| 2019 NCAA Division I softball season | |
| Duration: | February 7 – June 5, 2019 |
| No Of Teams: | 286 |
| Preseason1: | (NFCA, SA) UCLA (USA Softball/ESPN) |
| Defendingchampions: | Florida State |
| Tv: | ESPN |
| Tournament Link: | 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament |
| Tournament: | NCAA Tournament |
| Tourneyduration: | May 17 – June 4, 2019 |
| Conferencebids: | SEC (13) |
| Wcwsduration: | May 30 – June 4, 2019 |
| Wcws Link: | 2019 Women's College World Series |
| Wcws: | Women's College World Series |
| Wcwschamp: | UCLA |
| Wcwstitlecount: | 13th |
| Wcwscount: | 13th |
| Wcwscoach: | Kelly Inouye-Perez |
| Wcwscoachcount: | 2nd |
| Wcwsmop: | Rachel Garcia |
| Mopteam: | UCLA |
| Prevseason Year: | 2018 |
| Nextseason Year: | 2020 |
The 2019 NCAA Division I Softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began February 7, 2019. The season will progress through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and will conclude with the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2019 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament will be held annually in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, will end in June 2019.
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Of the 31 Division I athletic conferences that sponsor baseball, 27 end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament or a double elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. Four conferences, the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference do not hold a conference tournament. The winners of these tournaments, plus the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference regular-season champions, receive automatic invitations to the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament.
| Conference | Regular Season Winner | Conference Player of the Year | Conference Pitcher of the Year | Conference Coach of the Year | Conference Tournament | Tournament Venue • City | Tournament Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Rahrich, Stony Brook[7] | Courtney Coppersmith, Pitcher/Utility, UMBC | Danielle Henderson, UMass Lowell | ||||||
| Sarah Barker, Houston & Julia Hollingsworth, Tulsa[8] | Georgina Corrick, USF | USF | South Florida | |||||
| Jenna Cone, George Washington[9] | Madie Aughinbaugh, Fordham | Melissa Inouye, Fordham | Fordham | |||||
| Cait Brooks, Notre Dame[10] | Carrie Eberle, Virginia Tech | Pete D'Amour, Virginia Tech | ||||||
| Hannah DeVault, Lipscomb[11] | Megan Garst, North Alabama | Kristin Ryman, Lipscomb | Lipscomb | |||||
| Sydney Romero, Oklahoma[12] | Giselle Juarez, Oklahoma | Patty Gasso, Oklahoma | Oklahoma | |||||
| Paige Rauch, Villanova[13] | Madison Morris, St. John's | St. John's | ||||||
| Takesha Saltern, Weber State[14] | Savanna Corr, Sacramento State | Mary Kay Amicone, Weber State[15] | Weber State | |||||
| Alyssa Oakes, USC Upstate[16] | Christina Biggerstaff, USC Upstate | Kathy Riley, Longwood | Longwood | |||||
| Kayla Konwent, Wisconsin[17] | Amber Fisher, Minnesota | Kate Drohan, Northwestern | Michigan | |||||
| Ari Williams, Cal State Fullerton[18] | Brooke Yanez, UC Davis | Kelly Ford, Cal State Fullerton | No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid | Cal State Fullerton | ||||
| Odicci Alexander, James Madison[19] | Megan Good, James Madison | Loren LaPorte, James Madison | James Madison | |||||
| Jazlyn Crowder, Louisiana Tech[20] | Abby Trahan, Southern Miss | Mark Montgomery, Louisiana Tech & Rodney DeLong, North Texas | Louisiana Tech | |||||
| Kayla Wedl, UIC[21] | Ashley Mauser, Detroit Mercy | John Conway, Detroit Mercy | ||||||
| Micah Schroder, Dartmouth[22] | Katie Duncan, Harvard | Jennifer Teague, Columbia | Campus sites | Harvard | ||||
& | Madysen Cossack, Siena[23] | Alyssa Irons, Monmouth | Joe Ausanio, Marist | Monmouth | ||||
| Brenna Brownfield, Kent State[24] | Andrea Scali, Kent State | Clarisa Crowell, Miami | ||||||
| Damali Young, Morgan State[25] | Alexis Bermudez, Bethune-Cookman | James Inzana, Norfolk State | Bethune–Cookman | |||||
