Strimple Adds Mitch Roberts to Coaching Staff
7/10/2019 2:00:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa head softball coach Crissy Strimple announced on Wednesday that she has added Mitch Roberts to her coaching staff as an assistant coach.
Roberts comes to TU after serving the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Ball State, where he mentored the Cardinals infielders and helped lead the program to 71 wins. The 2018 squad won the Mid-American Conference West Division, while his infielders earned a pair of first-team all-conference nods and an NFCA All-Region certificate during his time with the program.
Additionally, a total of 17 Cardinals student-athletes were tabbed as Academic All-MAC selections while on the coaching staff.
"We are excited to welcome Mitch to our softball family," Strimple said. "Throughout the process, it was clear his maturity and structure would be a great addition to our coaching staff. I believe his is the best fit to continue our pitching success here at Tulsa. His playing experience and professional background in coaching gave me the confidence that he can continue to develop our pitching staff. I look forward to working with Mitch and seeing growth of our student-athletes under his guidance."
"I'm very excited and thankful for the opportunity to be part of Coach Strimple's staff at Tulsa," Roberts said. "Crissy and (TU Assistant Coach) Sandra (Smith) have helped build TU into one of the best programs in the country and this is an incredible opportunity for me to learn under their great leadership. I'm looking forward to contributing to the program's winning culture, working with our student-athletes to help push Tulsa to the next level and bring more titles back to the university."
Last season, the Cardinals registered 34 wins and Roberts mentored third baseman Stacy Payton, who was an NFCA All-Region and first-team All-MAC selection. She reached base in all 20 MAC contests and set single-game records for homers (3) and RBIs (8). In 2018, second baseman Maddy Labrador was a first-team all-conference pick and she produced a then-single-game RBI record with seven in a contest during the campaign.
The 2018 squad's 37 wins were the fourth-most in program history and the Cardinals won the MAC West Division crown and No. 2 seed in the league tournament.
Prior to his arrival in Muncie, Ind., Roberts was a graduate assistant at Washington during the 2017 season. Roberts assisted the Huskies pitching staff, including NFCA All-Region and first-team All-Pac 12 pick Taran Alvelo, as UW rolled to a 50-14 record and the 12th Women's College World Series appearance in program history.
Along with his duties at Washington, Roberts was an assistant coach for the Team Seattle U14 travel squad and developed five pitchers who would go on to play at the Division I level. He managed all facets of the pitching staff, including in-game pitch calling, bullpens and mental skill development.
Roberts played collegiate baseball at Milwaukee Area Technical College (2013-14) and St. Ambrose University (2014-16) before his coaching career. He graduated from St. Ambrose in 2016 with a degree in business management and a minor in leadership.
Roberts comes to TU after serving the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Ball State, where he mentored the Cardinals infielders and helped lead the program to 71 wins. The 2018 squad won the Mid-American Conference West Division, while his infielders earned a pair of first-team all-conference nods and an NFCA All-Region certificate during his time with the program.
Additionally, a total of 17 Cardinals student-athletes were tabbed as Academic All-MAC selections while on the coaching staff.
"We are excited to welcome Mitch to our softball family," Strimple said. "Throughout the process, it was clear his maturity and structure would be a great addition to our coaching staff. I believe his is the best fit to continue our pitching success here at Tulsa. His playing experience and professional background in coaching gave me the confidence that he can continue to develop our pitching staff. I look forward to working with Mitch and seeing growth of our student-athletes under his guidance."
"I'm very excited and thankful for the opportunity to be part of Coach Strimple's staff at Tulsa," Roberts said. "Crissy and (TU Assistant Coach) Sandra (Smith) have helped build TU into one of the best programs in the country and this is an incredible opportunity for me to learn under their great leadership. I'm looking forward to contributing to the program's winning culture, working with our student-athletes to help push Tulsa to the next level and bring more titles back to the university."
Last season, the Cardinals registered 34 wins and Roberts mentored third baseman Stacy Payton, who was an NFCA All-Region and first-team All-MAC selection. She reached base in all 20 MAC contests and set single-game records for homers (3) and RBIs (8). In 2018, second baseman Maddy Labrador was a first-team all-conference pick and she produced a then-single-game RBI record with seven in a contest during the campaign.
The 2018 squad's 37 wins were the fourth-most in program history and the Cardinals won the MAC West Division crown and No. 2 seed in the league tournament.
Prior to his arrival in Muncie, Ind., Roberts was a graduate assistant at Washington during the 2017 season. Roberts assisted the Huskies pitching staff, including NFCA All-Region and first-team All-Pac 12 pick Taran Alvelo, as UW rolled to a 50-14 record and the 12th Women's College World Series appearance in program history.
Along with his duties at Washington, Roberts was an assistant coach for the Team Seattle U14 travel squad and developed five pitchers who would go on to play at the Division I level. He managed all facets of the pitching staff, including in-game pitch calling, bullpens and mental skill development.
Roberts played collegiate baseball at Milwaukee Area Technical College (2013-14) and St. Ambrose University (2014-16) before his coaching career. He graduated from St. Ambrose in 2016 with a degree in business management and a minor in leadership.
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