FROM STAFF REPORTS

The University of Montevallo Athletic Department is pleased to announce the hiring of current Dartmouth College Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Lindsay Vanover as the first Head Coach of the Montevallo softball program.

“We had a very talented pool of candidates and incredible interest from coaches around the country in building a new NCAA DII softball program,” said Montevallo Athletic Director Jim Herlihy. “We are extremely excited to have Lindsay join our University to lead our inaugural softball team in 2015.”

Vanover will lead the program in its inaugural season in the spring of 2015.

“It’s really exciting,” Vanover said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a program from scratch. I’ve never been happier or felt more honored. It’s a great opportunity to work with a great group of people. I’m ready to get started.”

Herlihy said Vanover will be a great addition to the Montevallo family.

“Lindsay has been mentored by some of the top coaches in the country and is a great fit on our campus to build a successful softball program here at Montevallo,” Herlihy said. “Her commitment to the personal and athletic development of her student-athletes, her work ethic and her passion for building our program were impressive. She has a reputation as a strong recruiter who understands the balance between academic and athletic success that has been a hallmark of our student-athletes at Montevallo.”

Vanover joined the Dartmouth College softball program in 2011 and just completed her third season with the Big Green as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.

Vanover, who works with Dartmouth’s pitchers and catchers, has helped Dartmouth to 57 wins during her tenure with the Big Green and has seen the pitching staff improve from year-to-year.

Since Vanover’s arrival at Dartmouth, the Big Green have reached several milestones, including defeating perennial Ivy League contender, Harvard, for the first time since 2009. Dartmouth’s pitching staff has posted a sub-5.00 ERA in each of her seasons. Vanover coached a pitching staff that pitched the Big Green to the North Division title during her tenure at Dartmouth.

For the first time in Dartmouth history, Vanover coached the Ivy League Pitcher of the Year in Kristen Rumley. Vanover has helped guide Rumley to one of the best freshman campaigns in recent history. Rumley concluded the 2012 campaign with 151 strikeouts, placing her second all-time on Dartmouth’s single season list and marking the first time that a Big Green pitcher has thrown over 100 strikeouts in a season since the 2003 campaign. Rumley twice neared the single-game record with 12 strikeouts, one shy of the record. She earned national recognition with 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings ranking her No. 12 in the country and her 0.97 walks per game were 10th best. In her two years, Rumley has shattered Dartmouth’s career and single-season strikeout records and currently owns both records.

Prior to her arrival at Dartmouth, Vanover was  the head coach at Pasadena Memorial High School in Pasadena, Texas. During her four-year tenure, the Mavericks reached the playoffs on numerous occasions, including a run to the regional quarterfinals in 2010.

A catcher in college, Vanover was a four-year letterwinner for the University of Houston softball program. As a member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in Conference USA, Vanover was given the team’s Player’s Choice Award and also earned the squad’s highest grade-point average. Foreman helped the Cougars advance to the 2003 NCAA Division I Regional Finals and helped the program achieve a four-year record of 140-102 during her career.

Vanover graduated from Diboll High School in 2001, where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner and team captain. Vanover was All-District three years in a row and was named the Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.

The Montevallo softball team will practice and compete at a new softball stadium at Orr Park in downtown Montevallo. The team will be immediately eligible to participate in Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II Championship competition.

Montevallo will become the 13th member institution with a softball team in the Peach Belt Conference. Clayton State University will be the lone member without a softball team.

Montevallo will become the 288th member institution with a softball team in NCAA Division II, including the sixth NCAA Division II institution in the state of Alabama with a softball team. Other NCAA Division II schools offering softball as an intercollegiate sport in the state of Alabama include UAH, the University of North Alabama, Miles College, Stillman College and the University of West Alabama.