| Sammey Bunch, Northern Iowa[26] | Nicole Newman, Drake | Rich Calvert, Drake | Drake | |||||
| Amber Nelson, Colorado State[27] | Jenessa Ullegue, San Jose State | Jen Fisher, Colorado State | No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid | Colorado State | ||||
| Hailey Desrosiers, Sacred Heart[28] | Elena Valenzuela, LIU Brooklyn | Roy Kortmann, LIU Brooklyn | ||||||
& | Rachel Anderson, Southeast Missouri[29] | Faith Sims, Jacksonville State | Mark Redburn, Southeast Missouri | Southeast Missouri State | ||||
| UCLA &<br> | Rachel Garcia, UCLA[30] | Rachel Garcia, UCLA | Jessica Allister, Stanford | No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid | UCLA | |||
| Alex Heinen, Boston University[31] | Ali DuBois, Boston University | Joey Lye, Bucknell | Boston University | |||||
| Abbey Cheek, Kentucky[32] | Sarah Cornell, Alabama | Patrick Murphy, Alabama | ||||||
| Marissa Guimbarda, Furman[33] | Celie Hudson, Chattanooga | Janelle Breneman, UNC Greensboro | ||||||
| Lindsey McLeod, Sam Houston State[34] | Lindsey McLeod, Sam Houston State | Garrett Valis, Sam Houston State | Sam Houston State | |||||
| Tamia Lee-Barbadillo, Alabama A&M<ref name="SWACAwards">Web site: #SWACSB All-Conference Honors Announced . SWAC.org . Southwestern Athletic Conference . 8 May 2019. | Crystal Castillo, Prairie View A&M<ref name="SWACAwards"/> | Cassandra Brown, Alabama A&M<ref name="SWACAwards"/> | Alabama State | |||||
| Katie Shoultz, North Dakota State[35] | KK Leddy, North Dakota State | Darren Mueller, North Dakota State | North Dakota State | |||||
| Alissa Dalton, Louisiana[36] | Summer Ellyson, Louisiana | Gerry Glasco, Louisiana | Louisiana | |||||
| Lexi Tarrow, BYU[37] | Arissa Paulson, BYU | Sami Strinz-Ward, Loyola Marymount | No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid | BYU | ||||
| Nikki Butler, New Mexico State[38] | Samaria Diaz, New Mexico State | Kathy Rodolph, New Mexico State | Seattle | |||||
See main article: 2019 National Invitational Softball Championship.
UTA Mavericks defeated the Iowa State Cyclones in the championship; Aileen Garcia was named MVP for the series.
| School | Conference | Record (conference) | Head coach | WCWS appearances† (including 2019 WCWS) | WCWS best finish†* | WCWS W–L record† (excluding 2019 WCWS) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57–8 (18–6) | 12 (last: 2016) | 1st (2012) | 17–21 | ||||
| 47–12 (19–5) | 23 (last: 2010) | 1st (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996 1997, 2001, 2006, 2007) | 61–32 | ||||
| 49–16 (12–12) | 10 (last: 2018) | 1st (2014, 2015) | 26-16 | ||||
| 46–12 (20–2) | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 54–3 (18–0) | 13 (last: 2018) | 1st (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017) | 30–17 | ||||
| 44–15 (13–5) | 8 (last: 2011) | 3rd (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994) | 11–14 | ||||
| 51–6 (20–4) | 29 (last: 2018) | 1st (1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989 1990, 1992, 1999, 2003, 2004) | 94–29 | ||||
| 50–7 (20–4) | 14 (last: 2018) | 1st (2009) | 24–21 |
The 2019 Women's College World Series will begin on May 30 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[39]
.507 – Courtney Cashman, UMass Lowell River Hawks
84 – Bailey Hemphill, Alabama Crimson Tide
39-6 – Summer Ellyson, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
1.03 (30 ER/203.2 IP) – Brooke Yanez, UC Davis Aggies
NCAA Division I season perfect games:5 – Nicole Newman, Drake Bulldogs[40]
Freshman class single game strikeouts:27 – Kelly Nelson, Holy Cross Crusaders; March 6, 2019 (16 innings)
Team consecutive wins streak:41 – Oklahoma Sooners; February 24-May 19, 2019
| YEAR | G | AB | R | H | BA | RBI | HR | 3B | 2B | TB | SLG | BB | SO | SB | SBA | |
| 2019 | 61 | 172 | 34 | 59 | .343 | 57 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 103 | .588% | 35 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | |
| 2019 | 29 | 1 | 36 | 25 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 202.0 | 117 | 40 | 33 | 43 | 286 | 1.14 | 0.79 |
