UMass Coaching Search

In late May, UMass announced its search for a new head coach. The big question is where Athletic Director John McCutcheon will go in his search. UMass is the premier program of New England, in terms of funding, tradition, and facilities and has likely attracted a great deal of attention, both inside and outside of the UMass softball family. Regardless of the selection, one needs to be made soon, as UMass is already behind the 8-Ball when it comes to recruiting. Many big recruiting camps are coming up and recruits aren't likely to commit to a school that does not have a staff in place.

These are by no means official candidates, just purely speculation.

The UMass Softball Candidates:

Kristi Stefanoni

Kristi Stefanoni has been on staff since 2007 after she graduated in 2006 and has done an outstanding job in her time on the UMass staff. She has helped lead UMass to Atlantic 10 titles in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Stefanoni has worked a great deal with the UMass slappers and outfielders, both of which have been some of the best in the league. The past three seasons, Stefanoni has been pillar of strength for this program, as it dealt with Elaine Sortino's illness and death.

Danielle Henderson

Danielle Henderson served as Associate Head Coach this past season and has worked as an assistant coach off and on since graduating in 1999. She has also had stints at Ohio State and Stanford and is a renowned pitching instructor. Henderson is the most accomplished player in Atlantic 10 history, as she won the Honda Award in 1999, in addition to a gold medal with the United States at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She also had a distinguished professional career with the Akron Racers, Arizona Heat, and New England Riptide, in addition to racking up quite a few wins with the Brakettes. Henderson did a solid job this past season with the UMass pitching staff and "Harry" is most certainly a contender for this job.

Stacey Heintz

Stacey Heintz is a 1992 alum of UMass and has gone on to a lengthy coaching career. After serving as an assistant coach at Hofstra and UMass right out of college, Heintz has been on staff at USF for 14 of the past 17 years. Heintz has worked with three incredible coaches in Elaine Sortino, Bill Edwards, and Ken Eriksen. She is a fiery competitor and knows what it takes to win at the highest level.

Whitney Goldstein

Whitney Goldstein is a 2009 alum of UMass and she is a rising star in the coaching world. Goldstein was an accomplished player at UMass, garnering Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, and All-American honors, while at UMass. Ever since graduating, she has turned around both Amherst College and WPI. Goldstein took over this past season at WPI and the Engineers improved across the board. WPI finished with a 11-23 record in 2013, in 2014 the Engineers recorded a school record (not just in softball) 30-14 mark. WPI improved across the board on offense as the team batting average went from .241 to .326, home runs went from 3 to 19, runs went from 83 to 258, steals went from 11 to 46, and ERA dropped from 3.46 to 2.87. Did we mention that she is a stellar recruiter too? Her fearless nature on the recruiting trail brought a number of outstanding prospects to Amherst and she is doing the same at WPI. She might be the best recruiter of the candidates here. She should be the first candidate any AD in New England goes after.

Kathryn Gleason

Kathryn Gleason is another longtime assistant to Elaine Sortino who has served as Boston University's head coach for the past two seasons and led the Terriers to an appearance at Regionals in Tucson this season. Gleason spent time working as an assistant at UMass, Purdue, and Michigan State and knows what it takes to play at softball's highest level. Gleason is an aggressive coach who is not afraid to turn her team loose on the bases. The Terriers recorded 105 steals this past season, which is 40 more than the previous season's mark. Gleason is well respected nationally and she played a prominent role in UMass' 2012 Atlantic 10 Championship.

Rachel Lawson

Rachel Lawson is coming off of an appearance at the WCWS with Kentucky and would be an incredible hire for the Minutewomen. It is unlikely that Lawson would leave her program, especially since the have established themselves as one of the top programs in the nation with one of the nicest facilities. If for some reason, Lawson affinity for her alma mater is enough to bring her back, it would immediately put UMass back on the map nationally.

Outside the family:
It would be extremely surprising if anyone other than the candidates listed above is hired, that being said there are a few other coaches worth looking into.

St. John's Head Coach Amy Kvilhaug
Dartmouth Head Coach Rachel Hanson
Bryant Head Coach Shayne Lotito
Tufts Head Coach Cheryl Milligan

UMass will hopefully hire a candidate with strong ties to the program who will return to the program to its glory days.