Northwestern State University of Louisiana Women's Basketball

Northwestern State Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian announced on Friday, June 5, 2026 the hiring of one of college softball’s most accomplished coaches, naming Jason Anderson the 14th head softball coach in program history.   Anderson arrives in Natchitoches with 796 career victories, the second-most among active NCAA Division II head coaches and the 16th-most among active coaches across all NCAA divisions. Over 19 seasons as a head coach, Anderson has compiled a 796-233 (.774) record while building championship programs at every stop of his career.   "We are extremely excited to announce Jason Anderson as the new head coach of our softball team," Bostian said. "Coach Anderson brings a high level of energy to this position that our fans, current players and future recruits will notice in seconds. That energy, along with his ability to build a culture of success, displayed itself in the passion he showed for this position.    “Coach Anderson comes to Natchitoches with the reputation of being a program builder, a high-caliber recruiter and talent developer. He is the ideal candidate to continue the upward momentum within our program. We are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Natchitoches."   Anderson comes to NSU after a remarkable 12-year run at Southern Arkansas that included seven Great American Conference championships, five consecutive appearances in the GAC Tournament championship game from 2022-26, 10 consecutive NCAA regional appearances and a pair of Division II Women’s College World Series trips.   “I appreciate and am thankful to President (James) Genovese, Kevin Bostian and the entire committee involved in the process for this opportunity,” Anderson said. “I’m excited about joining the Northwestern State softball family. It means a lot and something that I gave a lot of thought. I know there are a lot of good pieces in place and I am ready and eager to work with the student-athletes there, get after it and go compete for championships.”   The Muleriders won back-to-back conference tournament championships and complied a 48-9 record in 2026, marking the program's third 40-win season in the past four years. Southern Arkansas produced three NFCA All-Region selections and an NFCA All-American this past season while once again establishing itself among the nation's elite Division II programs.   The 2025 campaign proved equally memorable as Anderson guided the Muleriders to a 43-10 record, a 28-4 mark in conference play and both the GAC regular-season and tournament championships. Southern Arkansas hosted an NCAA Division II Central Regional site and featured six All-GAC selections.    Pitcher Brinson Rogers earned a collection of national honors, including NFCA Division II Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-America recognition, while Anderson was named conference Coach of the Year.   Since arriving at Southern Arkansas in 2015, Anderson consistently fielded nationally competitive teams. His squads reached the NCAA Division II Women's College World Series twice, including a third-place national finish in 2018. The Muleriders also held the No. 1 national ranking with a 22-2 record when the 2020 season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   Under Anderson's leadership, Southern Arkansas excelled in all phases of the game. His teams posted a batting average above .300 in eight different seasons, including a .347 mark in 2026, while his pitching staffs finished with an ERA under 2.50 in all but two seasons.   Anderson's ability to develop student-athletes has been a hallmark throughout his career. He has coached more than 50 all-conference selections, more than 20 all-region and All-America honorees, a national player of the year, two national pitchers of the year, a national newcomer of the year, a CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and multiple conference athletes of the year.   “The thing that made this job so appealing was the support for this program from the administration all the way down,” Anderson said. “I’ve known the Fullers for a long time and that was something they said that the support you get from the athletic director, the president and everyone to help us compete at the level we want to compete.    “If I was going to move on from a place that I’ve been for 12 years I wanted something I felt like I could come in and provide a good voice, set the expectation from day one of championship softball and have the support to match that in all areas of our program.”   Prior to Southern Arkansas, Anderson spent one season at Northwestern Oklahoma State in 2014 and engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the country. The Rangers finished 41-15 after enduring more than five consecutive losing seasons, setting school records for wins, batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and walks.   The rapid transformation left a lasting impression on Missouri Western State Athletic Director Andy Carter, who hired Anderson while at NWSOU, crediting his leadership and culture-building ability as the driving force behind the program's resurgence.   "Energy. You feel it. The way he talks, the way he comes into a room," Carter said. "Talking to the parents, really positive energy. He’s there to help young people become better. He has the skill set to make it happen. He didn’t change our roster wholesale, but he brought enough higher-level students in, not just their talent but their energy and expectation level.    “He created a culture very, very quickly. Go look, we peaked that year – they haven’t been back to that – that was all because of the energy he brings every single day. When I watch the softball World Series, that just concluded, and I listen to their coaches talk, he’s the same. Sets the same standards, talks the same talk, walks the same walk. He can go to the highest level, if that’s what he wants to do."   Before his stint at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Anderson guided North Alabama to a 40-win season and an NCAA Regional appearance in 2013, establishing multiple program records in the process.   Anderson began his head coaching career at Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas, where he compiled a 226-38 record in five seasons. He led the Mustangs to a National Christian College Athletic Association national championship in 2010 after a remarkable 52-1 season and earned NCCAA National Coach of the Year honors.    Anderson was also a five-time NCCAA Regional Coach of the Year and won at least 50 games in each of his final three seasons at Central Baptist.   Throughout his 19-year coaching career, Anderson has won 40 or more games 12 different times, guided his teams to 14 national postseason tournaments and never finished a season with a record below .500   Anderson is a 2001 graduate of Arkansas Tech and 2005 graduate of Webster. He and his wife, the former Renee Byford, have two children, Addison and Kyler.  

