LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 2021 Easton/NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year recipients were announced on Tuesday afternoon. Garnering honors this year are Jennifer Herzig (James Madison University / DI), Matt Jackson (William Jewell College / DII), Mary Karen Wheat (University of Rochester / DIII), Becky Martinez (Siena Heights University / NAIA), TJ Webb (Seminole State College / NJCAA DI), Stacey Birdsong (Parkland College / NJCAA DII), Vivi Marquez (Rock Valley College / NJCAA DIII), Morgan McGee (Santiago Canyon College / Cal JC), Clint Hoelscher (Papillion-LaVista High School) and Frank D. Iovine (New Jersey Ruthless 14U-Lensch / TB).

STILLWATER – One of college softball's most decorated two-way athletes is coming to Oklahoma State. Miranda Elish – a two-time NFCA All-American and the 2020 Softball America Shortened Season National Player of the Year who ranks top-10 on Texas' career strikeout, strikeout per innings and ERA lists – has joined head coach Kenny Gajewski and the Cowgirls for her final year of eligibility. "I couldn't be more blessed with the opportunity I have been given by Coach G and his staff to represent Oklahoma State Softball," Elish said. "From the moment I spoke to Coach G, I knew he was who I wanted to finish my playing career for. The love he has for his program, his girls and this city is evident and contagious; I couldn't help but fall in love the moment I arrived. I am humbled to be welcomed into the great family and culture that those on the team now and in years past have created." Elish opted out of the 2021 season because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Elish was among the nation's elite two-way threats. She posted an 11-3 record with a 1.25 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 84.0 innings pitched. As as hitter, she boasted a .370 average with 20 hits – including four homers – and 19 RBI in 54 plate appearances. As a junior at Texas in 2019, she added a handful of notable accolades to her resume: NFCA third-team All-America honors, Softball America Honorable Mention All-America honors, NFCA first-team All-Central Region and All-Big 12 Conference first-team selections. Her work from the circle during the 2019 season was highlighted by an 18-10 record with a 1.81 ERA in 37 appearances – including 29 starts, 20 complete games, 11 solo shutouts and 226 strikeouts over a team-high 185.1 innings pitched. She batted .315 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 27 RBI and a .928 OPS, while managing 11 multi-hit and eight multi-RBI performances. "Any time you can add a player of this caliber to a team and a program that's moving forward with a lot of talented players already on the roster, it's an exciting addition," Gajewski said. "There's a lot of work for everyone here to get done in order for her to have the success that she expects, on our end and on her end. That being said, we're excited about this addition but know there's a long road to go." More on Miranda Elish: Pitcher | 5-8 | Senior | Crown Point, Ind. | Crown Point HS | Oregon/Texas Honors and Awards2017 Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman2017 NCAA Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team2018 Top 50 Preseason Watch List for USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year2018 First Team All-Pac-12 Conference2018 NFCA Second Team All-American2018 Top 25 Finalist for USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year2019 Top 50 Preseason Watch List for USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year2019 NFCA National Pitcher of the Week (March 26)2019 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week (March 26)2019 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week (April 9)2019 First Team All-Big 12 Conference2019 Softball America Honorable Mention All-American2019 NFCA Third Team All-American2020 Top 50 Preseason Watch List for USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year2020 NFCA National Player of the Week (Feb. 11)2020 Big 12 Conference Player of the Week (Feb. 11)2020 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 18)2020 Softball America Shortened Season National Player of the Year2020 Softball America Shortened Season First Team All-American 2019 (Junior at Texas)Earned NFCA third-team All-America, Softball America Honorable Mention All-America, NFCA first team All-Central Region and All-Big 12 First Team selections after going 18-10 