Softball Coaching Staff Named NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 | Softball
For the third straight year, the University of Florida softball coaching staff was named Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Head coach Tim Walton, along with assistants Jennifer Rocha and Jenny Gladding and student coach Mary Ratliff led the Gators to a 63-5 season and their first-ever appearance in the Women's College World Series championship series.
The Gators took home their second consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season (26-1) and tournament titles, while turning in only the second undefeated conference road record in league history. Florida hosted Regional and Super Regional action in the 2009 NCAA Tournament as they put together a 29-game win streak, the longest of the season in the country.
Walton, who was named SEC Coach of the Year for the second time, oversees all functions of the program and works primarily with the UF outfield and hitters. He guided the offense as it broke eight team records, including batting average (.323) and slugging percentage (.543). The Gators also topped two SEC records, collecting 86 home runs and 274 walks, and broke eight single-season individual records. Junior left fielder Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and sophomore right fielder Kelsey Bruder (Corona, Calif.) earned All-SEC and All-American honors while Bruder also picked up SEC All-Defensive accolades.
Walton earned his 300th career win early in the season with a 10-5 win over Pacific on Feb. 27. He then became the winningest head softball coach in UF history with a 7-0 victory on March 21 over No. 6/6 Tennessee, amassing 193 wins. He has put together a 226-57 (.799) record in his four years at the UF helm and a 349-121 (.743) all-time head coaching record (seven years).
Rocha finished her fourth season as Florida's pitching coach. For the second straight year, the Gators staff broke almost every record over the course of the season. Senior Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and sophomore Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) combined for the lowest ERA (0.69) in the nation and in UF history. The two All-Americans broke 11 single-season records, including strikeouts (547) and shutouts (39). Nelson, who played all four years under Rocha, finished her career tied for sixth in NCAA record books with 136 wins. Brombacher has yet to lose a game (42-0) in her two years at UF.
Gladding works primarily with the Gator infield. Florida posted its best fielding percentage (.977) and the least errors (43) in the program's history. Senior first baseman Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) and sophomore second baseman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) earned SEC All-Defensive honors for the second straight year while Paculba picked up her second All-America award.
After a four-year career with the Gators, Ratliff joined the coaching staff as a student coach. Working on different aspects of the game, her recent playing experience and her knowledge for the game was an all-around asset to the coaching staff.
The NFCA awards coaching staff of the year honors in each of its 10 regions. The regional winners are voted on by the coaches in that region. A national coaching staff of the year is then selected by the NFCA. Washington was named the National Coaching Staff of the Year after taking the Women's College World Series title. A complete listing of the regional winners is below.
Central: Baylor (40-22)
Head Coach Glenn Moore; Associate Head Coach Mark Lumley; Assistant Coach Britni Sneed Newman; Volunteer Assistant Coach Josh Newman and Student Assistant Coach Maritza Martinez
Great Lakes: Michigan (47-12)
Head Coach Carol Hutchins; Associate Head Coach Bonnie Tholl; Assistant Coach Jennifer Brundage; Volunteer Assistant Becky Marx
Mid-Atlantic: Radford (41-15)
Head Coach Mickey Dean; Assistant Coach Katy Lampman; Volunteer Assistant Coach Ashley Taylor
Mideast: Bradley (26-28)
Head Coach Amy Hayes; Assistant Coaches Renee Enos and Jennie Schollenberger
Midwest (tie): North Dakota State (38-20)
Head Coach Darren Mueller; Associate Head Coach Jamie Trachsel; Pitching Coach Darcy Byrne; Graduate Assistant Destiny Frankenstein
Midwest (tie): Missouri (50-12)
Head Coach Ehren Earleywine; Assistant Coaches Melissa Tucci and Mark Redburn; Volunteer Assistant Pete D'Amour
Northeast: UMass (41-10)
Head Coach Elaine Sortino; Assistant Coaches Jessica Merchant and Kristi Stefanoni
South: Alabama (54-11)
Head Coach Patrick Murphy; Associate Head Coach Alyson Habetz; Assistant Coach Vann Stuedeman
Southeast: Florida (63-5)
Head Coach Tim Walton; Assistant Coaches Jennifer Rocha and Jenny Gladding; Student Assistant Coach Mary Ratliff
West: Stanford (48-11)
Head Coach John Rittman; Associate Head Coach Trisha Ford; Assistant Coach Jessica Allister; Student Assistant Michelle Smith
