College News: Marty McDaniel—Who Has Worked with Standouts from Monica Abbott to Ashley Rogers–Resigns as Pitching Coach at Tennessee

Marty McDaniel, the longtime assistant coach at the Univ. of Tennessee who has helped develop pitching greats from over the last 15 years ranging from Monica Abbott to Ashley Rogers, has resigned his position as Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach on the Vols pitching staff, sources close to the SEC school told Extra Inning Softball Monday night.

McDaniel, who has been a head coach at the college level in the past and is 54-years-old, is stepping down to spend more time with his family.

He reportedly will have a severance package through September that will help him transition out of the role he’s held since 2005. Prior to that, he was the head coach from 1998 to 2004 at Armstrong Atlantic State.

The Vols will be in the market for a new pitching coach and are expected to begin a public job search this summer, possibly for a young-and-upcoming female coach who has had success in the coaching ranks and who can relate to the younger players today.

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Below is the information that was on the Tennessee Vols softball site as of today covering Coach McDaniels’ long and accomplished career prior to 2020 and the abbreviated season this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauded for his teaching ability and his overall knowledge of the game, Marty McDaniel continues to provide his outgoing personality and boundless enthusiasm to the Vol softball program. McDaniel just completed his 16th season as assistant coach on the staff of Tennessee co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly. A former head coach at Division II Armstrong Atlantic State University (Ga.), McDaniel’s experience as both a coach and as a men’s fastpitch veteran has been invaluable to the UT efforts.

During his time on the UT softball staff, McDaniel has been vital to the program’s stunning success. His pitching pupils such as standouts Monica Abbott, Megan Rhodes, Ashton Ward, Cat Hosfield, Ivy Renfroe, Ellen Renfroe, Erin Gabriel, Rainey Gaffin, Matty Moss, Caylan Arnold and Ashley Rogers have helped extend Tennessee’s streak of 40+ win seasons to 17 following the 2019 campaign. During his 16 years at Tennessee (2005-20), his pitching staffs have led the nation in ERA and strikeouts (2007), set a national record for shutouts (51 in 2005) and helped the Big Orange to 729 total victories.

The 2020 season, which ended abruptly due to the Coronavirus pandemic, was underscored by a young, but determined pitching staff. McDaniel’s relied on newcomer Callie Turner (2.67 ERA) to step in as the team’s ace after Ashley Rogers was sidelined from a temporary injury. Rogers never got a chance to step in and give the Lady Vols some added experience as the season concluded just 23 games in. Turner, however, showed ability garnering an 8-7 win-loss record overall. She was backed by Iona transfer Samantha Bender (2.83), a redshirt sophomore, who recorded five wins and two saves in her opening season on Rocky Top. McDaniel also utilized freshmen Anna Hazlewood and Kiki Milloy, who also started in centerfield for the Lady Vols most of the season.

In 2019, McDaniel had a deep pitching staff that was balanced by the experience of senior Matty Moss, junior Caylan Arnold and newcomer Ashley Rogers, who made a name for herself quickly in the circle. The trio garnered a combined 2.22 ERA, led by Roger’s 1.94 and a 21-7 win-loss record. The Athens, Tenn., native earned NFCA All-Region and All-SEC First Team honors and was a top 10 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Freshman of the Year. Moss and Arnold finished their careers at UT with several top-10 marks in program tying for 10th with 26 single-season wins. Moss’ 2.05 career ERA ranks 10th all-time, while her 67 career wins ties for fifth in program history. With a .807 winning percentage (67-16) in the circle, Moss sits in second in program history behind Monica Abbott. Arnold’s 56 career wins ranks eighth in program history.

McDaniel helped acclimate a staff that relied on just two primary pitchers in 2018. The Lady Vols finished tied for third in the SEC in total wins (48) while leading the conference in saves (8). Sophomore Caylan Arnold improved upon a 2017 campaign that saw her earn SEC freshman of the year honors by posting a 26-6 record and a 2.19 ERA. Arnold was named SEC pitcher of the week three separate times during the season, and her 227 strikeouts were good for fourth most in the conference. In her junior season, Matty Moss put together a 18-6 mark that included 123 strikeouts. Her most notable performance came on Feb. 24 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, where she went six innings and struck out six batters to lead Tennessee to a statement win over then-#2/5 Oregon. She also recorded her 300th career strikeout in February in a game against Florida Atlantic.

McDaniel molded a young pitching staff into one of the best in the country in 2017. The Vols finished 22nd nationally with a 1.98 ERA despite relying primarily on a sophomore and a freshman. Sophomore Matty Moss posted career highs with 26 wins, 14 complete games, seven shutouts and 193 strikeouts en route earning All-SEC second team honors. Freshman Caylan Arnold became just the fourth player in program history to be named SEC Freshman of the Year, doing so by recording 20 wins and 144 strikeouts, both the most by a Vol freshman since Ellen Renfroe in 2011. Arnold also had a staggering nine wins over ranked opponents, including victories over Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida, who have combined to win the past six national titles.