Kalevi Pajuluoma is an experienced athletic trainer currently serving as the Director of Sports Medicine and Head Football Athletic Trainer at Northwestern State University. With a strong commitment to student-athletes’ health and wellness, Kalevi has worked with a wide range of sports teams, including football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and women’s tennis. He began at Northwestern State University as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer, contributing to the athletic training staff for various sports before advancing to the Assistant Director role in 2020.   Kalevi is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Athletic Training at Ohio University. He holds a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from Northwestern State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.   In addition to his clinical experience, Kalevi is actively engaged in the athletic training community. He is a member of the NRMC Vitality Committee and has served on the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Professional Development Committee. Kalevi also serves as a preceptor for the University of Southern Mississippi’s Master of Athletic Training program.   Kalevi is committed to professional growth and development, holding certifications in CPR and First Aid, Dry Needling, and IV Access. He is licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners and is board-certified through the Board of Certification.   Recognized for his exceptional work, Kalevi received the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center Excellence Award in January 2024 and was named a finalist for the Healthy Roster Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2023.

The Northwestern State women's basketball program long has enjoyed success with first-time Division I head coaches. That pattern continued Wednesday, as NSU announced the hiring of Loyola (New Orleans) assistant coach Alan Frey as its 11th full-time women's basketball head coach. Frey will be introduced to the university and Natchitoches communities in a 1:30 p.m. news conference Monday in the Lucille Mertz Hendrick Room in the Friedman Student Union. "We are thrilled to announce Alan Frey as the 11th full-time head coach in Northwestern State women's basketball history," Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. "Alan's deeply rooted Louisiana ties and his decades of experience within Louisiana basketball made him a terrific fit for our program. His connections with high school basketball coaches in the state give him an extensive recruiting network that meshes well with his outstanding basketball mind. Alan has experienced great success in Louisiana, and we expect that to continue as he takes over our program. Northwestern State's successful track record of first-time head coaches is in good hands with Alan Frey." The New Orleans native has always wanted to stay in the state and said he is excited at the opportunity to earn a Division I head coaching job in the state. "Kevin (Bostian) telling me he'd like me to be the head coach was probably the best sentence I have ever heard other than my wife agreeing to marry me," Frey said. "It was so special and I am still so excited. It is a dream come true. I have had a goal of being a Division I women's basketball coach in Louisiana, and I reached that goal, and it feels great." Frey takes over following a six-year stint by Anna Nimz, who left to take the head job at North Alabama. "The thing that made this job stand out to me is the alignment, from the president's office all the way down to the athletic director's office all the way down to the administration," Frey said. "I feel they sold me that everybody is pulling in the same direction here and everybody wants the same things." While this is his first head coaching job, Frey brings more than 20 years of experience as an assistant coach and associate head coach, much of which was at the Division I level. This past season, he helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 25-5 mark, a seven-game improvement over the previous season. Loyola earned an appearance in the NAIA Tournament, reaching the second round. Frey also spent a season with Monmouth, where he helped the team win 16 games, 10 of them at home, the most home wins for the program since 2011-12. Frey helped coach two All-CAA selections in Damaris Rodriguez (first team) and Taisha Exanor (second team) with Rodriguez also becoming the first Hawk in 23 years to earn All-Metropolitan honors. Prior to his stint at Monmouth, he spent 18 seasons on the sidelines with Tulane. With the Green Wave, Frey helped the team post winning records in all