Kennesaw State University Women's Softball

Selena Collins-Patterson, a decorated athlete and respected coach, has been named the seventh head softball coach in Kennesaw State University history, Director of Athletics Milton Overton announced Monday, Sept. 15. Collins-Patterson brings more than 22 years of coaching experience across NCAA Division I, high school, travel leagues, and private academies. She currently leads the Marist School softball program and serves as CEO and president of the Atlanta Vipers Fastpitch Organization. Additionally, she has taught as a KSU lecturer since 2014. "Owl Nation, help me welcome Coach Collins-Patterson back home to the Nest!" Overton said. "Selena knows how to be a champion on the softball diamond and in the classroom. She embodies the spirit of Kennesaw State Athletics, understands what it means to be an Owl, and is deeply committed to the success of our student-athletes. We are thrilled to have her leading our softball program into an exciting new era." A Texas A&M Hall of Fame catcher, Collins-Patterson was a Big 12 Player of the Year, all-American, and team captain. She represented the USA National Team and earned NPF All-Star honors playing professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch League. Her coaching résumé includes head coaching stints at Trinity University, where she guided the Tigers to a conference championship and was named Coach of the Year, as well as Pace Academy, where she captured a region title and Coach of the Year honors. She has also served as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State and as the softball director for the National Baseball and Softball Academy. "I am truly honored to take on this role at Kennesaw State," said Collins-Patterson. "Having spent much of my life coaching and mentoring young women in a sport I love, I feel incredibly fortunate to continue guiding a group of young women toward reaching their full potential. I'm excited to work with our student-athletes to build on the program's strong tradition and help develop champions both on and off the field. I'm grateful to Milton Overton and our administration for their trust and support. Go Owls!" A champion of student-athlete development, Collins-Patterson has overseen the Atlanta Vipers 2030 travel team, leading the Vipers to multiple championships, including the PGF Super Select 12U Southeast title. As a lecturer in KSU's Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, she teaches wellness, coaching principles, and advanced sport coaching courses, underscoring her commitment to holistic student growth. Collins-Patterson earned her bachelor's degree from Texas A&M in 2004 and her master's from Texas Women's University in 2012. She is currently a PhD candidate at Concordia University Chicago.