| YEAR | G | AB | R | H | BA | RBI | HR | 3B | 2B | TB | SLG | BB | SO | SB | SBA | |
| 2019 | 60 | 152 | 54 | 65 | .427 | 53 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 138 | .908% | 64 | 14 | 8 | 9 |
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | |
| 2019 | 28 | 4 | 39 | 32 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 186.1 | 97 | 41 | 37 | 38 | 269 | 1.39 | 0.72 |
Danielle Williams, Northwestern[48]
Danielle Williams, Northwestern[49]
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | |
| 2019 | 31 | 8 | 44 | 36 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 230.0 | 129 | 57 | 51 | 46 | 317 | 1.55 | 0.76 |
Shealyn O'Leary, Texas
Jaquelyn Ramon, Southeastern Louisiana[52]
Katie Reed, Kentucky[53]
The following players were members of the All-American Teams.[54]
First Team
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| SO. | Washington Huskies | ||
| JR. | Minnesota Golden Gophers | ||
| JR. | Oklahoma Sooners | ||
| C | JR. | Arizona Wildcats | |
| 1B | Kayla Konwent | JR. | Wisconsin Badgers |
| 2B | Caleigh Clifton | SR. | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 3B | SR. | Kentucky Wildcats | |
| SS | JR. | Washington Huskies | |
| OF | Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza | JR. | Arizona Wildcats |
| Morgan Howe | SR. | Arizona State Sun Devils | |
| SR. | Florida Gators | ||
| UT | JR. | UCLA Bruins | |
| Cait Brooks | SR. | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | |
| AT-L | SR. | Drake Bulldogs | |
| Sydney Sherrill | SO. | FSU Seminoles | |
| Kylan Becker | SR. | Mississippi Rebels | |
| SR. | Arizona Wildcats | ||
| SR. | Oklahoma Sooners |
Second Team
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR. | Florida Gators | ||
| SO. | USF Bulls | ||
| FR. | Alabama Crimson Tide | ||
| C | Morganne Flores | JR. | Washington Huskies |
| 1B | Kaylee Tow | SO. | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 2B | Reyna Carranco | JR. | Arizona Wildcats |
| 3B | SR. | LSU Tigers | |
| SS | Lili Piper | SR. | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| OF | JR. | UCLA Bruins | |
| SO. | Oklahoma Sooners | ||
| Falepolima Aviu | SR. | Oklahoma Sooners | |
| UT | Shelbi Sunseri | SO. | LSU Tigers |
| Ulufa Leilua | JR. | Mississippi State Bulldogs | |
| AT-L | JR. | Arizona Wildcats | |
| JR. | Alabama Crimson Tide | ||
| Autumn Storms | JR. | Arkansas Razorbacks | |
| SO. | Texas Longhorns | ||
| Meghan King | SR. | FSU Seminoles |
Third Team
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR. | Washington Huskies | ||
| Summer Ellyson | JR. | ULL Ragin' Cajuns | |
| FR. | Northwestern Wildcats | ||
| C | Mia Davidson | SO. | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 1B | Grace Green | FR. | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 2B | Aubrey Leach | SR. | Tennessee Lady Vols |
| 3B | Skylee James | SR. | UIC Flames |
| SS | Alyssa DiCarlo | SR. | Georgia Bulldogs |
| OF | Kindra Hackbarth | JR. | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| Kate Gordon | JR. | James Madison Dukes | |
| Karli Hamilton | JR. | Texas Tech Red Raiders | |
| UT | JR. | James Madison Dukes | |
| Kendyl Lindaman | JR. | Florida Gators | |
| AT-L | SR. | James Madison Dukes | |
| Samantha Show | SR. | Oklahoma State Cowgirls | |
| Miranda Elish | JR. | Texas Longhorns | |
| Emily Clark | SR. | Ohio State Buckeyes | |
| Rachel Anderson | JR. | Southeast Missouri State Redhawks |
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This table lists programs that changed head coaches at any point from the first day of the 2019 season until the day before the first day of the 2020 season.[58]
| Team | Former coach | Interim coach | New coach | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Bobby Reeves | Abigail Farler | On May 11, Reeves stepped down as head coach of the Abilene Christian after 9 seasons with the program.[59] Abigail Farler was named as new softball coach on June 13.[60] | |