but two seasons, tallying a combined 371-229 overall record. That included a pair of Conference USA regular season titles and a dozen postseason appearances, highlighted by a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. Using his connections in the state of Louisiana, Frey was instrumental in recruiting Kolby Morgan and former NSU coach Olivia Grayson, to Tulane. "He's got deep roots in Louisiana basketball," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "At Tulane, we concentrated a lot on recruiting in Louisiana. He has those recruiting contacts. He's a Louisiana guy. He loves the state. He is a very talented coach. I told Kevin Bostian that I have no doubt he can do the job. He's great with Xs and Os. "He was my right-hand for many years, and he stayed with me because we had a good thing going. He's wanted an opportunity like this his whole career. It's a good fit at a great school." The 1997 AAU National Coach of the Year, Frey guided the team to the gold medal at the 1996 Junior Olympics and a second-place finish in 2005. Frey's teams amassed 15 Louisiana AAU titles in as many years with a 79-1 record at the state tournament. In addition to being a successful coach, he brings a significant amount in the way of his community presence and his infectious personality will win over his team. "The community will love him," Stockton said. "People will know him. He has a great personality to promote the program. The other thing is for the student-athletes, he's a player's coach. They're going to love learning from him. They'll grow under his tutelage. He is a tireless worker who will do whatever it takes to make the program better.  "Sometimes you can't get all the players you want. He will be flexible in trying to create the best style for the players you have. He knows a lot of different ways to play. He'll figure out the best way to play. You have to create to win in your league first. He'll do that. He'll definitely figure out what will work and be successful. As the program grows, system may change. He's not stuck in a certain way. Very creative." Frey said he knows the program is on an upward trajectory and is ready to push the team over the top and bring home championships. Said Frey: "The Southland is a great league with a lot of great teams and great coaches, but I think we are in a position here where we can make some things happen and win some championships. I have no doubt that is what my plan is." Frey joins Pat Nolen Pierson, James Smith, Jennifer Graf, Brooke and Scott Stoehr, Jordan Dupuy, Missy Bilderback and Nimz as coaches whose first Division I head coaching job came at NSU. "I think all of us from this state feel a sort of pride in it," Frey said. "We are kind of the little brother in a lot of things, but people from Louisiana have a certain spirit. I've seen it. I saw it after Hurricane Katrina, and I have seen it after all the other storms we've gone through. It's a great place to live and I wouldn't want to live any place else."   What They're Saying About Alan Frey: "Congratulations to Alan Frey and Northwestern State University. What a great decision by the university to hire a veteran leader and coach like Coach Frey. He's been in this game for so many years, given of his life for this game and for young people. He is so well respected in this industry, has won and developed players at the highest level. There's no question in my mind with his leadership, Northwestern State will be back in contention for championships year in and year out as in the days of James Smith, many years ago. Congratulations to Northwestern State, they've hit a home run." -- Vic Schaefer, Head Coach at Texas   "Congratulations to Alan Frey and Northwestern State University. As someone who spent many years in North Louisiana, I know how much this program means to that community. Northwestern State hit a home run by hiring a veteran leader who has given his life to this game and his players. Alan is incredibly well respected in our industry and has won at the highest level. With his leadership, there's no question the Lady Demons will be back in championship contention." -- Kim Mulkey, Head Coach at LSU   "He'll do everything he can to allow his student-athletes to have a great experience and also win basketball games. I think it goes without saying that you need someone who embraces that and wants to be a part of the work and not afraid of the work. With his experience, personality and connections around the state, he is a veteran coach who has the ability to do all those things." -- Brooke Stoehr, Head Coach at Louisiana Tech