with a 1.81 ERA over 37 appearances with 29 starts, 20 complete games, 11 solo shutouts and 226 strikeouts over a team-high 185.1 innings pitched... Was also a double threat at the plate, batting .315 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 27 RBI and a .928 OPS, while managing 11 multi-hit and eight multi-RBI efforts... Went 7-4 with a 1.56 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 72.0 frames in Big 12 contests... Tossed her second career no-hitter (vs. Iowa State on March 22), four one-hitters and posted at least 10 strikeouts in 10 starts with a high of 14 during a win at No. 15 Arizona State on March 1... Registered pitching wins over NCAA teams Boise State, California, Tulsa, Ole Miss, No. 15 Arizona State, Lipscomb, No. 21 Oklahoma State, No. 15 Texas Tech (two wins), Texas A&M, Sam Houston State and Houston (two wins)... Fired a remarkable 440 pitches over three days, including 429 over the final two days, while going 4-0 with a 0.47 ERA over five appearances to help Texas climb from the loser's bracket to win the NCAA Austin Regional... Blasted a key solo homer in the fourth inning of an eventual 4-3 win at No. 21 Oklahoma State... Tossed her second career no-hitter and also went 2-for-4 with the game-ending grand slam and five RBI to down Iowa State on March 22 on the way to being named the NFCA National and Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week... Reached base safely in 11 straight games from March 13 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to March 29 at Oklahoma State... Blasted her first career Texas home run as part of a 2-for-3, double, home run, three-RBI effort in a 5-1 victory over Florida Atlantic at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational... Tossed a one-hit shutout in her first Longhorns pitching action to down Boise State. 2018 (Sophomore at Oregon)A 2018 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) second team All-American Elish posted a pitching record of 37-2 overall to go along with a 1.42 ERA, 17 solo shutouts, 29 complete games and 347 strikeouts over 280.2 innings of work while limiting opponents to a miniscule .189 batting average during her two years at Oregon... The 2018 All-Pac-12 first team and NFCA All-Pacific Region first team selection helped lead the Ducks to the Pac-12 regular season title and a berth in the Women's College World Series as a sophomore by posting a 25-2 mark with a 1.20 ERA, 12 shutouts and 249 strikeouts in 175.0 frames... Along the way, Elish tossed Oregon's first ever seven-inning perfect game and struck out a career-high 16 during an April 3 win over Portland State, hit double-digits in strikeouts 11 times during UO's 53-10 campaign in 2018 and registered high-profile wins over a list of teams including LSU, Texas, Florida State, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Kentucky. 2017 (Freshman at Oregon)Elish went undefeated in her rookie campaign at 12-0... In 105.2 innings pitched, she posted a 1.79 ERA, good for third on the team and fifth in the Pac-12... She also saw time at the plate, hitting .276 in 58 at-bats with 10 runs scored, 16 RBI and a homer... Helped the Ducks open the season with 35 straight wins, matching the NCAA record... Ranked sixth in the Pac-12 by averaging 6.5 strikeouts per seven innings... Was part of the Oregon pitching staff that ranked fifth in the NCAA with a 1.41 team ERA... Tossed five shutouts on the season, including a one-hit shutout in a five-inning run-rule win against Wisconsin on May 21 in regionals... Had a season-high nine strikeouts in a five-inning win against Pacific on March 11... Hit her first collegiate home run on March 10 against Hofstra... Drove in three runs in her collegiate debut against Virginia on Feb. 9, going 2-for-3. High SchoolComing out of high school, Elish was listed as the No. 1 recruit in the nation by FloSoftball... A 2016 MaxPreps first team All-American, she was also a three-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year as well as the 2014 MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year (went 24-1, 0.31 ERA, 223 strikeouts, 18 walks, 137 innings as a sophomore)... As a high school senior, Elish registered a 15-2 record with a 0.41 ERA and 196 strikeouts over 103 innings while batting .505 with seven homers and 26 RBI.

The Division I Competition Oversight Committee approved expanding the Women's College World Series to a nine-day event, beginning with the 2022 championship (June 2-10).

