Release Courtesty of Coe College Sports Information Department
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following one of the best seasons in Coe College softball history, first-year head coach
Jake Koolbeck and his staff were named the NFCA DIII Region IX Staff of the Year, the association announced yesterday. He and his assistants,
Ashlee Rush, Natalie Blank, Madi Miller &
Kevin King, have now earned two postseason honors, adding to their previous title of 2023 A-R-C Staff of the Year.
Koolbeck took over the head role last October after seven seasons as an assistant and led Coe to a third-place finish at the DIII National Championships, the program's second-highest finish of all time. His Kohawks racked up 39 wins during the campaign, winning the UW-Whitewater regional before defeating Hiram in a super regional matchup. Koolbeck's first season at the helm ultimately ended in a matchup with the eventual national champions, dropping a pair of games to Trine University after a 2-0 start at the tournament. Statistically, Coe finished the season inside the top 30 in the NCAA in eight categories including home runs, win-loss percentage, total runs and ERA. Koolbeck's team was ninth in the nation in homers, 28th in runs and 30th in team ERA. The award is the first for Coe's softball staff since the introduction of the honors in the 2011 season.
