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Miami inks new softball head coach Gardner-Colegate has strong recruiting, pitching background  MANDY GARDNER-COLEGATE OXFORD, Ohio – David Sayler, Miami University's Director of Athletics, has tabbed Mandy Gardner-Colegate as the 11th head coach in Miami softball history.
IOWA/PITCHING SUCCESS Gardner-Colegate spent the past two seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator with the Iowa Hawkeyes. During her stint with the Hawkeyes, Iowa won 53 games, including 35 in 2023, Iowa's best win total since 2009. Iowa saw dramatic improvements with its pitching staff in Gardner-Colegate's first year, decreasing its team ERA from 5.03 to 2.57 in a single season. Iowa also improved in batting average against and increased strikeouts by over 40%. ELITE RECRUITER She has also proven to be an elite recruiter. In her first year at Iowa, she helped sign three players ranked in the top-61 nationally and this past season signed the top recruiting class in Iowa history, inking four top-25 nationally ranked players according to Extra Innings Softball. She also . . . Checking the MU football portal landscape  By MIKE SMITH
Another month and MAC football coaches will be meeting in Detroit for the annual MAC Media Day event. As usual, activities will include a coaches poll. That can serve as a bit of a barometer for fans. Placing too much faith in it, however, has proved risky. Frankly, with the transfer portal churning away at rosters, it is more speculative than ever. The fall/winter portal entry window was open from Dec. 4, 2023 to January 2, 2024. The 2024 spring transfer window opened April 16, closing April 20. Grad transfers were permitted to enter up to May 1. However, once in the portal, an athlete could transfer at any time. Moreover, multiple transfers are allowed. Some athletes, for instance, have been with four different schools in four years. Suffice it to say many things go into a player's decision to transfer (or not) -- potential prestige, playing time and (now) NIL (Name, Image and likeness) income are a few of the variables. Frankly, I don't see how coaches sleep at night. One day you think you are solid at a position. The next day you're out there looking for some kind of a replacement. Who's to say how that will work out? The replacement is likely coming from a different system, and you won't know that player like you would somebody who has been around for the past year or more. For what its worth, lets take a look at the Miami RedHawks . . . For the most part, we . . . Voice of RedHawks among inductees  By MIKE SMITH
Eight more names are being added to the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame this year. The new class consists of Steve Baker (administration), Lori Brown (administration), Dane Campbell (wrestling), Champy Halim (tennis), Pei Lin (diving), Alec Martinez (hockey), Ryne Robinson (football/baseball) and Ashley Swinehart (soccer). Depending on one's sporting tastes, some of the names are likely more familiar than others. It also includes two people on the administrative side. Make no mistake about it, the "administrative" side of collegiate sports is critical. It is a combination of fuel and glue for all the sports. Although often described as working "behind the scenes," many scurry about the periphery of events. You could say that . . . Kumar leaves RedHawks for Ohio State softball job  Kirin Kumar's RedHawk teams not only dominated the Mid-American Conference, they earned a national reputation. (MVSmith/MRO) After four years during which she elevated Miami softball to a nationally recognized program, head coach Kirin Kumar is leaving to take the reigns at Ohio State University.
Miami, which posted the annoucement Tuesday morning, said the search for Kumar's replacement would begin immediately. Overall, the RedHawks went 174-56-1 under Kumar. They were were an outstanding 107-16 in Mid-American Conference play, capturing four straight regular season championships and three MAC tournament titles. (There was no MAC tourney in 2021). The MAC success catapulted Miami into four NCAA tournament appearances. Individual awards included: 32 All-MAC honorees, 23 all-region awards, six All-America honorees, three MAC Freshman of the Year award winners, two MAC Player of the Year winners and one MAC Pitcher of the Year. The 2024 RedHawks squad was . . . |
Editor-Publisher Mike SmithMike grew up in Mid-American Conference football and basketball territory and returned there after military service. He has been covering MAC football and men's basketball for much of the last several decades. 
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