In Blaine McCorkle’s family, college football is the chosen profession. In less than two decades in the family business, McCorkle has worked his way through the industry, proving the ability to connect with student-athletes while building a program. It was that skill set that brought McCorkle to Northwestern State as the program’s 16th head coach Nov. 28, 2023, following in the footsteps of his father, Sam, a forner head coach at West Alabama and at UT Martin. McCorkle came to Natchitoches after a successful six-season run as the head coach at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. In that time, McCorkle turned the Blazers into a conference champion that earned the school’s first NCAA Division III playoff berth. McCorkle led Belhaven to the outright 2023 USA South Conference championship — the first such title in program history. Belhaven went 9-2 in 2023, capping a three-year run in which the Blazers posted a 24-7 mark under McCorkle.  In McCorkle’s first three seasons laying the foundation at Belhaven, the Blazers won seven total games — including a 3-2 mark in the pandemic-affected 2021 spring season. That marked the first winning season for Belhaven since 2012. That success came after McCorkle inherited a Belhaven program that had not won more than three games in a season since 2013. At Belhaven, McCorkle coached 47 all-conference athletes, 10 all-region selections and All-Americans Kendrioun Boatman (offensive line) and Carlton Brown (defensive line). Belhaven running back Kolbe Blunt was named a 2023 semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded to Division III’s most outstanding player. When he arrived in Natchitoches in November, McCorkle said FCS was his comfort zone — as proven by his resume. McCorkle has coached at six FCS schools — Delaware, Richmond, Liberty, Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga and UT Martin — and has spent 18 of his 26 coaching seasons at FCS schools. Most of McCorkle’s time as an assistant came as an offensive line coach, including a nine-season run alongside head coach Danny Rocco at Delaware, Richmond and Liberty. During that time, McCorkle was part of five conference championship teams (2007,2009, 2010, 2012, 2015) and three teams that reached the FCS Playoffs (2014, 2015, 2016).  In 2017, McCorkle tutored a pair of All-CAA offensive linemen at Delaware, helping the Blue Hens go 7-4 — the most wins for the perennial power in four seasons. Before following Rocco to Delaware, McCorkle was part of a Richmond staff that led the Spiders to the second round of the FCS Playoffs and a season-ending No. 16 national ranking. A season later, the Spiders reached the national semifinals and finished the season ranked No 3. Richmond’s playoff success continued in 2016, reaching the quarterfinals ahead of a No. 8 ranking. Specifically, McCorkle’s offensive lines at Richmond were dominant. In his first season (2012), the Spiders ranked third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (5). In 2013, the Spiders’ line helped Richmond set almost every school season passing record. In 2014, Richmond allowed the fewest sacks in the Coastal Athletic Association and 11th-fewest nationally.  In 2015 and 2016, the Spiders ranked second in the CAA in scoring and total offense. While at Richmond, McCorkle coached a cadre of award-winning linemen, who enjoyed success at the next level.  Five of his Richmond linemen — Austin Gund, Nick Ritcher, Jacob Ruby, Thomas Evans and Alex Light — all played in the NFL after their time with the Spiders. Ritcher was a first-team AP and American Football Coaches Association All-American who was named the Touchdown Club Division I Offensive Lineman of the Year in Virginia.  Austin Gund, currently the assistant offensive line coach with the Buffalo Bills, was a three-time All-CAA selection who was a second-team All-American. Thomas Evans followed Ritcher as the Touchdown Club award winner, earned All-CAA honors and now competes in the World’ Strongest Man competitions. Jacob Ruby, a two-time All-CAA selection under McCorkle, has played more than 100 games in the Canadian Football League and has earned CFL All-Star honors. During his second stint at Liberty from 2009-11, McCorkle helped guard Malcolm Boyd earn third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press in 2011 while helping Liberty build the Big South’s top passing offense in terms of yards and efficiency while ranking second in total offense (426.5 yards per game) and scoring (35.9 points). That followed a 2010 season in which McCorkle’s charges Alex Stadler and Justin Vargas earned first-team All-Big South honors. Those two helped quarterback Mike Brown lead the NCAA in total offense (346.36 yards per game). Liberty’s offensive line under McCorkle that season ranked fifth nationally in fewest sacks allowed (0.64 per game) and fewest tackles for loss per game (4.18). Offensively, Liberty averaged 459.91 yards per game, second nationally. In his first season back at Liberty, McCorkle’s offensive line helped the Flames lead the nation in scoring at 36.36 points per game. Liberty’s 31 rushing touchdowns were fourth nationally while it ranked second nationally in red-zone efficiency (92 percent).  