The Kent State Golden Flashes softball team is an intercollegiate athletic team at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The Flashes play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The head coach since the 2016 season is Eric Oakley. Home games are played at the Judith K. Devine Diamond, a 500-seat facility that opened in 1999. The Flashes also have an indoor practice facility, the David and Peggy Edmonds Baseball and Softball Training Facility, which opened in 2014.
The program was established in the mid-1970s along with the women's basketball, women's volleyball, and women's track and field teams as part of the implementation of Title IX. The team began play in 1975 at the club level and had their first varsity game in 1976. The MAC added softball as a sponsored sport in 1982 and conference play began the following year. After a brief use of East and West divisions in 1983 and 1984, divisions were re-introduced in 1998 and Kent State was placed in the East Division. Through the 2017 season, the Flashes have won 10 MAC East Division titles, six MAC regular-season titles, and three MAC tournament championships. Kent State has made four appearances in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship, advancing to the Women's College World Series in 1990.
History Following the passage of Title IX in 1972, Kent State University began to introduce additional women's intercollegiate sports at the varsity level. Prior to 1972, the only varsity women's athletic teams were the women's gymnastics and women's swimming teams while all other sports were available as intramurals. The women's basketball team was founded in 1973 and received varsity status in 1975, followed by women's volleyball, women's track and field, women's tennis, field hockey, and softball. The softball team played the 1975 season as a club team and began varsity competition in 1976 as a member of the Ohio Association of Intercollegiate Sports for Women (OAISW), where they would play until the Mid-American Conference added softball as a sponsored sport in 1982, with competition beginning in 1983. Kent State's first varsity softball game was an 8–4 win in Youngstown, Ohio, over the Youngstown State Penguins on May 1, 1976, as part of a tournament after having earlier scheduled games cancelled for weather. The Flashes finished the inaugural varsity season 13–3 overall under coach Kirk "Corky" Semier, who coached for just one season. She was succeeded by Laurel Wartluft, who coached the team from 1977 to 1981. Wartluft, who also coached the women's basketball team from 1977 to 1986, led the team to a 21–3 season in 1977, which included the OAISW tournament championship. The team transitioned to fastpitch softball in 1979.
Lori Fuglestad succeeded Wartluft in 1982, the same year the Mid-American Conference added softball as a sponsored sport with regular-season conference play starting the following year. Fuglestad coached four seasons at KSU and was followed by Sue Lilley. Under Lilley, Kent State won their first MAC softball championship in 1990, when the team posted a 20–4 conference record and 43–9 overall mark. The .827 overall winning percentage ranks first in MAC history as of 2016. The 1990 team went 3–0 in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes twice and the Oregon Ducks to advance to the Women's College World Series. At the WCWS, Kent State fell to both UCLA and UNLV to earn a national 7th-place finish. Lilley coached the Flashes through the 1996 season, finishing with a record of 289–219–1 in 11 seasons and the 1990 MAC Coach of the Year award.
Karen Linder began her tenure as head coach for the 1997 season and coached 19 seasons. Under Linder, the team won their first MAC East Division championship ever in 1999, their first MAC Tournament title ever in 2006, and their first regular-season title since 1990 in 2007. In her 19 seasons, Linder led the Flashes to nine MAC East titles, four MAC regular-season championships, and two MAC Tournament titles. In the NCAA Tournament, the Flashes finished 1–2 at the 2006 tournament and 2–2 at the 2008 tournament, advancing to the regional final with wins over Wright State and Notre Dame. The 2008 team went 46–12 overall and 20–2 in MAC play. The 46 wins set the school record for wins and ranks second in MAC history. In 2015 the Flashes again won over 40 games, going 41–13 overall and 17–4 in MAC play, but lost in the MAC Tournament. Linder resigned after the 2015 season citing "philosophical differences with today's athletic world". She finished her career at Kent State with an overall record of 548–434–1 and 269–153 in MAC play. The 548 wins are the most in program history, while the 269 MAC wins are the most in Kent State and MAC history. Linder was also awarded MAC Coach of the Year four times, including her final 2015 season. Subscription required to view entire article
Linder was succeeded by Eric Oakley, who had been serving as assistant for the 2015 season. He officially served as interim head coach for 2016 and led the team to their second-consecutive MAC regular-season and East Division championships with a 37–22 record overall and 16–7 in MAC play. At the conclusion of the MAC Tournament, Oakley was named MAC Coach of the Year, the sixth time a KSU coach has won the award.
On June 21, 2023, former Saint Francis head coach Jessica O'Donnell was announced as the new head coach for the Golden Flashes.
Postseason Kent State is a regular participant in the Mid-American Conference softball tournament, which was first held in 1982, but was discontinued after 1986 and resumed in 1996. The 1982 tournament featured all 10 conference teams in a single-elimination opening round followed by a double-elimination bracket for the remaining four teams. The 1983 tournaments featured the top six in a double-elimination format, while the 1984, 1985, and 1986 tournaments included only the top four teams in the conference. After the tournament resumed in 1996, the top four qualified for the 1996 and 1997 tournaments before being expanded to include the top six teams from 1998 to 2004. Since 2005, the tournament has included the top eight teams in the conference. Originally, the top seed served as the host for the entire tournament. Since 2002, the tournament has been held at a neutral site, starting at Firestone Stadium in Akron from 2002 to 2005, followed by two years at Currie Stadium in Midland, Michigan. The tournament returned to Firestone Stadium in 2008. Through the 2018 tournament, Kent State has 21 total appearances out of 28 total tournaments. The Flashes won the 2006, 2008, and 2017 tournaments and have an overall record of 35–36.