Acheson is in his fourth season with the Kennesaw State softball program and enters his second full season as the Owls' head coach in 2017, after serving as the interim head coach during the 2015 campaign. Acheson's interim tag was lifted midway through the season on April 21, 2015 as he became the fifth head coach in the history of the KSU softball program. Entering his 23rd season as a head coach, Acheson has compiled an overall record of 856-482-1 (.640), and has led his teams to eight NCAA postseason appearances while coaching at Wisconsin-Parkside and Tennessee Tech. During his time as the Owls' head coach, Acheson has worked tirelessly to create a postive and winning culture, while he and his staff have worked to upgrade the program's recruiting efforts. On the field, Acheson has led Kennesaw State to a 62-47 (.569) record that includes a pair of 30-win seasons, and a third-place showing at the 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Tournament. Individually, eight players have earned ASUN Conference all-conference honors, two individuals have received conference all-academic recognition, and 10 student-athletes have been named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes. The 2016 season opened with the Owls winning six in a row and 10 of their first 11 games and concluded with the club capturing five of its final seven games en route to a 30-28 overall record. The year's first big moment came on Feb. 28 when junior Logan Viers tossed a perfect game against Alabama A&M and more history was made by junior utility player Taylor Denton, who set the Kennesaw State single-season stolen base record against at USC Upstate on April 24 and then became the program's all-time career stolen base leader against Lipscomb on May 6. Viers and Denton, along with junior Courtney Sutter and senior Kara Chambers were named All-ASUN Conference second team. Viers and Denton, along with Emily Bishop, Hillary Kartman and Missy Perkowski were tabbed NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes.     In his first season at the helm of the Owls, Acheson led the team to a 32-19 record, including finishing third in the ASUN Conference with a 13-10 mark and advanced to conference tournament for the sixth consecutive season. KSU's 32 wins mark the first time since 2013 that the Owls have won that many games in a season. Highlights of Acheson's first season include a 7-2 win over Ohio in the season opener, a 9-8 victory over then-No. 5/6 Kentucky on Feb. 14, with the Wildcats representing the highest ranked opponent KSU has defeated since moving to the Division I level, and five-straight conference series wins that saw the Owls go on a 10-game winning streak in league action.  Acheson spent the 2014 season as an assistant coach and was primarily involved with hitting, outfield and recruiting for the softball program. Acheson comes to KSU after spending 14 successful seasons as the head softball coach at Tennessee Tech from 1999 to 2012. While at TTU, Acheson compiled a 507-353 (.590) mark, recording at least 25 wins in 13 of his 14 seasons at the helm and averaging 36 wins per season during that span.       A two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year (2003, 2006), Acheson led the Golden Eagles to four regular season titles and five OVC tournament championships, as well as four NCAA regional appearances.   Prior to his time at TTU, Acheson served as the head softball coach at Wisconsin-Parkside for six seasons, leading Parkside to three NCAA Division II national tournament top 10 finishes, including a runner-up showing in 1995. Acheson was twice named the Regional Coach of the Year while at Parkside, with 13 of his players earning All-American status during his time.   He started his coaching career as the head softball coach at Whitnall (Wis.) High School, leading the program to three-consecutive Parkland Conference championships.   Acheson earned both his bachelors degree in secondary education and his masters degree in curriculum and instruction from Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Hampton joined Kennesaw State as a volunteer assistant coach in her first collegiate position. She assists the Owls’ pitching staff, as well as defensive instruction. She was named the Owls' pitching coach for the 2023 season. In their first season in CUSA, the Owls’ pitching staff under Hampton were one of the best strikeout units in the conference, ranking third with 260. She oversaw the development of sophomore Emma Friedel into one of the top arms in Conference USA. Friedel had the best opponent batting average (.202), the second-most shutouts (four) and was third in strikeouts at 132. Her magnum opus came against NM State on May 4. She pitched a Division I program record 13.0 innings against the Aggies, tying a CUSA record with 15 punchouts. Catcher Macie Howes received Second Team All-Conference USA honors for her defensive prowess. 2024 was another stellar year from the circle as Hampton led the Owls to a 3.51 team ERA, registering four pitchers with ERA under 4.00. She help revamp the ability of fifth year senior Lindsey Kyte who produced a career year in her final stanza. Kyte set career highs in nearly every category as she led the squad in inning pitched (106.2). Hampton ushered in two freshman pitchers in Emma Friedel and Leah Jannakos. Friedel tossed one-hitter versus Robert Morris in the run rule victory. In '24, the name of the game was precision as the team finished in the top 65 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.07). In the 2023 season, she oversaw the development of freshman Kenley Hilleary. Hilleary pitched 132.1 innings with 137 strikeouts and a 3.13 ERA. She was named ASUN Pitcher of the Week after leading a dominating upset win over No. 7/6 Alabama on Feb. 26 for her first collegiate victory. The freshman phenom pitched two 10-inning outings in 2023 including a 142-pitch relief stint at Samford on Apr. 26 where 101 pitches found the strike zone and propelled her to a career-high 15 strikeouts. She was also named to the ASUN All-Freshman team. In her first season at Kennesaw State in 2022, the Owls went 23-28, including 12-12 in conference play. KSU set a program record for wins to end the regular season, with seven including nine of the last 10. The Owls defeated Stetson in the ASUN tournament play-in game and earned a fourth-place finish in the conference after a 14-4 win over Jacksonville State. On the field in 2022, third baseman Taylor Cates had one of the most prolific seasons in KSU softball history. She set KSU Division I program records for home runs (19), slugging percentage (.847) and total bases (133). Cates also earned ASUN All-Conference First Team and All-Academic honors in addition to CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team. She graduated from East Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga. before playing collegiate softball at Abraham Baldwin in Tifton, Ga. and then began pitching instruction throughout the Metro Atlanta area for the past several years.  Hampton is passionate about developing players and ensuring that they reach their highest potential.