McCorkle spent the 2008 season as the offensive line coach at Tennessee Tech before returning to Liberty. At Liberty in 2007, McCorkle served as a strength and conditioning and offensive assistant, helping craft an offense that set a school record with 469 points. Liberty’s 42.6 points per game average ranked them third nationally. The 32 rushing touchdowns set a school single-season record and helped start a run of four straight Big South Conference championships for the Flames. Under McCorkle, left tackle Stephen Sene earned first-team All-Big South honors, competed in the Hula Bowl and signed a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots. In 2006, McCorkle coached offensive tackles at Chattanooga where he helped the Mocs pick up a victory against perennial FCS powerhouse Georgia Southern.  A 2000 LSU graduate with a degree in education, McCorkle’s journey brings him full circle to Louisiana where he began his coaching career as a student assistant with the Tigers in 1999, working with the offensive line and coordinating the defensive and special teams scout units. That fall followed a four-year career as a long snapper at LSU where McCorkle was part of three bowl teams, including one that broke a seven-year bowl drought for the Tigers and perhaps foreshadowed what was to come in his coaching career. McCorkle is married to the former Gina Lucido and is the father of four children, Gracie, Emma, Audrey and Sammy. 

Alex Frazier is in her first season as the associate head coach after being hired in April 2026. A rising star in the coaching profession, Frazier comes to NSU after a season as an assistant coach at Denver, where she helped lead the Pioneers to tie for their best record in the previous six seasons. In 2025-26, she was recognized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as a 30 under 30 honoree. The Thirty under 30 program recognizes 30 up-and-coming women's basketball coaches under the age of 30. Specializing in point guards, Frazier was instrumental in the development of Coryn Watts while at UD, as Watts bumped her scoring average by nearly 13 points from her freshman to sophomore season, posting 19.6 points per game, which led the Pioneers and earned her First Team All-Conference. In addition to her development, she also oversaw baseline and out of bounds plays. Prior to her season at Denver, she spent the 2024-25 season as the recruiting coordinator at Monmouth, where she continued her relationship with Coach Frey that began when he was recruiting her as a high school student athlete in Georgia. She was known for her tremendous recruiting efforts, which helped her land an assistant job at Denver the following season. While with Monmouth, she managed the recruiting budget for both high school recruiting and the transfer portal recruiting. A bulldog on the recruiting trail, she helped Monmouth land a Division II All-American as well as the top player in the state of New Jersey. Like she did at Denver, she played a role in developing point guards and combo guards. At Monmouth, she helped develop guard Damaris Rodriguez, who averaged 14.6 points and 3.5 assists per game to earn her a First Team All-Conference selection. To begin her post-graduate coaching career, she spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Appalachian State. There, she helped devise a defensive gameplan for every opponent. In her second season in 2023-24, ASU went 17-15 and earned a berth in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals. She helped develop players to become all-conference players in the Sun Belt as well as helping with recruiting. Frazier began her coaching journey at her alma mater East Carolina, where she held three jobs in three seasons, working her way up from graduate assistant to assistant director of basketball operations to director of recruiting in her final season in 2021-22. Throughout her young career, she has helped develop seven players who compete professionally, six have received all-conference honors and 19 are academic honor roll selections. Frazier is a two-time graduate of ECU, where she was a four-year starting point guard and three-time team captain. She earned team MVP in 2019 and was a three-time member of the all-academic team.

