Harding University Women's Softball

AT HARDING Ashley Reeves has been Harding’s head softball coach since 2021. She has a 157-68 record in four seasons in Searcy and a 188-102 record in six seasons as a collegiate head coach. In her time at Harding, Reeves has coached 31 All-GAC players, 10 All-Region players, two All-Americans (Nicole Shano in 2022 and Macy Ham in 2024), two GAC Freshmen of the Year and two GAC Newcomers of the Year. Additionally, Reeves has coached 11 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athletes, 12 GAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes and three GAC Elite Scholar Athletes. In Reeves’ four seasons, she has led Harding to two NCAA regional berths, three GAC regular season top-three finishes and three trips to the GAC Tournament semifinals. Her teams are 71-28 in GAC regular season games. Yearly Highlights 2025 - 39-18 record ... 21-12, t-3rd in GAC standings ... NCAA Central Region 1 participant ... reached GAC Tournament semifinals ... pitching staff ranked 15th in D2 with a 2.10 ERA and 20th with a 1.18 WHIP 2024 - 34-18 record ... 22-11, 3rd in GAC standings ... reached GAC Tournament semifinals ... ranked fourth in Division II with 147 stolen bases ... pitching staff ranked third in the GAC with a 2.95 ERA 2023 – 46-14 record … second most wins in program history … 26-7, 2nd in GAC standings … NCAA Central Region 1 finalist … reached GAC Tournament semifinals … led the GAC in stolen bases (121) … pitching staff ranked 14th in D2 in WHIP (1.06) and 15th in ERA (1.89) 2022 – 38-18 record … 23-10, 3rd in GAC standings … reached GAC Tournament semifinals … offense led the GAC in batting average (.317), on-base percentage (.378), slugging percentage (.508) and scoring (5.75) BEFORE HARDING Reeves came to Harding after spending the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the head coach at Fort Lewis College, an NCAA Division II school located in Durango, Colorado. She led the team to 31 wins in her time there, including a 27-21 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and had four All-RMAC selections. After a COVID-shortened first season, Reeves led Fort Lewis to the RMAC Tournament for the first time since 2014 in her second season. Reeves began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Abilene Christian in 2011-12. She returned to the club in the summer of 2014 before receiving her promotion to associate head coach in August 2016. In Reeves' time there, Abilene Christian had 32 all-conference selections, four NFCA All-Region players and one Freshman of the Year honoree and played in the 2017 National Invitational Softball Championship. Prior to her time at ACU, Reeves spent three seasons as the head softball coach at Harding Academy in Searcy, Arkansas, where she also served as an assistant volleyball and basketball coach. EDUCATION Reeves was a four-year starter at Texas Tech as a center fielder while earning her bachelor's degree in communication studies. She earned Second Team All-Big XII in 2006 and was a First Team All-Big XII selection in 2004 and 2007. In her 2007 season, Reeves hit .379 with 15 RBIs and 24 stolen bases en route to being named an NFCA All-Region player. FAMILY Ashley and her husband, Tanyon, have three daughters. Reeves' Softball Coaching Record Conference Overall Year W L W L Fort Lewis 2020 8 4 11 11 2021 19 17 20 23 Total 27 21 31 34 Harding 2022 23 10 38 18 2023 26 7 46 14 2024 22 11 34 18 2025 21 12 39 18 Total 92 40 157 68 Total Coaching Record 188 102

At Harding Craig Kirchgessner became the seventh head men's and women's tennis coach for Harding in June 2025. Before Harding Kirchgessner came to Harding after serving as the Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Hendrix College since August 2019. During his tenure at Hendrix, he significantly elevated both programs, landing the highest-rated men's recruiting classes in school history in 2019 and 2024. Academically, both the men's and women's teams excelled, maintaining average GPAs of 3.5 and 3.7, respectively. Prior to his time at Hendrix, Kirchgessner served as the Assistant Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Centre College from January 2016 to 2019. While at Centre, he played a key role in the women's team achieving their first-ever SAA Tournament victory and their best-ever SAA conference regular-season finish (second place). He also coached Centre's first-ever year-end nationally ranked doubles team (2017) and helped recruit the largest and highest-rated men's and women's classes in the program's history. Kirchgessner's experience also includes serving as the Head Professional at the Duke Faculty Club and as a Tennis Professional at Ocean Reef Resort in Florida. He also spent several years as the Assistant Director of Junior Camps at Sewanee Tennis Camp. Playing Career As a player, Kirchgessner was a four-time all-state high school tennis player in Indiana and was the number one singles and doubles player at NCAA Division-I Western Kentucky University.  Education He holds a B.S. in Secondary Education (Social Studies) from Western Kentucky University and an A.A. in Liberal Studies from Florida College. Family Kirchgessner is married to the former April Behle of St. Charles, Missouri. The couple have a son Otto Graham and a daughter Monroe Estella.  