SALT LAKE CITY – For the second time in the past week, Utah Softball head coach Amy Hogue has announced a major addition to her coaching staff, with two-time All-American Allexis "Chip" Bennett taking on the role of volunteer assistant coach on the Utes' staff. "There's nothing like bringing in Allexis Bennett as the closer for our coaching staff," Hogue said. "What an unbelievable opportunity for us to have a multi-year Pac-12 award winner and two-time All-American to round out our coaching staff! I believe Chip was born to coach this game. Her energy and enthusiasm for this sport we love is unmatched by anyone I know. We are blessed to have her here to lead this team to a new level of excellence!" A four-time All-Pac-12 honoree at UCLA (2013-16), Bennett has recently served as an assistant coach at J Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and operates her own business conducting hitting and fielding lessons. In addition to her experience coaching high school and giving lessons, Bennett also worked as an understudy for the owner of the Orange County Batbusters travel ball organization, helping to develop youth athletes on several teams, focusing on her unique ability to effectively train outfielders. "Being able to play in the Pac-12 and now to coach in the Conference, in my opinion, is the greatest honor," Bennett said. "I am excited to join forces with Coach Amy Hogue and her staff, bringing a 24/7 competitive mindset to the Ute program. Watch out, the University of Utah will be so good, you won't be able to ignore them. Life is a game, play and win it." Bennett has played four seasons of professional fastpitch softball since being drafted eighth overall in the 2016 NPF draft by the Pennsylvania Rebellion before joining the Scrapyard Dawgs for the 2017 season. She played for the USSA Pride from 2018-20, and was a winner of the NPF Cowles Cup twice before joining the Pride, and again in 2019 with the Pride. Bennett was a 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove nominee and a two-time All-NPF selection (2017, '19). In her four years at UCLA, Bennett was a back-to-back Pac-12 batting champion (2015-16) and a two-time All-American, helping to lead her team to four NCAA College World Series appearances. She batted a career-best .492 in 2015, and batted .418 for her stellar career. Bennett earned first-team All-America in 2015 and third-team in 2016, as well as first-team All-Pac-12 in both seasons. She also earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team twice (2015, 2016), was a top 10 finalist for Player of the Year (2015), an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team member (2013) and two-time honorable mention All-Pac-12 (2013-14). For her career, Bennett had 259 hits, including 25 doubles, six triples and one home run; drove in 70 runs, had 61 walks, stole 61 bases in 78 attempts and had a .473 on-base percentage. A 2016 graduate of UCLA, Bennett earned her bachelor's degree in political science. Her nickname is Chip.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illini softball's Laura Trout has been promoted to associate head coach, the program announced on Monday. Trout, who has been with the Fighting Illini softball program since 2015, begins her seventh year with the program, and will continue to serve as the Illini hitting coach in addition to working with the infielders.

Katie McEachern, a starting shortstop for current Syracuse Head Coach Shannon Doepking at Dartmouth, has joined her former coach's staff as an assistant coach. McEachern spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Fordham."I'm so excited to join the coaching staff at Syracuse," McEachern said. "Coach Doepking has been a mentor of mine these last seven years and I can't wait to be a part of the culture she's creating at Syracuse." In 2019, McEachern helped the Rams to their seventh-straight Atlantic 10 championship, sixth regular season title, and ninth trip to the NCAA Regional during her first season. While at Fordham, McEachern was responsible for the development of hitters and creating hitting approaches based on individual strengths. In 2021, eight members of the Fordham softball lineup slugged over .500 and, as a team, the Rams had a .312 batting average, .395 on base percentage, and .510 slugging percentage.Prior to Fordham, McEachern spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Saint Francis University. While in Loretto, she helped guide the Red Flash to the 2017 and 2018 NEC Championship, back-to-back undefeated conference seasons, and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances at the Arizona Regional.McEachern was a member of the 2014 and 2015 Ivy League Championship teams at Dartmouth. She was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was twice named Ivy League Player of the Year. McEachern earned NFHCA Northeast All-Region Second Team honors in 2015 and was a first team selection in 2016. As a senior, she earned Dartmouth's highest athletic honor when she was named the recipient of the Kenneth Archibald Prize.After graduation from Dartmouth, she played and coached professionally with Skövde in Sweden during the summer and a year later received an invitation to play for the Canadian National Team.McEachern earned her bachelor's degree in anthropology from Dartmouth in 2016 and completed an MBA from Saint Francis in 2018 and is working to complete a M.S. from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham.

