Indiana Hires Shonda Stanton As Head Softball Coach

Indiana Hires Shonda Stanton As Head Softball Coach

Indiana Hires Shonda Stanton As Head Softball Coach

Jun 11, 2017 by Chez Sievers
Indiana Hires Shonda Stanton As Head Softball Coach
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass today named Shonda Stanton as the new head coach of the Indiana Softball program. Stanton comes to IU from Marshall where she served as head coach for 18 seasons. At Marshall, Stanton became the winningest coach in program history with 560 victories and has posted 12 seasons with 30 or more wins.

"We are thrilled to have Shonda Stanton as the new head coach for our softball program," Glass said. "Widely respected, Shonda is a winner known for her recruiting acumen, strong player development, and commitment to graduating confident young women. Shonda is a great fit for Indiana University."

"I would like to thank Fred Glass for this incredible honor to lead the Hoosier Softball program," said Stanton. "Scott Joraanstad and the entire search committee have been exceptional throughout this process and have exemplified the shared vision of the Spirit of Indiana. I am passionate about developing student-athletes and will provide the structure and support necessary for our Hoosiers to walk in excellence in the classroom, on the ball field and in the Bloomington community. IU Softball has a proud history and I look forward to engaging our alumni as well as expanding our fan base. I appreciate the foundation the previous staff has constructed and will work to elevate Indiana University Softball to prominence in the Big Ten and on the national landscape."

In 2017, Stanton led Marshall to a program-record 42-12 mark and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. During the season, Marshall posted a 17-game winning streak in 2017 and a 20-4 conference record leading to Stanton being picked as the Conference USA Coach of the Year. In addition, Marshall saw Morgan Zerkle win C-USA Player of the Year honors and Jordan Dixon win C-USA Pitcher of the Year. Both Zerkle and Dixon also earned NFCA All-American accolades.

For the third time since Stanton took over in 2000, the Thundering Herd led the nation in stolen bases in 2017 with 162 on the year. In addition, the team finishing with a batting average of .300 or better for the third straight season as Marshall climbed as high as No. 23 in the national rankings.

During her tenure, Stanton guided the Thundering Herd to five conference championship games and led the team to two Mid-American Conference championships, a Conference USA regular season championship and Conference USA Tournament title.

Under Stanton's tutelage, Marshall has seen 76 all-conference selections, nine conference Player, Pitcher or Freshman of the Year accolades, 34 NFCA All-Region picks and a four-time All-American in Rachel Folden. In addition, Zerkle is the latest in a series of nine Thundering Herd alums to play in the National Pro Fastpitch League. Zerkle was named to the Top 50 Watch List for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and was recently selected to the USA Women's National Team.

Off the field, Marshall has posted a team GPA of 3.0 in every semester of Stanton's career and have had 103 named NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes.

Stanton spent two seasons as head coach of the NPF's Akron Racers and, prior coming to Marshall, led the IUPUI program for a season. Stanton guided the Jaguars to a 27-25 mark in their first season as a Division I team.

As a player, Stanton was a four-year starter at UNC Greensboro and lead the team to back-to-back Big South Conference championships. In addition, Stanton scored 66 runs during her senior campaign, good for eighth in the nation.

A native of North Olmstead, Ohio, Stanton and her husband Joe have three children, Shayla, Gianna and Josiah. Joe serves as Vice President of Thornburg Insurance Agency and will maintain his position in Bloomington.

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