The Vols pitching staff ranked among the top 25 nationally throughout most of the 2016 season and finished the year with a 2.25 team ERA, marking the 16th straight season that they have had a team ERA under 3.00. Under McDaniel’s watch, senior Erin Gabriel had the best season of her career, setting career highs in wins (21), ERA (2.36), games started (30), appearances (38), innings pitched (145.1), complete games (eight) and strikeouts (178). Fellow senior Rainey Gaffin also had another stellar campaign in the circle, ranking among the national leaders with five saves while posting a 9-3 record and a 2.32 ERA. McDaniel also played a large role in developing freshman standout Matty Moss, who led the pitching staff with a 1.68 ERA and seven wins in SEC play.

Tennessee thrived with its by-committee pitching approach in 2015, making its seventh Women’s College World Series appearance behind the quartet of Rainey Gaffin, Erin Gabriel, Gretchen Aucoin and Cheyanne Tarango. Gabriel enjoyed the best season of her career, going 17-8 with team highs of six shutouts, 140.0 innings and 158 strikeouts. Gabriel threw a 16-strikeout, seven-inning no-hitter against Illinois State on March 10 and tossed a five-strikeouts, five-inning perfect game against ETSU on March 24. She also played a major role in UT’s late-season run to the SEC Tournament title game and the WCWS. Gaffin was named Tennessee’s 14th NFCA All-American and 31st All-America selection after going 17-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 125.2 frames. Gaffin was outstanding as both a starting pitcher and a reliever, peaking at the end of the season to lead UT to the WCWS.

In 2014, senior Ellen Renfroe shouldered the load as UT’s ace, becoming just the third pitcher in program history to record 30 wins in a season while helping lead Tennessee to the NCAA Super Regionals for the seventh time. The pitching staff of Renfroe, Erin Gabriel, Rainey Gaffin and Cheyanne Tarango combined for 21 shutouts and 382 strikeouts over 376.2 innings. Gaffin, a sophomore in her first season as a collegiate pitcher, threw the 45th no-hitter in Tennessee history, shutting down Wright State over six hitless frames with six strikeouts on March 5, 2014. Renfroe finished her career ranked second in several Tennessee career pitching categories, including ERA (1.65), starts (129), wins (102), shutouts (41), innings pitched (872.0) and strikeouts (1,005).

Sisters Ivy Renfroe and Ellen Renfroe were outstanding in the circle once again in 2013, leading Tennessee back to the Women’s College World Series for the sixth time in nine years. UT posted 22 shutouts in 2013 and limited opponents just two runs per game. The team’s ERA of 1.84 ranked 13th in the nation. Ellen Renfroe shined in the WCWS, earning All-Tournament honors after dominating complete-game performances against Florida and Washington and a courageous 13-strikeout, 11-inning duel with Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts in the Championship Series. Powered by the 1-2 punch of sisters Ivy Renfroe and Ellen Renfroe in 2012, the Tennessee pitching staff posted the 11th-best ERA in the nation (1.58). Ellen Renfroe went on to earn her second Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America honors after another stellar year in the circle. Ivy Renfroe raised her game to another level in the NCAA Tournament, compiling a 6-2 record with a 1.29 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 48.2 innings of work to carry UT to the Women’s College World Series.

With the addition of freshman Ellen Renfroe to a Vol staff already made up of returning sister Ivy and Hosfield, the UT pitching staff registered a standout 2011 campaign. The trio combined to rate second in the league in team ERA (1.86) and 23rd in the category over all of NCAA Division I. Ellen Renfroe led the Southeastern Conference in ERA (counting league contests only) with a sterling 1.42 mark on her way to SEC Freshman of the Year accolades and posted a 26-7 overall mark (fourth in the SEC in wins) to go along with a 1.50 ERA and 259 strikeouts over 201 innings. Included in her efforts were a 20-strikeout effort during a 2-1 (10 inn.) victory over #22 Auburn and seven total 10+K contests. Ivy Renfroe finished seventh in the league in triumphs, as part of her 19-4 record, and ninth in ERA (counting all games) at 2.07 while posting 157 K’s in 152.1 frames of effort. The Jackson, Tenn., native also twirled her second (vs. Mississippi State – April 22) and third (vs. Liberty – May 20) career no-hitters during her sophomore campaign. As a junior Hosfield added a 4-1 mark with a 2.92 ERA over 38.1 innings of work with 24 strikeouts.

