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Mary Vande Hoef (vandehoef@hope.edu) had an outstanding first season as Hope's softball coach. She guided the
2011 Flying Dutch to a second place finish in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association while compiling an overall 25-15-1 record.
Vande Hoef came to Hope with a strong undergirding in NCAA Division III athletics. She played softball at Central College in Pella, Iowa. She was a member of the softball coaching staffs at Ithaca College and her alma mater prior to joining the Hope staff where she also oversees the
intramurals program and is assistant director of the Dow Center.
A co-captain of Central's 2003 NCAA Division III championship team, Vande Hoef was a four-time NCAA tournament participant and a four-year letter winner.
Vande Hoef was an infielder and saw limited action there, but was primarily used as a pinch-runner. Later she suffered a back injury which prevented her from playing early in her senior season. She appeared in 122 games in her career, scoring 39 runs and stealing 20 bases. Central compiled a 158-30-1 record during her career, with Iowa Conference titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003, third-place NCAA regional finishes in 2000 and 2002, a national runner-up NCAA finish in 2001 and the NCAA championship in 2003.
After graduating with honors from Central in 2003, Vande Hoef earned a masters degree in sport psychology at Ithaca College, where she also helped guide the Bombers to the NCAA Division III championship tournament.
At Central Vande Hoef, worked with baserunners and with the junior varsity for three seasons and spent the last two years also coaching the Dutch pitchers. During her three seasons as a Central assistant, the Dutch posted a 90-38 record, including a 36-8 mark in 2009 and a 30-14 record in 2010. Central captured the 2009 Iowa Conference title and made NCAA Division III tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010.
All-time Hope College Softball Coaches
| Coach |
|
Yrs |
Overall |
MIAA Titles |
| Chris Blauwkamp |
1975 |
1 |
6-2 |
- |
| Barb Basnett |
1976 |
1 |
5-4 |
- |
| Anne Irwin |
1977-87 |
11 |
101-151 |
0 |
| Karla Wolters |
1988-2010 |
23 |
515-320 |
4 |
| Mary Vande Hoef |
2011 |
1 |
25-15-1 |
0 |
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