NFCA RELEASE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association named the LIU Post softball as the East Region Coaching Staff of the Year on Tuesday, June 4. With the designation, LIU Post is eligible for the National Coaching Staff of the Year award which will be announced next week.
 
Led by head coach Jamie Apicella and assistant coaches Lou Vanacore and Meghan Butterworth, the Green and Gold reached the NCAA National Championship for the fifth time in program history this season. The Pioneers racked up a program record 51 total victories, while also setting a new program mark with 44 regular-season wins. LIU Post finished the regular season 22-2 in East Coast Conference play and the league named Apicella the Coach of the Year for the 12th time during his 21 seasons in Brookville. Apicella also became the 34th member of the 800-win club across all three divisions with a victory against American International College on April 5.
 
In addition to the team success, the Pioneer coaching staff helped mentor a multitude of individual award winners this season, as nine total student-athletes earned All-ECC recognition, including the Player of the Year in Julia Seader and Pitcher of the Year in Hannah Olshevski. LIU Post also received seven all-region honorees. In addition, the coaching staff guided Seader to become the NFCA Division II National Player of the Year, NFCA Division II National Catcher of the Year, Division II Conference Commissioners Association East Region Player of the Year, and THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Division II Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for softball.
 
The National Coaching Staff of the Year will be revealed on Wednesday, June 12 during the nation-wide announcement by the NFCA.