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Softball head coach Amy Hogue announced the hire of Paige Parker as an assistant coach Friday, to coach the team's pitchers. A two-time national champion pitcher at Oklahoma, Parker joins the Utes' coaching staff after spending the 2021 season on the coaching staff at Tulsa. "I'm extremely proud to announce that Paige Parker will be our new pitching coach," Hogue said. "What an exciting day this is! Paige brings all of the accolades one could receive as a player, and I have no doubt that she will continue to develop into an extremely successful college coach. She comes from a family of coaches, so I feel very honored to have her join our coaching staff. I look forward to seeing her work with our pitchers and help them develop their talent." Parker joined the Tulsa softball program in July 2020 to mentor the Golden Hurricane pitching staff, and guided her staff to a record of 25-16, as three Tulsa pitchers finished the season with winning records and sub-3.30 ERAs. Chenise Delce led the group with an 8-6 record, landing her on the all-conference first team and NFCA all-region second team. Kassidy Scott tied for second all-time in TU history for career saves with 9 after picking up 2 bigs saves during the 2021 season. "I would first like to thank Coach Hogue for giving me the opportunity to become a Ute," Parker said. "I am so thrilled to be joining the staff here at the University of Utah. I am looking forward to being a part of such a great program and University, and getting to work this fall! I also want to thank Coach Strimple and Coach Owens at the University of Tulsa for helping me to learn and become a better coach." Parker joined the Hurricane staff after spending one season at her alma mater, Oklahoma, as a volunteer assistant. During her season with the Sooners, Oklahoma was 20-4 before the season was cut short due to the pandemic, following one year serving as an assistant coach at William Jewel. Parker played four seasons at Oklahoma, becoming a two-time national champion. During her extraordinary career, she was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team four times, 2016 Female Athlete of the Year and 2015 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Parker was vital in leading the Sooners to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series. The pitcher earned All-Tournament team selections in each of the three appearances. The Sooner finished her career ranked second in Oklahoma history for career win percentage (.872), wins (123), appearances (174), strikeouts (968) and shutouts (37). She ranks fourth all-time in games started (134), innings pitched (867.1), saves (six) and strikeouts per seven innings (7.81). The Independence, Mo., native played one season with the USSSA Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch league. She helped lead the Pride to the 2018 Cowles Cup Championship, taking home the title. Parker graduated from Oklahoma with her undergraduate degree in Arts and Sciences with Distinction with an emphasis in Coach and Leadership in 2018.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Thursday approved implementing video review and allowing coaches to have two video review challenges beginning in the 2021-22 academic year.There is no requirement to use the video review rule. It is optional for all schools, conferences and tournaments to implement.Over the past few years, conferences have experimented with video review in conference tournament games, including the Atlantic Coast, Southeastern and Sun Belt conferences during the 2021 season. Softball Rules Committee members have received positive feedback about the experimental rule and recommended that video review become a permanent aspect of the game.Under the new rule, each head coach will have two challenges to initiate a review for the entirety of the game. A coach must verbally or visually indicate a challenge request before the next pitch, before the pitcher and all infielders have clearly vacated their normal fielding position and left fair territory, or before the umpires have left the field of play.

Women’s college softball is considered a spring sport, but the season begins in deep winter, creating a disadvantage for northern teams. A new event, the Northern Lights/Southern Nights Invitational, is coming to central Florida on the opening weekend of 2022 and will address this disadvantage by matching top teams who never or only occasionally practice outdoors before the season begins.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas head softball coach Mike White officially announced on Wednesday the signings of former N.C. State pitcher Estelle Czech (Sophomore/LHP/Downers Grove, Ill./N.C. State/Downers Grove North H.S.) and former Houston pitcher Logan Hulon (Junior/RHP/Dripping Springs, Texas/Houston/Dripping Springs H.S.) to join the Longhorns program heading into the 2021-22 academic year.

VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton University Athletic Department has promoted Jess Bump '14 as its head softball coach. She replaces longtime head coach Michelle Johnston, who stepped down at the conclusion of the recent season for family reasons.

EUGENE, Ore. – Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, a two-time All-American at Arizona and the 2018 Pac-12 home run champion, will join the Oregon softball staff as a volunteer assistant coach, head coach Melyssa Lombardi announced Monday. "We're excited to have Alyssa as a member of our staff," said Lombardi. "As a coach, she brings the experience of being both a recent graduate and one of the top players in the Pac-12, as well as now competing a professional, which will be invaluable to our student-athletes. "Alyssa has a terrific all-around feel for the game. Her approach at the plate made her one of the toughest players to face in the Pac-12. I also admire how she was able to persevere through adversity and overcome injuries." Palomino-Cardoza capped an impressive collegiate career in the spring of 2021 by leading the Wildcats to their second consecutive Women's College World Series appearance. She was named a NFCA first team All-American in 2018 and 2019, making her the first UA player to win back-to-back All-America honors in nearly a decade. In her career, the four-time all-Pac-12 selection hit 69 home runs, which ranks eighth on Arizona's career list and is tied for 11th all-time in Pac-12 annals. She also finished her career with 53 doubles to rank tied-for-fourth in UA history. Palomino-Cardoza was an all-Pac-12 first team selection in 2018 and 2019 and a second team pick in 2017 and 2021. She was a three-time Pac-12 all-defensive selection, including the 2019 season when she did not commit an error while starting all 62 games in centerfield for the Wildcats. She was also a four-time NFCA All-West Region first team honoree. The five-year starter had a career batting average of .346, a .717 slugging percentage and an otherworldly OPS of 1.162. Palomino-Cardoza was also one of the best defenders in the Pac-12 with a .990 career fielding percentage. She hit 19 home runs in the back-to-back seasons of 2018 and 2019, which lead the league in 2018 and ranked 11th nationally. As a freshman, Palomino-Cardoza hit 16 home runs with 54 RBI to help the Wildcats win the Pac-12 title in 2017. Before Arizona, the Mission Viejo, Calif., native set the Junior World Women's Championship record with 27 RBI in the 10-game tournament. Palomino-Cardoza led the U.S. Junior National Team to a 10-0 record and the gold medal in the 2015 event and was named the USA Softball junior female athlete of the year. She was a first-team high school All-America as a junior and senior, helping Mission Viejo High School to the national championship in 2014 and a state runner-up finish in 2015. Palomino-Cardoza also won three national titles with her club team, OC Batbusters.

What does it mean to be a Birmingham Thunderbolt?

Winning a national championship at any level isn’t easy. It’s even more challenging to win multiple times.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly has announced the addition of Oklahoma transfer infielder Zaida Puni to the Lady Vol program."Zaida was one of the most highly recruited players in the 2020 class," Weekly said. "She has a powerful bat, exceptional defensive skills and a high softball IQ. The training she received in the OC Batbusters organization under Mike Stith and his staff is invaluable. She is a great to addition to our program and we're excited to coach her." A rising sophomore from Carson, California, Puni spent her freshman campaign in Norman, Oklahoma, as a member of OU's 2021 national championship squad. She appeared in 15 games for the Sooners, hitting .357 (5-for-14) with three doubles, one home run, six runs scored and six RBIs during her rookie season. Prior to Oklahoma, Puni starred for St. Anthony's High School (Carson, Calif.) and the OC Batbusters travel club. She was ranked as the No. 25 player in the country by Extra Inning Softball and No. 79 by FloSoftball. As a junior, she batted .382 with 31 hits, 27 RBIs, 26 steals and 16 homers. In the summer of 2019, Puni helped lead the Batbusters to the 2019 18U USA World Fast Pitch Championship.