Faced with a young and inexperienced staff consisting of returning sophomores Cat Hosfield and Jessica Spigner and two incoming freshmen, Ivy Renfroe and Andi Williamson, McDaniel helped the 2010 group settle in to post 49 wins, the league’s fifth-best ERA at 2.78 and 12 shutouts. His new pupil Renfroe truly thrived under his direction, posting a 31-6 mark with a 2.41 ERA, 15 complete games and 235 strikeouts over 232.1 innings of work. She became the first Vol pitcher not named Monica Abbott to win 30 or more games in a single season and post a victory at the annual Women’s College World Series. The 6-0 right hander registered perhaps her finest effort during NCAA Super Regionals at No. 2 Michigan, flirting with a no-hitter for 6.1 frames before settling for a two-hit shutout to end the powerful Wolverines two-year, 36-game home winning streak. Renfroe also three-hit eventual national finalist No. 3 Arizona in UT’s WCWS opener as Tennessee rolled past the Wildcats, 9-0 (5 inn.). Hosfield was solid from the circle in support in 2010, registering a 17-8 overall mark with a 3.27 ERA with six complete games and 130 K’s in 171.1 innings. During her campaign, the Murfreesboro, Tenn., product posted victories over high-profile foes including No. 15 Texas, Illinois State, Ole Miss, Auburn, No. 4 Florida, Louisville and No. 2 Michigan. Typically a third baseman, Spigner recorded a pitching win over Austin Peay and picked up a crucial save during a 5-4 home triumph over No. 9 Georgia, while Williamson allowed just a single tally in five innings of work over three appearances.

Rookie righthander Hosfield led the way for the Vol pitching crew in 2009, posting a 28-13 record with six solo shutouts and 221 strikeouts in 257.1 innings of work. She tied for 12th in NCAA Division I in wins, second in the Southeastern Conference in victories, rated fourth in strikeouts (221) and 11th in opposing batting average (.222), while posting high-profile victories over No. 6 Oklahoma (twice), No. 15 Massachusetts, No. 18 LSU (twice), No. 25 Kansas and Auburn (three wins).

Included in her SEC All-Freshman campaign was a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to eventual national champion Washington, during which Hosfield allowed just two runs on seven hits in a duel with 2009 USA Softball National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie. Forced to look further into the staff as the long ’09 season wore on, he helped senior Danielle Pieroni to an 8-3 mark over 57 innings of work after she entered the year with all of 22.2 frames of collegiate pitching experience. He even helped freshman Spigner, who hadn’t thrown in a pitch in nearly a year, contribute 16 innings, including a big 6-3 win at No. 8 Georgia.

His charges in the circle helped guide Tennessee to a fifth consecutive 50-win campaign in 2008 while posting 17 shutouts, a 2.10 team ERA and 431 K’s in 437.0 innings of work. Freshman righthander Ward spent the season among the SEC win leaders and finished 25th in NCAA Division I in victories by going 27-5 overall with a team-best 1.88 ERA and 187 strikeouts. Senior Rhodes was responsible for 23 triumphs, 213.1 innings of work and 233 K’s. The Nashville, Tenn., native concluded her time wearing the Orange & White firmly entrenched in UT’s top four in career wins, K’s, shutouts, ERA, appearances, starts and winning percentage. Junior Pieroni demonstrated improvement in the circle during 2008 by working 19.1 frames and highlighting her year with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief in an exhibition contest against the U.S. Olympic Softball Team.

During the 2007 drive to a runner-up national finish at the Women’s College World Series, McDaniel helped the Tennessee staff to an NCAA-best 0.88 ERA to go along with 63 wins, 41 shutouts and a national single-season record strikeout-per-seven-inning ratio of 13.55 on 910 combined K’s over 470 innings of work. His pupils in the circle, Abbott and Rhodes, finished first (14.1) and fourth (11.7), respectively, in K-per-seven-inning ratio in the country.

Senior Abbott led the way in single-season strikeouts with an NCAA record 724. She completed her stay in the Orange & White as the NCAA career leader in wins (189), strikeouts (2,440), shutouts (112), appearances (253) and innings pitched (1,448.0). Rhodes struck out 186 batters over just 111.2 frames of work while going 13-3 with a 1.50 ERA. The duo also combined to hurl eight no-hitters, including three perfect games (two for Abbott, one for Rhodes). For his efforts, he was named as part of Speedline’s South Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the second time in three seasons (2005).

His pitching staff continued their stellar work in the circle during UT’s run to the WCWS in 2006 by leading the league in ERA at 1.12 with a 61-12 overall record, 37 shutouts and 682 strikeouts. Junior All-American Abbott led the nation in victories with 44 and broke the SEC career records for K’s and triumphs during the regular-season after posting a 44-10 mark with 531 K’s. Sophomore Rhodes continued her rapid improvement by going 17-2 overall with a 1.40 ERA and 148 strikeouts in just 120 innings of work. The staff hurled three consecutive no-hitters during the title-winning USF adidas Tournament and almost got a fourth straight as a bloop single by UMass in the fifth inning of the championship contest broke up the amazing bid.

