The Indiana softball coaching staff was named ATEC/NFCA Midwest Regional Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Thursday afternoon.
Head coach Shonda Stanton, associate head coach Chanda Bell, assistant coaches Gabbi Jenkins and Grayson Radcliffe and director of operations Cassie Hendrix were honored after leading Indiana to a 44-18 record, the program’s first 40-win season in 29 years. Regular-season highlights included a program-record 23-game winning streak and six sweeps versus conference opponents.
Team 50 finished second in the Big Ten regular season, runner-up to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, earned the No. 2 seed in the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament and beat the University of Louisville twice.
The squad coached three All-Americans, six All-Big Ten nominees, six NFCA All-Region selections and the Big Ten Freshman and Player of the Year in Taryn Kern.
The Midwest Region was one of NFCA’s 10 Division I Regions, whose coaching staffs were all nominated on Thursday. Active member head coaches within the designated region voted on each coaching staff award. Those ten staffs are all eligible for the Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, which will be announced on June 22.