Bobby Reeves became Harding's assistant softball coach in 2024. He was Harding's baseball assistant in 2009 and 2010. Reeves coached softball for nine seasons at Abilene Christian from 2010-19, winning 216 games, including a 30-win season in 2012 and a 33-win season in 2017. Reeves was the head coach at Texas Tech from 2000-04. He won 94 games in his four seasons and led Texas Tech to its second highest win total, including a trip to the Big 12 Conference championship game, as well as a trip to the Region I finals, where it lost to National Champion Arizona. In 2000, Reeves was the head softball coach at Texas State and led them to a 35-24 record, the best record in the 16-year history of the program. Reeves served as an assistant softball coach at Texas Tech from 1997-99, when Tech amassed an overall record of 115-79-1. Prior to his first stint at Tech, Reeves served as assistant baseball coach at Lubbock Christian University for two seasons, helping lead the Chaparrals to the Sooner Conference Championship with a 52-16 record. Reeves played football for West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas, before graduating from Lubbock Christian with a degree in kinesiology in 1986. He has been married for 43 years to the former Robin Boswell of Shallowater, Texas.

AT HARDING Quillin became a full-time assistant in the summer of 2025. Served as a graduate assistant beginning in August of 2023. Quillin also worked at head coach Don Hood's World Class Pole Vault beginning in 2020 and at the Performance Course in Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 2022. ATHLETIC CAREER Quillin competed in college for four seasons, beginning with two seasons at Oklahoma Baptist, where he placed seventh at the 2022 Great American Conference meet with a then-personal best height of 4.45m (14-7.25). He transferred to Harding for his final two seasons and placed fifth in the 2023 GAC pole vault with a new personal best of 4.81m (15-9.25). EDUCATION Quillin earned a Bachelor of Arts in sports management from Oklahoma Baptist in 2022, and a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Harding in 2024.  COACHING EXPERIENCE 2025 -     Assistant Track and Field Coach, Harding

At Harding Drew Ellis, a native of Athens, Alabama, became an assistant track and field coach in 2023. Over the past two seasons, Coach Ellis has had the privilege of coaching several standout Bisons, including three All-Americans: Anna Kay Clark (a two-time All-American in the javelin), and both Spencer Helms and Lukas Stiper (discus All-Americans in 2025). He has also coached two-time national qualifier in the men’s javelin, Casen Hammitt. The program has also produced multiple conference champions in the javelin, shot put, and discus, as well as a conference runner-up in the hammer. The throws program is ambitious, aiming to be the best in the nation across all throwing events. Before Harding Ellis has track and field coaching experience as an assistant at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 2016-19, head coach at Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond, Oklahoma in 2015-16, head coach at Prattville Christian Academy in Prattville, Alabama from 2009-11, and co-head coach at Harding Academy in Memphis, Tennessee from 2002-05. Also has 10 seasons of high school football coaching experience in four states. Ellis has served in numerous ministry roles in his professional career and presently works as the preaching minister at Cherokee Street Church of Christ in Newport, Arkansas. Athletics Career Ellis was a four-sport athlete in basketball, baseball, cross-country, and track ... earned All-State (ninth place) honors in cross-country in Alabama ... a member of the state runner-up team in class 1A-4A ... a four-time medalist as state champion in the 4x800 relay and state runner-up in the indoor 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters and outdoor 1,600 meters. Education Ellis earned his Bachelor of Arts in speech communications from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1999, his Master of Divinity from Lipscomb University in 2018, and is working on his Doctor of Ministry from the Harding School of Theology. Family Drew is married to the former Elizabeth Powell of Lufkin, Texas. The couple has three children--Jacob, Amberlee and Mason.