Coaching Staff Named Best in Great Lakes Region
6/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
June 30, 2010
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The University of Michigan softball coaching staff has been named the Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year as announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Wednesday (June 30). The staff led the Maize and Blue to a 49-8 overall record, the program's third consecutive Big Ten Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Super Regional for the sixth straight season.
Michigan's 2010 coaching staff consisted of head coach Carol Hutchins, associate head coach Bonnie Tholl, assistant coach Jennifer Brundage and volunteer assistant coach Becky Marx Keogh. It marks the ninth time the Michigan coaching staff has earned the Great Lakes Regional Coaching Staff of the Year distinction (1998, '99, 2001, '02, '04, '05, '08, '09, '10) and is the eighth for the core contingent of Hutchins, Tholl and Brundage. U-M was honored with Speedline/NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year accolades in 2005.
Hutchins recently wrapped up her 26th season in the third-base coaching box at Michigan (1985-2010), where she leads Wolverine coaches with a career record of 1,156-401-4 (.742). Including her one season as head coach at Ferris State (1982), Hutchins is 1,179-412-4 (.740), with her 1,179 career wins ranking fifth among active Division I coaches and seventh all-time. An 11-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Hutchins has guided her players to 46 total All-America citations, including four in 2010, while 10 Wolverines have earned Academic All-America accolades.
Tholl just completed her 17th season on the Michigan coaching staff and her eighth as the program's associate head coach. A fixture in the first-base coaching box, Tholl was a four-year starter at shortstop for Michigan from 1988-91 and was one of four Michigan players named to the first Big Ten All-Decade team (1982-92). In Tholl's 17 seasons on the Michigan staff, the Wolverines have made nine trips to the Women's College World Series.
Tholl and Brundage have been the primary assistant coaches to Hutchins for 12 seasons, with Brundage, a former All-American at UCLA and 2000 Olympic gold medalist, serving as the pitching coach. Brundage guided the Big Ten's top pitching staff in 2010 as senior LHP Nikki Nemitz (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) and junior RHP Jordan Taylor (Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) combined for a 1.58 ERA and 489 strikeouts en route to dual All-America honors.
Third-year volunteer assistant coach Marx Keogh rounds out the region's top coaching staff for 2010. She returned to her alma mater after completing her undergraduate degree in secondary education at U-M. Marx was an All-America catcher for the Wolverines (2005-06) and played a pivotal role throughout Michigan's memorable 2005 NCAA Championship campaign.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
