Vann Stuedeman named head softball coach
Vann Stuedeman becomes the fifth head softball coach in Mississippi State history, director of athletics Scott Stricklin announced last Thursday, and the new Bulldog head coach brings with her a long list of accomplishments as an assistant coach at one of the top college programs in the country.
Stuedeman, who served as the pitching coach at Alabama for the past 11 seasons, helped the Crimson Tide reach the Women's College World Series six times and claim three Southeastern Conference regular season titles.
"Vann has four traits we value -- a strong work ethic, competitive intensity, intelligence, and the ability to communicate and sell," Stricklin said. "Of course, she is one of the preeminent pitching coaches in the nation, but it's her vision for the future and the enthusiasm she displays for building our program that makes her the best fit to be Mississippi State's softball coach."
Stuedeman has guided 10 pitchers to All-American honors in the past seven seasons and had at least one All-American under her tutelage for six consecutive seasons. During her tenure in Tuscaloosa, Alabama hurlers combined to post a 579-149 (.795) record and tossed 22 no-hitters. The Crimson Tide ranked in the top 20 nationally in ERA five of the past six seasons and led the SEC in 2011.
'I would like to thank Scott Stricklin, Ann Carr and Mississippi State University for the opportunity to lead the Bulldog softball program," Stuedeman said. "Scott's passion and vision for Mississippi State softball are infectious and I am thrilled to join his efforts in creating a presence in the SEC and on the national platform. I'm eager to begin building a lasting relationship with the student athletes, the city of Starkville and the all the fans in OUR State."
In 2011, Stuedeman tutored a pitching staff that finished with a 1.69 ERA, a 53-10 record and a third-place finish at the Women's College World Series. The staff included a pair of All-American pitchers in senior Kelsi Dunne and freshman Jackie Traina. Dunne capped off her stellar career with a 29-5 record and a 1.42 ERA. The right-hander struck out 331 batters, which were the fourth most in a single season at Alabama while holding opponents to a school record, season-low .146 average. Dunne also tossed three no-hitters and posted 11 shutouts. Traina posted a 19-5 record with a 1.70 ERA, adding 190 strikeouts in 156.1 innings. She also threw a no-hitter and three shutouts while collecting four saves.
Prior to joining Patrick Murphy's staff at Alabama, Stuedeman coached at West Alabama, Alabama-Huntsville and East Limestone High School. A native of Birmingham, she's a 1994 graduate of Huntingdon College, where she was an All-American pitcher during her four-year career.
During her four years at Huntingdon, she helped the team reach the national tournament twice, both times finishing third. She went on to become a graduate assistant at the University of West Alabama while earning her master's degree in Elementary Education. While at West Alabama, Stuedeman helped lead the team to the Gulf South Conference Championship in 1995, while the team's head coach was away from the team on maternity leave. The championship was the first in the '90s for the West Alabama program and the first winning season of the decade as well.
After spending two seasons at UWA, Stuedeman went to the University of Alabama-Huntsville as an assistant coach for her sister, Les Stuedeman, for the next three years. Her main priority was working with the pitchers and outfielders.
During her stint there, the UAH pitching staff ranked in the top five nationally in Division II in ERA all three seasons. She helped lead the program to two Gulf South Conference championships, three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the 1999 Division II National Tournament.
She was also a part of the staff that was named South Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 1999. She then accepted the head coaching position at East Limestone High School, in Limestone County, where she led the team to its first winning season since 1994, finishing one game shy of the state tournament.
