College: UCLA Named NFCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year

Following UCLA’s run to its 12^thNCAA Division I national championship, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez and her staff have been voted by their peers as the NFCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, the Association announced Thursday.

Inouye-Perez, along with assistant coaches Lisa Fernandez and Kirk Walker, Volunteer Assistant Kylee Perez and Director of Operations Claire Donyanavard, guided the Bruins to 56-6 overall and 20-4 Pac-12 records, a Pac-12 co-regular season title and the second Women’s College World Series (WCWS) championship during Inouye-Perez’s tenure.

UCLA enjoyed a 10-1 postseason mark and won its final eight contests, including five straight at the WCWS.

The undefeated WCWS run culminated with a Championship Series sweep of No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma. The Bruins defeated No. 7 Minnesota, No. 6 Arizona and No. 3 Washington before topping the Sooners by the scores of 16-3 and 5-4 with the title-clinching victory capped off by Kinsley Washington’s walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh.

Washington’s single not only gave the Bruins their 12^thchampionship, but Inouye-Perez her 600^thcareer victory.

The 13-year head coaching veteran and 2019 Pac-12 Coaching of the Year has directed the UCLA program to a 600-172-1 record, five straight WCWS appearances, seven overall, two Pac-12 titles and a 66-25 postseason mark.

The Bruins were named the West Region Coaching Staff of the Year and were joined by the other regional honorees:

• Oklahoma (Central)
• Minnesota (Great Lakes)
• Virginia Tech (Mid-Atlantic)
• Louisiana Tech (Mideast, tie)
• Southeast Missouri State (Mideast, tie)
• Oklahoma State (Midwest)
• James Madison (Northeast)
• Washington (Pacific)
• Alabama (South)
• Florida (Southeast)

Here’s a closer look at the 11 Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year announced June 11, 2019 by the NFCA…

*****

Central – Oklahoma

Overall: 57-6 Big 12: 18-0
Head Coach: Patty Gasso
Associate Head Coach: Jennifer Rocha
Assistant Coach: JT Gasso
Graduate Student Managers: DJ Gasso, Delanie Gourley
Volunteer Assistant Coach: Keilani Ricketts
National runner-up… Made eighth trip to the WCWS in last nine years… Big 12 regular season champions for eighth straight year … Won NCAA DI-record 41 straight games… First Division I program to win 40-plus straight games in one season… Second consecutive undefeated Big 12 regular season… Held No. 1 ranking in USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for last five weeks of regular season…  No. 1 overall national seed… No. 2 in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll… Sixth straight NFCA Central Region CSOY award.

*****

Great Lakes – Minnesota

Overall: 46-14       Big Ten: 20-2
Head Coach: Jamie Trachsel
Assistant Coaches: Piper Ritter, Katie Rietkovich
Director of Operations: Cody Shoemaker
Graduate Manager: Michael Lewis
Volunteer Assistant: Alyssa Reina
WCWS participant for first time in program history… No. 7 overall national seed… Swept regionals and super regionals… Eight different Gophers earned Big Ten hardware, including Pitcher of the Year Amber Fiser… Finished eighth in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll… Finished second in Big Ten regular season and tournament.

*****

Mid-Atlantic – Virginia Tech

Overall: 47-11       Atlantic Coast Conference: 20-4
Head Coach – Pete D’Amour
Assistant Coaches: Kirin Kumar, Doug Gillis
Volunteer Assistant: Matt Guemmer
ACC regular-season champions and tournament’s top overall seed… Lexington Regional finalist… Head coach Pete D’Amour was named ACC Coach of the Year… NCAA record for best turnaround (24-game improvement)… Fourth most wins in program history and the most since 2008… Set several single-season offensive records… Finished 23^rd in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.

*****

Mideast (tie) – Louisiana Tech

Overall: 45-16       Conference USA: 19-5
Head Coach: Mark Montgomery
Associate Head Coach: Emerald Doria
Assistant Coach: Bianca Duran
Graduate Manager:  Brooke Morris
Captured first-ever Conference USA regular-season title… Earned NCAA automatic bid with Conference USA tournament championship… Posted a 1-2 mark at the Baton Rouge Regional, picking up a 1-0 win over Monmouth… Most wins in 30 seasons, matching the second-best mark in program history… Played final home series at ULM after an F3 Tornado ravaged Ruston and the LA Tech campus and destroyed its facility… Head coach Mark Montgomery was named Conference USA co-Coach of the Year.

