VIERA,
FL (May 20, 2019) – The USSSA Florida Pride have
finalized their 2019 Coaching Staff team officials announced today.
USSSA Florida Pride General Manager, Don
DeDonatis, is proud to welcome back Gerry Glasco as the head coach of
the Pride this year. The head coach of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball,
Glasco is considered one of the nation’s top offensive coaches. He led the
Pride to win the 2014 NPF Cowles Cup Championship and again with the Scrapyard
Dawgs in 2017.
“Gerry Glasco is a winner and has a relentless work ethic” General
Manager Don DeDonatis commented. “He has
a proven track record with the Pride winning the 2014 NPF Championship and both
he and I are excited for him to repeat that again in 2019.”
Glasco’s résumé includes achievements at all levels of softball
and 2019 is no different. The Rajun
Cajuns finished their regular season as Sun Belt Conference Champions with a
record of 25-0 and earned a spot at a NCAA Regional in Oxford at Ole Miss.
The Pride’s 2018 NPF Coach of the year Mike
Stith will continue on as Special Assistant to General Manager Don
DeDonatis. Stith, owner of the
Sports Training Complex of Anaheim, California and head of the OC Batbuster
Organization, lead the team to its 7th regular season NPF
Championship and its 4th Cowles Cup Championship in his first season
of head coach of the Pride.
“We
are thrilled Mike is able to continue on with the Pride, although in a
different capacity”, stated DeDonatis.
“His insight and knowledge is invaluable and his winning experience last
year makes him a perfect fit for the position.”
New
to the position of assistant coach for the Pride is none other than Port
Orange, Florida native and Embry-Riddle Head Coach, Kelsi Dunne. Dunne was the 2011 #1 NPF Draft pick
following her standout collegiate career at the University of Alabama were she
led the Crimson Tide to three Women’s College World Series appearances and 1
SEC tournament crown in 2010.
“To
welcome Kelsi back to the NPF and more importantly, finally to the Pride
organization, is a huge feather in our cap”, DeDonatis commented. “I asked Kelsi for years to play for the
Pride and though as a player she turned me down year after year, to get her to
commit to coaching is probably even better”.
Rounding out the 2019 Pride staff is the Saint
Mary’s new assistant coach, Stephanie Ceo.
Ceo brings great experience and knowledge of the game having played her
college career at Texas. Starting all
four years as a Longhorn, she helped her team reach the College World Series
three times. “Stephanie is another welcome new addition to
the Pride family and another great talent that I watched play for years”,
remarked DeDonatis.
The
four-time Cowles Cup champion and seven-time NPF regular season champion USSSA
Florida Pride will be back in action at the Space Coast Stadium in Viera, FL on
June 18th. For more
information about the Pride or to purchase tickets, please visit
USSSAFLORIDAPRIDE.com.
About USSSA
USSSA is headquartered in Viera, Florida. USSSA is the world’s largest
multi-sport athletic organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 4
million participants, competing in 14 nationally sanctioned sports including
Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more
information about USSSA, visit www.usssa.com and follow USSSA on Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter
About National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch
(NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2004
provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional
career in fastpitch softball beyond their collegiate and amateur success. The
NPF affiliate teams consist of the Aussie Spirit, Beijing Shougang Eagles,
Chicago Bandits, Cleveland Comets and USSSA Florida Pride for the 2018 season.
National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the United States, Australia, Canada
and China among which are the most accomplished and talented athletes in the
sport of women’s softball.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login