By Brad Welborn, Northwestern State Assistant Sports Information Director
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian announced on Wednesday the hiring of Jenny Fuller, winner of the 2024 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Coach of the Year award, as the 13th head softball coach in program history.
“We went through an exhaustive search with a large pool of applicants,” Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. “Because of the investment that we are making into the softball program and what we see for the future of the program, this was a sought-after position with many high-quality candidates.
“As they say the cream rises to the top and that is exactly what happened with Jenny. She’s had success in her previous jobs revitalizing programs and is a proven winner. On top of that she fits in perfectly with the culture that we are building in our softball program. She is going to do great things at Northwestern State and we are excited to have her and her family here.”
Fuller spent the past three seasons at Pittsburg State where she won more than 100 games, produced four all-Americans, six academic all-Americans, seven all-region players and 18 all-conference players during her tenure.
“I would like to thank Kevin Bostian, the search committee, and President Genovese for the opportunity to coach the Demon softball team,” Fuller said. “We look forward to creating a winning softball culture and once again returning this team to the championship ranks.
“My family and I are excited about our move here, and we look forward to being involved in the many opportunities this university and community offer.”
In 2024 the Gorillas claimed a share of the MIAA regular season crown for just the second time in program history, coming 30 years after their first title, and set a program record with 53 wins, including an impressive 23-3 mark in conference play.
Fuller increased Pittsburg State’s win total by 10 from the previous season in her first year (2022), led them to their first winning season in six years the next and became the first head coach to win 50 games in a season. The Gorillas also hosted an NCAA Division II National Tournament regional for the first time in program history in 2024.
The Gorillas led the conference in six offensive categories on the year, including ranking fifth nationally with a .348 team batting average and 11th nationally with a .409 on-base percentage. Gorilla pitchers also led the league in strikeouts and ranked in the top five in the conference in four other categories.
PSU produced a pair individual award winners on the season with Heather Arnett, a consensus first-team all-American, being named Regional Player of the Year and MIAA Co-Player of the Year. Fuller used her expertise as a pitcher at Baylor for former NSU assistant Glenn Moore to guide freshman Ava Laurent to a 19-1 record, 8.3 strikeout/7 rate and MIAA Freshman of the Year honors as well.
“NSU is a very special place,” Moore said. “If a special leader is put in place, lives will be changed and the wins will come. Hiring Jenny Fuller assures this will happen. She is the perfect fit for NSU and Natchitoches. She and Brad (Fuller) are gifted at loving and leading young people. The community will embrace them quickly and they will rebuild NSU softball. Get your season tickets and jambalaya.”
In her three seasons at PSU, the Gorillas batted over .300 each year, improving by nearly 50 points from year one to year three. They also saw notable decreases in team ERA from the pitching staff, dropping by nearly three full runs per game with a 66-point drop in opponent batting average.
The team records set at Pittsburg State were just the latest in a list of program records established under Fuller’s direction.
Prior to her time with the Gorillas, she spent three seasons at Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D., where 17 different single game, season or career records were broken by players under her guidance. In 2020, the Wolves won their first 10 games of the season and had a program-best 15-4 record before the season was canceled due to Covid-19.
In her first season there, Northern State finished with the second highest team batting average in program history at the time, and the first average over .300 in two decades.
Fuller’s first head coaching job came at NAIA-member Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee, Wis., in 2016. There she compiled a 59-36 record in two seasons including a 30-13 mark in her first season.
In nine seasons as a collegiate head coach Fuller has a 249-171 (.593) record.
She began her coaching career as an assistant and pitching coach at her junior college alma mater McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. She helped coach a pair of first-team all-conference pitchers and six other all-conference players. McLennan advanced to the 2011 NJCAA National Championship and in 2014 won the Region V North Conference title with a record of 46-8.
As a player for the Highlanders, Fuller was an NFCA First-Team All-American and NJCAA Second-Team All-American during her two seasons. She tallied a 29-6 record with a 0.97 ERA and 285 strikeouts during her sophomore season to earn Region V Pitcher of the Year honors.
In her final two playing seasons at Baylor, Fuller set a top 10 mark for single-season winning percentage with an 11-3 record during 2008 and has the second highest career winning percentage in program history at .813.
Fuller earned her associate degree in arts and business from McLennan and a bachelor of science in education and master of science in sport management from Baylor.
Jenny and her husband, Brad, have a daughter, Emma.