OXFORD, Ohio; June 29, 2006 - Miami University Director of Athletics Brad Bates announced today that Kelly Kovach Schoenly, who spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State University, has been tabbed as the eighth head coach in Miami softball history. Schoenly, who helped guide the Nittany Lions to seven Big Ten Tournament appearances and six NCAA Tournament berths, succeeds Angie Jacobs, who left after eight seasons as the RedHawks' head coach.
"This is a great opportunity for Kelly, and it comes as a culmination of all of her hard work and dedication," said Penn State head coach Robin Petrini. "I believe that her experiences at Penn State have prepared her for the challenges she is about to face. Although she'll be greatly missed, I look forward to watching her succeed at Miami. The administration at Miami has made a great decision selecting Kelly."
As a veteran of the Big Ten with 11 seasons of assistant coaching experience, Schoenly guided one of the nation's best pitching staffs in 2006, as the Nittany Lions finished the season ranked 12th nationally in ERA (1.36) and limited their opponents to 74 earned runs in 380.2 innings. During her eight-year tenure (1998-2006), Schoenly helped Penn State to seven 30-win seasons, including a program-record 39 wins in 2006. Schoenly also produced two All-American pitchers, including 2005 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third-Team honoree Ashley Esparza, and mentored 2006 Second-Team All-Great Lakes Region pitcher Missy Beseres, the first Nittany Lion ever drafted to play professional softball.
"We're excited to have Kelly lead the Miami softball program," Bates said. "She has been an integral part of regionally and nationally successful teams, and her experience and enthusiasm set her apart from an extraordinary pool of nationally-respected candidates. We're looking forward to watching Kelly and her staff work with our student-athletes and build upon the winning tradition that is already in place."
Prior to Penn State, Schoenly was an assistant coach at the University of Michigan for three seasons (1995-98). During her stint in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines won two Big Ten regular-season titles, three Big Ten Tournament titles, three NCAA Regional Championships and made three trips to the NCAA Women's College World Series. In addition to being honored as part of the NFCA Great Lakes Coaching Staff of the Year in 1998, Schoenly coached one All-American pitcher, three conference pitchers of the year and six all-conference selections.
During her collegiate pitching career at Michigan (1991-95), Schoenly earned numerous conference and national awards, including 1995 NFCA First-Team All-America plaudits. A two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and three-time all-conference selection, Schoenly was a member of three Big Ten Conference Championship teams and played on the 1995 squad which finished seventh at the NCAA Women's College World Series.
A two-time GTE Academic All-American, Schoenly received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Michigan in December of 1995. After receiving the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, Schoenly went on to earn her master's degree in elementary mathematics education from Michigan in May of 1998.
Married to Doug Schoenly since October 2001, a Penn State alumnus and tennis professional, Kelly and her husband have a three-year old daughter, Danielle.