Clifford Jordan wasted little time making presence felt in Natchitoches after being named the associate head coach for Northwestern State in July 2025. In his first season, he helped guide the Demons to their third regular season championship. Jordan coached goalkeeper Kennedy Rist to a Second Team All-Southland Conference honor. He guided a goalkeeper unit that posted the 21st-best goals against average in the country (.675) and the ninth-best save percentage in the nation (.859). The 11 shutouts ranked 26th.   Jordan helped head coach Ian Brophy to a 13-win season, tied for the most victories since 2000. In his first season in 2025, seven players earned first team honors and two more were second team selections. In addition to Brophy winning SLC Coach of the Year, the Demons took home Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year (Emily Senatore), Defender of the Year (Jessica Spitzer) and Freshman of the Year (Hosane Soukou).   Prior to NSU, he had a six-year stint as the head coach of the DIII  Huntingdon College women’s soccer program, where he finished .500 or better in conference play in five of his seven seasons at the helm. During his tenure at Huntingdon, a total of 12 players were named all-conference, including three on the first team. Jordan was instrumental in the development of Erin Cembrale, who made all-conference three times in her four seasons, including to the first team as a senior in 2022. Cembrale won a gold medal with the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team in June 2022. He also coached Madison Tryon to become a two-time all-conference selection, including to the first team in 2023. Prior to becoming the head coach at Huntingdon, he spent a season as an assistant with the Lady Hawks, where Huntingdon was 7-8-3 and reached the USA South Tournament quarterfinals. Before his time at Huntingdon, Jordan spent one season with the Knox College women's soccer program as the top assistant and goalkeeper coach in 2017. Jordan helped Knox post a 14-6-2 record and his goalkeepers posted 13 shutouts, leading the Prairie Fire to a Midwest Conference Tournament championship and advancing to the Division III national tournament. During his season with the Prairie Fire, his Knox team produced two All-Region selections, the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, seven all-conference selections and 22 academic all-conference performers. He was in Division I before Knox, as he was an assistant with the Alabama State women's program in 2016. With the Hornets, his team won 11 games and captured the program's first conference championship, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Jordan's goalkeepers earned five conference goalkeeper of the week awards during the 2016 season. Before that, he served as a men's assistant coach with Lincoln College, where the team went 9-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals in Region 24. Under Jordan's tutelage, multiple goalkeepers on the roster posted a save percentage of .800 or better. A native of Dunnellon, Fla., Jordan graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in 2014. of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in 2014.

After a two-year stint at LSU-Alexandria, Jonathon Zenk returned to Northwestern State as its assistant director of communication in July 2022. Zenk works as the main contact for women's soccer, women's basketball and men's and women's track and field. During his tenure at NSU, he has covered five All-Americans in track and field, including a first team selection in Zach Beard in the outdoor in the 100-meter dash. He collected a third-place LSWA finish in 2023-2024 for a feature written on sprinter Lynell Washington carrying on her father's legacy following his death. Zenk, who was a graduate assistant at in the NSU sports information department from 2018-20, spent the past two years as the sports information director at LSU-Alexandria, where he coordinated public relations and media coverage for all seven of the the school’s athletic programs. After his first year as a grad student at NSU, he was presented the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Ace Higgins Award, given to the state’s top student assistant sports information staffer. Zenk graduated in 2012 from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. There, he worked for the ‘Fourth Estate,’ the school paper throughout his time in school. At Green Bay, he covered men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and women’s volleyball. While at Green Bay, he covered a women's basketball program that made its first appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2011, featuring future WNBA draft pick Julie Wojta, as well as a men's basketball team that featured future NBA draft pick Alec Brown and future NBA point guard Keifer Sykes. Following his time at Green Bay, he has written stories online for sites, such as Packers Talk, Twins Daily and Football Dialogue. A native of River Falls, Wisconsin, Zenk was a sports intern at the River Falls Journal in 2007, where he covered softball.

