassady at Birmingham-Southern College, he also has run the Birmingham Vipers organization for a decade.
Valpo hires Melisa Shock
Another pitching coach found a new home, with Valpo’s announcement of the hiring of Melisa Shock. Shock spent the last two seasons on staff at Frostburg State, leading the team’s pitching staff there, as well. A former player for Wittenberg, Shock graduated in 2010 and also runs Shock Softball outside the collegiate game.
Utah hires Paige Parker
Former Oklahoma standout and national champion Paige Parker will be the new pitching coach at Utah. She replaces Cody Thomson, who took the head coaching position at Utah Valley. Parker enters a program that has strong ties to her alma mater, with DJ Gasso – son of Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso – as the Utes’ other assistant coach. Parker most recently was the pitching coach at Tulsa. Click HERE to read the full article we posted earlier today.
Couldn’t be more excited to be a Ute!! Can’t wait to get to work this fall @Utah_Softball https://t.co/XttgfjHTLG
— Paige Parker (@paigeparker008) August 13, 2021
*** Scroll down to read about more coaching changes in the last few days…