| Akron | Julie Jones | Meaggan Pettipiece | On May 16, Akron announced that head coach Julie Jones would not receive a contract extension and that the program will begin looking for a new head coach.[61] | |
| Alabama State | Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson | Todd Bradley | On August 6, Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson accepted the head coaching position at FIU, leaving Alabama State after five seasons.[62] On October 10, Todd Bradley was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[63] | |
| Army | Bob Beretta | Cheryl Milligan | On June 19, Army West Point announced the hiring of assistant coach Cheryl Milligan as head coach of the softball program.[64] | |
| Belmont | Brian Levin | Megan Rhodes Smith | On June 25, Brian Levin accepted the head coaching position at Southern Miss, leaving Belmont after nine seasons with a record of 91–70.[65] On July 12, Megan Rhodes Smith was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[66] | |
| Boston College | Ashley Obrest | Megan Brown | Amy Kvilhaug | On May 21, Ashley Obrest announced her resignation as head coach of the Boston College softball program effective immediately.[67] On July 2, Amy Kvilhaug was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[68] |
| Central Michigan | Margo Jonker | McCall Salmon | Jonker announced her retirement after 40 seasons at Central Michigan on May 13.[69] On June 20, Central Michigan announced the hiring of McCall Salmon as new head coach of the softball program.[70] | |
| Charlotte | Aimee DeVos | Ashley Chastain | On May 13, Charlotte announced that head coach Aimee DeVos will not be retained after 25 years with the program.[71] On June 6, Charlotte announced the hiring of Ashley Chastain as head coach of the Charlotte softball program. Chastain served as pitching coach for the last two seasons at Ole Miss.[72] | |
| Connecticut | Jen McIntyre | Laura Valentino | On May 22, UConn announced that head coach Jen McIntyre will not be returning as head coach of the Huskies softball program after 5 seasons.[73] On July 3, Laura Valentino was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[74] | |
| Detroit Mercy | John Conway | Marc Gillis | John Conway announced his retirement after 5 seasons with the team. On July 2, Marc Gillis, a Titans assistant for 2 seasons, was promoted to head coach.[75] | |
| Delaware State | Amber Jackson | Jeff Franquet | On April 15, Amber Jackson announced she would be stepping down as head coach of Delaware State at the end of the season.[76] On June 13, Jeff Franquet was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[77] | |
| Eastern Illinois | Kim Schuette | Tara Archibald | On June 28, Kim Schuette accepted the pitching coach position at Ole Miss, leaving Eastern Illinois after three seasons with a record of 80–80.[78] [79] On August 5, Tara Archibald was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[80] | |
| FIU | Gator Rebhan | Heather Gelbard | Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson | On October 17, 2018, FIU parted ways with Gator Rebhan.[81] Heather Gelbard was named interim head coach. On August 6, Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson was named the new head coach for the 2020 season. |
| Green Bay | Scott Wachholz | Sara Kubuske | On June 9, Green Bay announced that it was parting ways with head coach Scott Wachholz. On July 8, Sara Kubuske was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[82] | |
| Idaho State | Candi Letts | Cristal Brown | On June 18, Idaho State announced that Candi Letts would not return for the 2020 season.[83] On July 29, Cristal Brown was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[84] | |
| Louisiana Tech | Mark Montgomery | Bianca Duran | Maria Winn-Ratliff | On September 9, Mark Montgomery accepted the head coaching position at Maryland, leaving Louisiana Tech after seven seasons with a record of 226–163.[85] On September 23, Maria Winn-Ratliff was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[86] |
| Loyola-Chicago | Alicia Abbott | On August 5, Alicia Abbott was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[87] | ||