*****

Mideast (tie) – Southeast Missouri State

Overall: 46-18       Ohio Valley Conference: 17-5
Head Coach: Mark Redburn
Assistant Coaches: Kristen Jones, Bill Graham
Earned share of the OVC regular-season title… As the No. 1 seed, captured the OVC tournament, its first since 1999, winning three elimination game, the final two over No. 2 seed Jacksonville State… Program-record 46 wins… Earned automatic bid into NCAA Tournament, its first appearance in 20 years… Posted 1-2 mark at Oxford Regional, picking up a win over Chattanooga… Mark Redburn named OVC Coach of the Year.

*****

Midwest – Oklahoma State

Overall: 45-17       Big 12: 13-5
Head Coaches: Kenny Gajewski
Assistant Coaches: Stacie Pestrak, Jeff Cottrill
Volunteer Assistant: Cody Barham
Earned first WCWS berth since 2011 and eighth in program history… Swept through regional play as No. 13 seed… Knocked off defending champions Florida State in Tallahassee to be the only road team to win a super regional… Defeated No. 5 Florida in WCWS opener… Most victories since the 1994 squad won 46… Finished sixth in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.

*****

Northeast – James Madison

Overall: 51-10       Colonial Athletic Association: 20-1
Head Coach: Loren LaPorte
Associate Head Coach: Jennifer Herzig
Assistant Coach: Libby Morris
Volunteer Assistant: Derek Sauder
Made its second Super Regional appearance after going 4-1 in the Ann Arbor Regional… The Dukes knocked off host and No. 15 seed Michigan twice on the final day to become the only unseeded team to reach supers… Captured sixth consecutive CAA regular-season crown and fifth CAA tournament title… Head coach Loren LaPorte was named CAA Coach of the Year… Set school records in slugging, OBP, runs scored, home runs, RBI, total bases and walks… Finished 13^th in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.

*****

Pacific – Washington

Overall: 52-9          Pac-12: 20-4
Head Coach: Heather Tarr
Assistant Coaches: J.T. D’Amico, Lance Glasoe
Volunteer Assistant: Whitney Jones
Director of Operations: Amy LeFurgy
WCWS semifinalist… Third consecutive season reach at least the national semifinals… Swept through regionals and super regionals only allowing one run over five games… Went 2-2 at WCWS… Third straight 50-win season… No. 3 overall national seed and finished third in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll… Pac-12 regular season co-champions… Second time winning 20 contests in league play.

*****

South – Alabama

Overall: 60-10       Southeastern Conference: 18-6
Head Coach: Patrick Murphy
Associate Head Coach: Alyson Habetz
Assistant Coach: Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro
Volunteer Assistant: Brynne Dordel
Director of Operations: Kate Harris
WCWS semifinalists… Posted 3-2 record and forced if-necessary semifinal game with Oklahoma at WCWS… 8-4 mark during postseason as No. 8 overall seed… SEC regular-season champions and tournament runner-up… Collected fourth 60-win season, first since 2012… Only NCAA Division I program to reach 60-win plateau… Finished fourth in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.

*****

Southeast – Florida

Overall: 49-18       SEC: 12-12
Head Coach: Tim Walton
Assistant Coaches: Aric Thomas, Mike Bosch
Volunteer Assistant: Jolene Henderson
Swept its regional and defeated Tennessee two-out-of-three to clinch its third straight WCWS appearance… Did not surrender a run during three-game regional sweep… 5-3 postseason record… SEC Tournament champions… No. 5 overall national seed… Finished seventh in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.

*****

West – UCLA

Overall: 56-6          Pac-12: 20-4
Head Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez
Assistant Coaches: Lisa Fernandez, Kirk Walker
Volunteer Assistant: Kylee Perez
Director of Operations: Claire Donyanavard
National champions… Program’s 12^th national title and first since 2010… Posted 10-1 postseason mark as No. 2 national seed… Undefeated run through the WCWS culminated with a Championship Series sweep of No. 1 Oklahoma… Pac-12 Coach of the Year Kelly Inouye-Perez captured her 600^th career victory in the Bruins’ 5-4 title-clinching walk-off win over the Sooners… Co-Pac-12 regular-season champs… Finished first in final USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.