PROVO -- BYU head coach Gordon Eakin and associate head coach Vaughn Alvey were both selected to the USA Softball Women’s National Team Coaching pool.
Eakin and Alvey are two of 24 coaches who may be selected as assistant coaches for the Women’s and Junior Women’s National team events this summer. BYU is the only school to have two coaches in the pool.
“We are thrilled to have a great cross section of coaches for the Women’s National team program for the next two years,” said ASA and USA Softball Executive Director Ron Radigonda. “With the ISF change of World Championships every two years, we are excited to assist coaches in gaining international experience and opportunities.”
The placement is a stamp of approval for Eakin, who was the USA National Team hitting coach last summer. In 2010, Eakin helped the USA win tournaments around the world, including the World Championship in Venezuela and the World Cup in Oklahoma.
A two-time Mountain West Coach of the Year, Eakin has led the Cougar softball program since 2003, compiling a 331-142 (.700) record and the highest winning percentage in MWC history.
Alvey, BYU's top assistant and pitching coach for the last eight seasons, was selected to the coaching pool for the first time. At BYU, Alvey has coached Paige Affleck and Christie Zinanti, two of the most accomplished pitchers in BYU history, helping the Cougars win four conference championships in the last six years.
Alvey is a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and coached at Alta High in Utah for 17 seasons, leading the Hawks to eight state titles. He also coaches girls summer programs, winning the AFA National Championship in 1992.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 210,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed four World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
2011-2012 USA Softball Women’s National Coaching Pool
Vaughn Alvey – BYU
Suzy Brazney – Golden West College
Mikel Candrea
Chuck D’Arcy – Arizona State
Howard Dobson – Southern Miss
Kate Drohan – Northwestern
Gordon Eakin - BYU
Tairia Flowers – Cal State Northridge
Michelle Gromacki – Cal State Fullerton
Stacy Iveson – Yavapai College
Barb Jordan
Lyndsey Klein
Mike Larabee – Arkansas
Kyle Magnusson – Southern Utah
Jay Miller – Mississippi State
Pat Murphy – Alabama
Stacey Nuveman – San Diego State
Jamie Pinkerton – Iowa State
Tony Rico – Worth Firecrackers
Eileen Schmidt – Virginia
Mike White – University of Oregon
Karen Weekly – Tennessee