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Making The List: Linda Kalafatis
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Spring is here. The trees are blooming – blossoming – whatever the proper term is – as the beauty of nature will soon arrive. With the warmth in the air comes the stepping out of the arena sports such as basketball, hockey, and wrestling to name a few. Baseball, softball, track and field is here. This week in Making the List we will turn that corner too, just as nature has.
Linda Kalafatis spent 16 years as the Head Coach of The Ohio State University Women’s Softball team. From 1997 through 2012 she guided the Buckeyes to a 538-358 record which earns her title to the best win total and winning percentage in the school’s program history. She has led the Buckeyes to six NCAA Tournament berths, including the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2009.
She had established herself as one of the more reliable and successful coaches in both the Big Ten and the NCAA. Kalafatis became only the 19th coach ever in NCAA history to eclipse the 800 mark in wins.
Under her guidance, the Buckeyes seized both the Big Ten regular season and tournament crowns in 2007, and finished the year ranked in the Top 25 with a 40-18 record. Kalafatis, who earned her second Big Ten Coach of the Year honor in that 2007 season, has led the Buckeyes to at least 30 wins in 10 of her 16 seasons with the squad. Kalafatis also earned conference Coach of the Year honors in 2002 when the team recorded a program-record 55 wins and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2007 Kalafatis and her staff at OSU were recognized by the National fast-pitch (NFCA) as the regional coaching staff of the year. She also would serve as the Division I representative, the Chair of the D-I Head Coaches Committee and would also be a member of the Executive Board.
Linda’s ability to develop both effective athletes along with the student-reality was admirable. She would have two Ohio State Female Athletes of the Year, nine All-Americans, a Big Ten Athlete of the Year and two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year. She would also coach nine players whom headed to the Women’s Professional Fast-Pitch League. She recruited and coached over 150 OSU Scholar-Athletes and two Academic All-Americans. Her team would maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and a 1,000 on the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate, equating to a perfect graduation rate.
Under Kalafatis’s reign would be batting great(s) such as Alicia Herron, Ashley Cutcliff and Anna Smith. Homer titan – Sam Marde would also play under Kalafatis. Pitching greats such as Kim Reeder and Jamee Juarez also played under the expert watch of Coach Kalafatis.
Coach Linda Kalafatis is deserving of notice in Making the List of Buckeye Greats. She not only has the most wins ever in the Softball program of The Ohio State University – along with the winning percentage – but she has that amazing unnoticed achievement that should be the foremost discussion of her greatness – a perfect graduation rate among her players. That has to be envied among coaches elsewhere. Linda is a great Buckeye that achieved a tremendous lot within the confines of OSU. She completely belongs in the acknowledgement of her wondrous achievements.
The post Making The List: Linda Kalafatis appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Spring is here. The trees are blooming – blossoming – whatever the proper term is – as the beauty of nature will soon arrive. With the warmth in the air comes the stepping out of the arena sports such as basketball, hockey, and wrestling to name a few. Baseball, softball, track and field is here. This week in Making the List we will turn that corner too, just as nature has.
Linda Kalafatis spent 16 years as the Head Coach of The Ohio State University Women’s Softball team. From 1997 through 2012 she guided the Buckeyes to a 538-358 record which earns her title to the best win total and winning percentage in the school’s program history. She has led the Buckeyes to six NCAA Tournament berths, including the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2009.
She had established herself as one of the more reliable and successful coaches in both the Big Ten and the NCAA. Kalafatis became only the 19th coach ever in NCAA history to eclipse the 800 mark in wins.
Under her guidance, the Buckeyes seized both the Big Ten regular season and tournament crowns in 2007, and finished the year ranked in the Top 25 with a 40-18 record. Kalafatis, who earned her second Big Ten Coach of the Year honor in that 2007 season, has led the Buckeyes to at least 30 wins in 10 of her 16 seasons with the squad. Kalafatis also earned conference Coach of the Year honors in 2002 when the team recorded a program-record 55 wins and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2007 Kalafatis and her staff at OSU were recognized by the National fast-pitch (NFCA) as the regional coaching staff of the year. She also would serve as the Division I representative, the Chair of the D-I Head Coaches Committee and would also be a member of the Executive Board.
Linda’s ability to develop both effective athletes along with the student-reality was admirable. She would have two Ohio State Female Athletes of the Year, nine All-Americans, a Big Ten Athlete of the Year and two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year. She would also coach nine players whom headed to the Women’s Professional Fast-Pitch League. She recruited and coached over 150 OSU Scholar-Athletes and two Academic All-Americans. Her team would maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and a 1,000 on the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate, equating to a perfect graduation rate.
Under Kalafatis’s reign would be batting great(s) such as Alicia Herron, Ashley Cutcliff and Anna Smith. Homer titan – Sam Marde would also play under Kalafatis. Pitching greats such as Kim Reeder and Jamee Juarez also played under the expert watch of Coach Kalafatis.
Coach Linda Kalafatis is deserving of notice in Making the List of Buckeye Greats. She not only has the most wins ever in the Softball program of The Ohio State University – along with the winning percentage – but she has that amazing unnoticed achievement that should be the foremost discussion of her greatness – a perfect graduation rate among her players. That has to be envied among coaches elsewhere. Linda is a great Buckeye that achieved a tremendous lot within the confines of OSU. She completely belongs in the acknowledgement of her wondrous achievements.
The post Making The List: Linda Kalafatis appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...