| Maryland | Julie Wright | Vicky Galasso & Tori Finucane | Mark Montgomery | On August 7, Julie Wright stepped down as head softball coach at Maryland after four seasons.[88] On September 9, Mark Montgomery was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[89] |
| Mississippi State | Vann Stuedeman | Samantha Ricketts | On July 16, Mississippi State announced that Vann Stuedeman would not return as head coach after 8 seasons.[90] On July 22, Samantha Ricketts was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[91] | |
| North Carolina A&T | Patti Raduenz | On July 22, Patti Raduenz was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[92] | ||
| Ole Miss | Mike Smith | Ruben Felix | On December 8, Mike Smith announced his resignation as head coach of the Ole Miss softball program. Ruben Felix was named the interim head coach for the 2020 season.[93] | |
| San Diego | Melissa McElvain | Jessica Pistole | On May 21, Melissa McElvain announced her resignation as head coach of the San Diego softball program.[94] On July 30, Jessica Pistole was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[95] | |
| Santa Clara | Lisa Dodd | Gina Carbonatto | On June 24, Gina Carbonatto was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[96] | |
| SIU Edwardsville | Jessica Jones | On June 20, SIU Edwardsville appointed interim head softball coach, Jessica Jones, as permanent head coach of the program.[97] | ||
| Southern Miss | Wendy Hogue | Brian Levin | On May 10, Wendy Hogue announced her resignation as head coach of the Southern Miss softball program effective immediately.[98] On June 14, Southern Miss announced the hiring of Brian Levin as head coach of the Southern Miss softball program. | |
| Southern Utah | Kortny Hall | Don Don Williams | On July 16, Southern Utah parted ways with Kortny Hall, going 6–34 in one season at the school.[99] On August 22, Don Don Williams was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[100] | |
| Tennessee Tech | Bonnie Graham | Michelle DePolo | On August 1, Bonnie Graham announced her resignation as head coach of the Tennessee Tech program to take on a new role.[101] On August 19, Michelle DePolo was named the new head coach for the 2020 season.[102] | |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Blake Miller | Kristen Zaleski | On May 10, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi announced that head coach Blake Miller's contract will not be renewed.[103] On June 20, Texas A&M–Corpus Christi announced the hiring of Kristen Zaleski as head coach of the softball program.[104] | |
| Tulsa | John Bargfeldt | Crissy Strimple | On June 7, John Bargfeldt announced his resignation as head coach of the Tulsa program to pursue better opportunities.[105] On June 12, Tulsa announced that they have promoted Crissy Strimple to head coach of the Tulsa Program. She has spent the last 8 seasons as associate head coach at Tulsa.[106] | |
| Utah Valley | T.J. Hubbard | Shelby Graves | Stacy May-Johnson | On December 11, T.J. Hubbard accepted the head coaching position at UTEP, leaving Utah Valley after three seasons.[107] Assistant Coach Shelby Graves was named interim head coach until a permanent replacement is named.[108] On December 30, Stacy May-Johnson was named the head coach for the 2020 season.[109] |
| UTEP | Tobin Echo-Hawk | T.J. Hubbard | On November 8, UTEP announced that Tobin Echo-Hawk would not return as head coach after 6 seasons.[110] On December 11, T.J. Hubbard was named the new head coach for the 2020 season. | |
| UT Martin | Donley Canary | Brian Dunn | Canary announced his retirement after 18 seasons at UT Martin on May 14.[111] On June 11, UT Martin announced the hiring of Brian Dunn to be the head coach of the UT Martin softball program.[112] | |
| Western Illinois | Beth Golitko | Holly Van Vlymen | On August 26, Beth Golitko accepted the assistant coaching position at Loyola Chicago, leaving Western Illinois after two seasons.[113] On November 14, Holly Van Vlymen was named the interim head coach for the 2020 season.[114] | |