WAVERLY, Iowa — Jamie Mueller has been named the new head softball coach at Wartburg College, Athletic Director Rick Willis announced today. She replaces Leigh Ann LaFave who recently accepted the head coaching position at Albion College in her home state of Michigan

"Jamie rose to the top of a talented group of candidates because of her demonstrated ability to develop a positive team culture and her history of competitive success in two outstanding Division III softball programs," said Willis. "Our student-athletes and program will both benefit greatly from her leadership. We are excited to welcome Jamie to Wartburg."

Mueller comes to Wartburg from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., where she has served as the assistant coach for the past three years. During her time with the Tigers, the program has won three (3) NCAC regular-season conference Championships, two (2) NCAC conference tournament Championships, made two appearances in the NCAA Regional which included one NCAA Regional Championship and one NCAA Super Regional Championship and a fifth-place finish in the NCAA College World Series in 2015. She was a member of the 2015 NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honorees for the Central Region.

Mueller is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist and served as one of the four strength and conditioning coaches for the university while at DePauw.

She was an assistant coach at Aurora University in Aurora, Ill. for two seasons after she completed her three-year playing career for the Spartans. As a player at Aurora, she made two appearances in the NCAA Regional and was a member of two Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Championship and one Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference (NIIC) Championship teams.

"I am honored and excited to become the next head softball coach at Wartburg," said Mueller. "I'm grateful to Coach Willis and the Wartburg athletics department for giving me this opportunity. Wartburg is a great institution, and I look forward to building relationships with the student-athletes while working beside quality people and coaches. I plan to set very high goals for the softball program and the student-athletes who compete in the program. We will be relentless in our pursuit toward achieving a level of success that matches many of the other Wartburg athletics programs. I am excited to get started."

The Hanover Park, Ill. native earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Aurora and earned her Master's degree in kinesiology and physical education from Northern Illinois University.