Betsy Dean concluded her second season at the helm of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville softball program in 2016. Dean became the seventh head coach in the school history in 2015 after two seasons as the pitching coach for the Seton Hall University Pirates.
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In her first season, the Javelinas went 14-7-1 at Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field en route to a 17-win season. In 2016, TAMUK narrowly missed its first trip to the Lone Star Conference Tournament since 2009 after 11 conference victories. The 2016 club earned 22 wins, the most since 2011 and the young class, highlighted by freshman Roxy Chapa’s Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association Third Team All-America selection. Chapa finished with a .345 batting average with 10 home runs and 55 RBI.
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Her 10 long balls were one shy of the school’s single season mark and the 55 ribbies are the most in program history. Chapa’s four doubles versus Tarleton State University (April 16) were a single game mark. Chapa concluded her freshman campaign also earned D2CCA All-South Central Region and All-LSC Second Team honors and was named LSC Hitter of the Week April 19 after hitting .650 with 11 RBI in six games. Also appearing on the All-LSC Second Team was fellow freshman Victoria Schoonard-Saborio, who hit .344 with eight home runs and 35 RBI and her .493 on-base percentage is the new single season program record. A year after earning All-LSC Third Team honors in 2015 after hitting .358 with 23 RBI, Rachael Longoria was named to the LSC Golden Glove Team after stellar defense from the hot corner. Freshman Lauren Oatman hit .714 with two home runs in a four-game sweep of Eastern New Mexico University, earning LSC Hitter of the Week honors March 28.
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In the circle, Carlie Clark, who was named LSC Pitcher of the Week once in 2015, tossed the fifth no-hitter in school history March 29 in a win at Texas A&M International University.
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From 2012-15, Dean served as the pitching coach for Seton Hall where she coached three All-Big East players and helped the Pirates reach the Big East tournament for the first time since 2009.
Prior to heading to Seton Hall, she lent her coaching talents to Adelphi University as a pitching and power hitting coach. During her tenure, she coached several players, who achieved various honors such as Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II All-Star and All-Northeast-10 Honors.
Her early years in coaching were spent as the head softball coach at Elba High School in Elba, Alabama in 2008. While at Elba, Dean won an area title in her first season and owned G-Force Competitive Fastpitch Training. Her program became a very influential facility for female athletes in the south Alabama and northwest Florida.
During her free time, she worked various camps at universities such Rutgers, Notre Dame, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and Hofstra.
Dean attended Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida from 2000-02. As a freshman, she was named to the Panhandle Conference All-Conference Team at second base, while being named All-Conference as a pitcher in her sophomore season. Dean was also named GCCC College Athlete of the Year as a sophomore as well. After her time at GCCC, she received a scholarship to play at Lipscomb University from 2002-05. At Lipscomb, she twice finished second on her team in home runs.
The Troy, Ala. native is married to Christopher Dean.Â
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