Mid-American Conference softball tournament Year Seed Location Round Result 1982 — Western Michigan Softball Field • Kalamazoo, Michigan First L 2–1 to Northern Illinois 1983 — Varsity Field • Ypsilanti, Michigan First W 4–2 over Western Michigan Second L 8–2 to Miami W 9–6 over Ohio L 6–2 to Western Michigan 1997 — CMU Softball Field • Mount Pleasant, Michigan First W 3–0 over Central Michigan Second L 2–1 to Western Michigan L 1–0 to Central Michigan 1998 — Buchtel Field • Akron, Ohio First L 5–0 to Ball State W 11–1 (5) over Bowling Green Second W 1–0 (15) over Northern Illinois Semifinal W 4–3 over Central Michigan Championship L 3–1 (8) to Ball State 1999 — Bell Field • DeKalb, Illinois First L 3–0 to Central Michigan W 2–1 over Bowling Green Second L 2–1 to Northern Illinois 2001 4th CMU Softball Field • Mount Pleasant, Michigan First W 5–4 over (5) Ohio Second L 4–3 to (1) Central Michigan L 4–0 to (3) Ball State 2004 2nd Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First L 1–0 to (3) Western Michigan W 6–5 over (5) Ohio Second L 6–0 to (6) Bowling Green 2005 — Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First L 3–2 to Marshall L 2–0 to Buffalo 2006 — Currie Stadium • Midland, Michigan First W 2–1 over Northern Illinois Second W 3–2 over Bowling Green Semifinal W 2–0 over Eastern Michigan Championship W 2–1 over Western Michigan 2007 — Currie Stadium • Midland, Michigan First W 4–2 over Northern Illinois Second L 7–6 to Central Michigan L 2–1 to Ohio 2008 1st Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 3–2 over (8) Akron Second W 2–1 over (5) Western Michigan Semifinal W 6–3 over (7) Ball State Championship W 5–0 over (6) Ohio 2009 2nd Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 3–1 over (7) Akron Second L 3–2 to (3) Western Michigan L 4–3 to (5) Northern Illinois 2010 1st Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 8–0 over (8) Bowling Green Second W 4–2 over (4) Central Michigan Semifinal L 6–0 to (2) Ball State W 1–0 over (6) Northern Illinois Championship L 5–1 to (2) Ball State 2011 8th Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First L 8–0 to (1) Western Michigan W 5–2 over (5) Eastern Michigan Second L 2–1 to (6) Central Michigan 2012 7th Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First L 2–1 to (2) Central Michigan W 9–5 over (4) Ohio Second L 5–1 to (2) Miami 2013 2nd Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First L 1–0 to (3) Central Michigan L 5–4 to (6) Ohio 2014 4th Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First L 2–1 to (5) Ohio W 4–1 over (8) Miami Second L 3–1 to (6) Central Michigan 2015 1st Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 3–1 over (8) Ohio Second L 1–0 to (4) Central Michigan W 3–2 (8) over (7) Akron L 8–3 to (5) Western Michigan 2016 1st Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 1–0 over (8) Central Michigan Second L 2–0 to (4) Northern Illinois W 13–6 over (6) Akron L 2–1 to (3) Ohio 2017 4th Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 4–1 over (5) Ball State Second W 9–3 over (8) Western Michigan Semifinal L 2–0 to (2) Ohio W 9–3 over (3) Northern Illinois Championship W 1–0 over (2) Ohio W 3–0 over (2) Ohio 2018 4th Firestone Stadium • Akron, Ohio First W 3–2 over (5) Western MichiganSecond L 3–1 to (1) Ohio L 4–2 to (2) Ball State Totals: 5 championship round appearances, 3 titles, 35–36 record in tournament
NCAA tournament The Golden Flashes have made four appearances in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship as of 2017, the most recent being in 2017. Kent State has one appearance in the Women's College World Series and an overall record of 7–8 in the tournament.
NCAA Division I Softball Championship Year Seed Location Round Result 1990 — Buckeye Field • Columbus, Ohio Regional W 4–0 over Ohio State W 3–0 over Oregon W 5–3 over Ohio State — ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City Women's College World Series L 4–0 to UCLA L 5–2 to UNLV 2006 3rd Alumni Field • Ann Arbor, Michigan Regional L 1–0 to (2) Oklahoma W 8–0 over (4) Youngstown State L 9–1 to (2) Oklahoma 2008 3rd Alumni Field • Ann Arbor, Michigan Regional L 9–1 to (2) Notre Dame W 3–2 over (4) Wright State W 7–5 over (2) Notre Dame L 5–0 to (1) Michigan 2017 — Getternam Stadium • Waco, Texas Regional L 1–0 to (15) Baylor W 2–1 over Oregon State L 4–0 to James Madison Totals: 4 tournament appearances, 1 regional title, 7–8 record in tournament
Coaches Through the 2017 season, Kent State has had six head coaches. The program's first varsity head coach, Kirk Semler, who graduated from Kent State in 1975 and was a member of the KSU men's swimming team, also coached the women's swimming team in 1976 and served as an assistant to the men's swimming team. Laurel Wartluft, who succeeded Semler in 1977, served as women's basketball coach during her tenure as softball coach.