The following release information was issued by Northwestern and information and photo courtesy of Northwestern…
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern softball finalized its coaching staff for the 2024 season as announced by head coach Kate Drohan.
Grace French joins the Wildcats as a graduate assistant after a decorated academic and athletic career at Bradley, while Tony Smith is elevated to assistant coach. Associate head coach Caryl Drohan, assistant coach Michelle Gascoigne and director of operations Andrea Fuller will all return for the 2024 season following their recognition as the 2023 ATEC/NFCA Division I Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
“Our staff has made a next level commitment to player development,” said Drohan “Their ability to connect with players make each an incredibly valuable asset to our program as we continue to strive for excellence. It is exciting and has elevated our players’ confidence, understanding of the game, and performance.”
French comes to Evanston to begin her coaching career following five seasons as a two-way player at Bradley. French is a two-time Second Team All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team honoree, and two-time MVC Scholar Athlete First Team member. Across her five seasons in Peoria, French posted a 3.42 ERA in 470.1 innings in the circle and a .787 OPS in 487 at bats. She ranks sixth in program history with 36 wins, sixth with 82 starts in the circle, eighth with 111 pitching appearances, eighth with 470.1 innings pitched, and ninth with 271 strikeouts. At the plate, her 33 doubles rank sixth in program history and her 24 hit by pitches are third most.
French entered the single-season record books in 2023, making the second-most starts (31) in program history, while roping the fourth-most doubles (18). In 2022, French earned Second Team NFCA All-Mideast Region and MVC All-Tournament Team awards after posting career-highs with a .288 batting average, seven home runs, 32 RBI, 34 runs scored, and an .894 OPS. French earned bachelor’s degrees in both Kinesiology and Health Sciences and a master’s degree in Business Administration at Bradley. She made the Bradley AD honor roll in nine-straight semesters and earned 14 academic awards during her collegiate career. A native of Benicia, Calif., French comes from a family of baseball players. Her father, Peter, played baseball at San Diego State and UC Riverside, while both her grandfather, Raymond T. French, and great, great uncle, Ray French, played professional baseball in the early 1900s.
After joining the ‘Cats before the 2023 season as a Volunteer Assistant, Smith will be promoted to assistant coach for the 2024 campaign. Smith enjoyed a long career in baseball before joining the Northwestern softball staff. He pitched four seasons in Independent League Baseball before spending four years as Director of Pitching, Arm Care, and Overhand Throwing at Athletes HQ. Smith spent two years as a Player Development coach for the Erie Seawolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, assisting in the development of current Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson, No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and center fielder Riley Greene, fifth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft. He also served as the pitching coach for the Schaumburg Boomers (2017-2019), helping them to a 2017 Frontier League Championship with the lowest team ERA in the league.
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