Daisy Hess was promoted to assistant coach in November 2025 after serving as a graduate assistant during the 2025 season.   As a graduate assistant, she assisted with the infield, offensive scouting and baserunning. In 2025, Hess guided Macie Howes to Second-Team All-CUSA honors. Howes finished second in the conference with 12 runners caught stealing and ninth with 259 putouts. Ava Guzowski received College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors.    Before coming to The Saw, Hess was a standout shortstop at Louisville from 2023-24. In 2024, she earned All-ACC third team honors. She started 49 games at shortstop, leading the Cardinals in runs (37) runs, doubles (12), triples (3) and on-base percentage (.456). Her first season at Louisville was a rousing success. Hess was named to the All-ACC second team after leading the team and ranking second in the entire conference with 24 stolen bases. She registered a .335 batting average with 55 hits, seven doubles, four triples and four home runs. She also selected as a Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.   Hess is familiar with the Peach State, starting her collegiate career at Georgia State. With the Panthers in 2022, she broke the program record for stolen bases in a single season at 29. That mark ranked 25th in NCAA history for stolen bases in a single season.   As a sophomore, she received NFCA All-Region Third Team honors after leading the team with 32 runs, 10 home runs, 11 doubles, 41 RBI, .641 slugging percentage, and 93 total bases.

Fritts also mentored senior pitcher Megan Barnwell, who was named an honorable mention DII All-American pitcher by Daktronics and CoSIDA in 2013. She posted a 27-6 record and 2.05 ERA, tying the school career record for wins with 86. 

Kennesaw State softball announced the hiring of Mel Savala as an assistant coach in November 2025.   Savala spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Francis University (Pa.). In her two years in Loretto, Pa. the Red Flash won back-to-back Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament titles with the coaching staff being named NEC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024. With a 67-40 record (38-7 NEC), she coached four NFCA all-region selections and 13 all-conference honorees.     Working primarily with hitters and the outfield, Savala guided Savannah Nash to NEC Player of the Year honors in 2025, leading the conference in batting average (.421) and stolen bases (18). She also secured an NFCA Second Team All-Region accolade.   Olivia Ulam also scooped up major postseason awards, being named the conference’s Golden Glove, along with NEC Female Student Athlete of the Year and NEC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. Her stellar defense and conference-best 14 doubles earned her first-team all-conference honors.   In 2025, Nash (OF), Ulam (1B), Hannah Bendle (SS), Allie Braly (P) all received First-Team All-NEC honors while Annabelle Farmer (C) and AB Cipalla (DP) were named to the second team. Cipalla and Sofia Zielinski (OF/1B) were members of the all-rookie team. In her first season, Savala assisted Saint Francis to NEC Tournament and NEC Regular Season titles. She was part of the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year alongside head coach Beth Krysiak and volunteer assistant Ry Godde. She worked primarily with hitting and the outfield and helped Saint Francis rank second in program history in batting average (.303), fourth in hits (440) and fifth in RBIs (280) and doubles (76).   Under her guidance, Nash earned NFCA Third Team All-Region (OF) and First Team All-NEC (OF), while Ashley Wruble added Second Team All-NEC (OF) honors.   She also assisted the hitting of Ulam, who earned NFCA Second Team All-Region (1B) and First Team All-NEC (1B), Rachel Marsden, who earned NFCA Second Team All-Region (P/UTIL) and First Team All-NEC (P and DP), Kaylie Walters, who earned First Team All-NEC (SS) and NEC All-Rookie Team, Ashley Orischak, who earned First Team All-NEC (2B), Farmer, who earned Second Team All-NEC (C) and Aliya Garroway, who earned NEC All-Rookie Team.   Savala joined Saint Francis after she spent the 2023 season at NCAA Division II member Wingate University, where the Bulldogs held a 48-17 overall record. She assisted the program to its first regular season title since 2009. Wingate advanced to the 2023 NCAA Super Regionals after winning the Southeast Regional.   Prior to Wingate, Savala spent three seasons at NCAA Division III member Millsaps College from 2020-22. In 2022, she assisted the Majors to an 11-7 conference record, its most wins since 2017, which included a series victory over nationally ranked Berry College.   During her coaching career, Savala has assisted in running outfield and hitting sessions, planning and organizing drills, watching film and building scouting reports, among other responsibilities.   Savala spend four years at Division III member University of Dallas, where she set a career record with 156 games played and single-game record with five stolen bases. She was a 2016 All-SCAC and a 2018-19 All-SCAC Academic selection in her career. Savala played her first three seasons from 2016-18 under coach Krysiak.