Kentucky softball coach Eileen Schmidt has resigned after three seasons with the Wildcats to take the same position at her alma mater, Virginia. A former standout catcher for UVa, Schmidt replaces Karen Johns, who announced her resignation in May. Schmidt competed for Virginia from 1991 to 1994 and was the first Cavalier softball player to earn All-ACC honors three times.
?We wish Coach Schmidt the best and will conduct an exhaustive search to find the best possible replacement to guide our softball program,? said UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart.
Schmidt became Virginia’s first All-American when she captured third-team All-America accolades in 1994. The Barto, Pa., native was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1993 and was chosen to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 1993 and 1994.
“The University of Virginia has always been a special place and I am honored to return as the head softball coach,” Schmidt said. “It was an extremely difficult decision to leave the University of Kentucky and the program we’ve worked very hard to build. I want to thank Mitch Barnhart and John Cropp for giving me the opportunity and trust to lead the Kentucky softball program over the past three years. I am thankful I had the opportunity to work with a phenomenal group of student-athletes, colleagues, administration, and softball community. Virginia has always been my dream job, the place where I wanted to finish my career.?
Schmidt compiled an overall record of 61-108 during her three seasons with the Blue and White. The 2007 Wildcats set a school record with 56 home runs, shattering the previous record of 37 set in 2004. They also tied the school mark with 66 doubles and broke the school record for RBI with 237. The previous record was 209 set in 2001. UK also set records for walks (140) and total bases (629).
In 2006 her team earned votes in the national polls for the first time after knocking off 13th-ranked Washington in the season opener.
During her two years at Northwestern State, the Demons compiled a 62-61 record including a 35-28 mark in 2004. Schmidt coached 12 All-Southland Conference selections while taking the Demons to the conference tournament both seasons. In 2004, NSU advanced to the tournament championship game.
Schmidt’s coaching resume includes seven seasons in the SEC as an assistant. She began her coaching career with South Carolina in the fall of 1994 and helped guide the squad to a 50-win season and an NCAA Regional appearance in 1995.
Schmidt left Columbia and was named to the first-ever softball staff at Arkansas in the fall of 1995, where she helped build the Hogs’ program from the ground up. Schmidt was on staff with the Lady Razorbacks for more than a year before they opened collegiate softball play in the spring of 1997. Schmidt assisted Arkansas to two NCAA Regional appearances and a 126-90 record in her final three seasons there. While working at UA, she earned her master’s degree in education in 2000. She earned her undergraduate degree in communication from Virginia in 1994. In 1996 she was a finalist for the United States Olympic Team.