Working primarily with the pitching and catching positions during the record-setting 2005 campaign, McDaniel instructed a group of hurlers that broke a long-standing national record for shutouts with 51 blankings while helping guide UT’s initial advance into the WCWS. The first-year McDaniel’s charges combined for 67 victories in the circle with an overall ERA of 0.79 and 787 strikeouts in 547.0 innings. Sophomore Abbott became the program’s first two-time, first-team All-American after leading the nation in victories (50), shutouts (34), strikeouts (603) and innings pitched (392.0). Rookie pitcher Rhodes posted 14 victories and 125 K’s on her way to SEC All-Freshman honors.

Granted the responsibility of building the softball program at Armstong Atlantic State (Ga.) from its infancy in 1998, McDaniel turned the AASU varsity program into a winning machine that captured its initial Peach Belt Conference championship in 2000, garnered four NCAA Championship berths (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004) and achieved a No. 1 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll during the 2000 campaign. His conference-winning squad in 2000 picked up an impressive 51 victories against just seven losses and registered an 18-2 league mark in PBC play.

With the assistance of four All-Americans, McDaniel’s 2004 AASU squad advanced all the way to the South Atlantic Regional. Record-setting senior pitcher Katya Eronina picked up her second-consecutive first-team NFCA All-America honor while a pair of seniors, Stacey Richardson and Kissy Stepanova, garnered second-team All-America awards. Junior second baseman Stacy Oliver was selected as a third-team All-American.

During the 2003 campaign, AASU utilized the pitching of NFCA All-America Eronina, the Division II leader in earned-run-average, to advance to the South Atlantic Region final. The Pirates achieved a final ranking of 16th and completed the season at 41-13 overall.

All-Americans Annie Sells and Richardson helped guide the 2002 version of McDaniel’s Pirates to a No. 2-seeding at the South Atlantic Regional and another final ranking of 16th. AASU registered the best won-lost record in Division II with a 40-7 mark while Richardson was the NCAA’s DII home run champion with a school-record 16 round-trippers. The squad finished with a 15-2 mark for a second-place finish in the Peach Belt Conference.

The 2000 South Atlantic Coach of the Year, McDaniel has had experience on the Weeklys’ staff before as he joined AASU from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During his two-plus year stint on the staff of then Head Coach Ralph Weekly, also a U.S. Olympic Assistant Coach, Chattanooga won two Southern Conference Championships.

A native of Chattanooga, Tenn., McDaniel received his Bachelor of Science degree from Carson-Newman College in 1989 and also assisted with the baseball team as a coach for two seasons. As a top-rated pitcher, McDaniel has made numerous all-region squads in the sport of men’s fastpitch softball.

During 2008 he was honored in a ceremony at Armstrong Atlantic State as a coaching inductee into the softball program’s “Wall of Fame.”

McDaniel and his wife, the former Kelly Stewart, currently reside in Knoxville, Tenn. The pair have a child, Lindsey Jo, who was born during the 2005 softball campaign.

McDANIEL’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

COACHING EXPERIENCE

• 1996-97: Chattanooga, assistant coach
• 1998-04: Armstrong Atlantic State, head coach
• 2005-Pres.: Tennessee, assistant coach

TENNESSEE HIGHLIGHTS

• Women’s College World Series 2015, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2005
• NCAA Super Regional Champions 2015, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2005
• NCAA Regional Champions 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2005
• 2011, 2006 SEC Tournament Champions
• 2007 SEC Regular-Season Champions
• 2007, 2004 SEC Eastern Division Champion
• 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 SEC Tournament
• Speedline South Region Coaching Staff of the Year 2007, 2005
• NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year 2013, 2012, 2010
• 34 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans
• 60 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region selections
• 70 All-SEC or All-Freshman selections
• 22 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American selections
• 2005 pitching staff set national record for shutouts (51)
• 2007 pitching staff led nation in ERA (0.88) and K’s (910)
• Tennessee first SEC team to reach #1 in polls (2007)
• Tennessee first SEC team to reach WCWS Championship Series (2007)

ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE HIGHLIGHTS

• 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000 NCAA Division II Regionals
• 2002 NCAA DII Statistical Champions (Best Won-Lost Record)
• 2001 NCAA DII Statistical Champions (Best Fld. Percentage)
• 2000 Peach Belt Conference Champions
• 2000 South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year
• No. 1 regular-season ranking in NFCA DII Poll (2000)

CHATTANOOGA HIGHLIGHTS

• SoCon Champions 1997, 1996

McDANIEL’S YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD

*Assistant Coach