Nancy Evans Joins Staff at UIC as Pitching Coach

The following release information was issued by UIC and information and photo courtesy of UIC…

CHICAGO, Ill. – Nancy Evans, a six-time NCAA national champion pitcher and coach, has been named the new pitching coach at UIC, head coach Lynn Curylo announced.

Evans made her name in the circle during her collegiate career at the University of Arizona (1994-98), where she played an integral role in three of the Wildcats’ NCAA national championships and still holds the NCAA record with a .939 career winning percentage (124-8 overall record). She also finished her career with a 0.98 ERA and was named the 1998 Honda Sports Award recipient as National Player of the Year.

By the time she graduated from Arizona in 1998 with her degree in psychology, Evans was a two-time First Team All-American, the 1997 NCAA Women’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player, a three-time Women’s College World Series All-Tournament team selection, and a four-time All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-10 Conference honoree. She was also named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team in 2016, and in 2022, the NCAA recognized her as one of the 11 best pitchers in collegiate softball history.

“Nancy is an amazing person who understands and embraces the culture we have here at UIC,” Curylo said. “She has had enormous success as a player and pitching coach, and who better for our team to learn from than one of the most successful pitchers in NCAA history. We are thrilled to have her join our program and truly believe she will help lead us to great heights.”

Along with her athletic accomplishments, Evans also shined in the classroom during her playing career, twice earning First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America citations and being chosen as the 1998 Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. In addition, she was a national nominee for the 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year award, recognizing her work in the community, as well as her academic and athletic success.

“I would like to thank (director of athletics) Michael Lipitz and Coach Curylo for the opportunity to be part of the Flames softball family,” Evans said. “It’s an honor to be part of such a great community, and I look forward to working with the entire UIC staff and student-athletes.”

Evans went on to compete professionally from 1998-2005, first in the Women’s Professional Softball League (formerly known as Women’s Pro Fastpitch or WPF) for the Tampa Bay FireStix, helping the franchise to the 1999 WPSL title. She later signed with the Arizona Heat of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), finishing her professional career as a three-time All-Star across both leagues and being named the 2004 NPF All-Star Game MVP.

On the international stage, Evans participated in the 1996 and 2000 USA Softball Olympic team tryouts and was part of the 1997 U.S. National Team that won a gold medal at the Pan American Games.

Evans began her coaching career at her alma mater from 1999-2007, first as a volunteer assistant and later as a full-time assistant coach. As Arizona’s pitching coach, Evans helped lead the Wildcats to three more NCAA national titles and mentored an All-America hurler each season. Some of the legendary Arizona pitchers Evans developed were Becky Lemke, Jennie Finch, Alicia Hollowell and Taryne Mowatt.

Evans’ accomplishments as a student-athlete and a coach were later recognized by the University of Arizona. Her jersey number 13 was retired by the school in 2002, and she was inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in the same year.

Evans most recently coached on the collegiate level from 2011-13 at DePaul University. During her time with the Blue Demons, she helped the program compile a 110-56 record and make two NCAA tournament appearances, while developing two-time All-American Kirsten Verdun in the circle.

Evans also has experience as a coach on the global stage. In 2009, she helped guide the Dutch National Team to the European championship (the country’s first title in 19 years), followed by a strong showing at the 2010 World Championships.

Since 2021, Evans has served on the Italian National Team staff, helping that country to a third-place finish at the 2022 European Championships in Barcelona, Spain. That was followed by two other third-place showings this past summer at the 2023 Canada Cup (in Surrey, British Columbia) and the Women’s Softball World Cup qualifier (in Italy). Currently ranked No. 8 in the world, the Italian National Team has qualified for the 2024 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals that will also be played in Italy.

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