Britta Stephens Belanger is in her first season as an assistant coach at Northwestern State. Stephens Belanger comes to NSU following three seasons as the head coach at Copiah Lincoln Community College, where she led the Lady Wolves to a 43-39 record, improving the team's record every year. During her three seasons, she coached and developed Angel Wilkinson, who was named NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American, MACCC Player of the Year, and MACCC All-Region 23 Team after scoring 22.6 points per contest. She coached four MACCC All-Conference Players. In addition to the success on the court, her teams excelled in the classroom as well, as her team had a 100 percent graduation rate. Stephens Belanger led her team to be the MACCC Academic Team of the Year title for 2024-2025. Prior to her time at Copiah Lincoln, she was the assistant basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at Southwest Mississippi Community College from 2013-23, where she helped lead the Lady Bears to an overall record of 154-94 in her 10 seasons. She helped guide the Lady Bears to three MACCC state runner-up finishes, an NJCAA Region 23 runner-up finish as well as an appearance in the NJCAA national tournament. During her tenure at SMCC, 38 of her players went onto compete at four-year institutions. She coached a pair of NJCAA All-Americans and two Southwest Mississippi Community College Hall of Fame inductees. Like her stop at Copiah Lincoln, her teams did not just perform well on the court, they performed well in the classroom as well, as she led the team to a 98 percent graduation rate. Starting in 2016, she added the title of assistant athletic director and held that title until 2021. She also was the girls basketball coach for Salem Attendance Center for one season and an assistant women's basketball coach at East Central Community College for two. At Salem, she helped the Lady Wildcats earn the Region 8-1A regular season district championship and Region 8-1A District Tournament championship. Stephens Belanger played collegiately at William Carey, where was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from there in 2008. Stephens Belanger then went on to earn a master’s in English from William Carey in 2009, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2018. She is married to NSU assistant baseball coach Dylan Belanger.

New Northwestern State women's basketball coach Alan Frey is wasting little time rounding out his staff, as he adds the young, energetic Harley Cook as an assistant coach. "Harley Cook is a rising star in the coaching world, and we are fortunate to bring his expertise to Natchitoches," Frey said. "His tenure at Jacksonville State was marked by a commitment to raising the standard of player development and contributing to a consistent, competitive program. Throughout this search, I received numerous calls from coaches and colleagues I trust deeply—including retired veteran Rick Pietri—all vouching for Harley's relentless work ethic and high character. "It was the overwhelming consensus from so many in this profession that made it clear he was the right fit for our program. Harley is the final, vital piece to our staff, and his energy will be a massive asset to our student-athletes as we continue to build our own winning tradition here." Prior to NSU, he was an assistant coach at Jacksonville State for one season, as the Gamecocks went 16-16, their best record since 2022-23 and a six-win improvement from the previous season. With the Gamecocks, he handled both on-campus and off-campus recruiting responsibilities as well as opponent scouting. Cook contributed to on-court practices as well as individual skill development outside of practice time. Prior to being an assistant coach, he was the director of basketball operations at Jacksonville State from 2023-25, where he assisted in practice, skill development, recruiting, scouting reports, gameday preparation and other duties as assigned. Before that position, he started his journey up the coaching ladder as a graduate assistant with the Gamecocks, where he assisted the head coach as well as assistants with any tasks as requested. He also oversaw logistics for on-campus recruiting. He is a two-time graduate of Jacksonville State, where he worked as a basketball manager to dip his foot in the world of college basketball.

A star basketball player at Tulane, Kolby Morgan is re-united with Alan Frey as the director of basketball operations/assistant coach after she was hired by Northwestern State in April 2026. Morgan, a New Orleans native, is fresh off a professional career, which began in 2018 following her sensational career at Tulane when Frey was an assistant. She competed professionally overseas in Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Hungary, and France, and also attended two training camps for the WNBA's New York Liberty. She won the Swiss Cup with MVP honors, as well as helped lead her team to a Greek Championship. Coaching-wise, she assisted with coaching and led drills during high school practices, as well as participated in multiple Tulane Basketball camps and coached the U15 girls team in Switzerland. As a player at Tulane, she was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2024, where she is second in program history in career points with 2,240. She earned all-conference recognition in all four seasons and earned multiple Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana selections. As a freshman, she helped lead the Green Wave to a 22-11 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. During her prep career at John Curtis High, she was a 2,000-point scorer with multiple all-city and all-state honors, helping lead her team to a high school state championship in 2012.

Isaac Bails is in his first season on the Northwestern State staff, working with the defensive line.  Bails, however, is far from unfamiliar with Natchitoches, especially Turpin Stadium. After two seasons as an assistant defensive line coach at North Texas, Bails returns to where he helped Catholic High School to a 2020 state championship. While at North Texas, Bails assisted with the development and implementation of in-game adjustments while also participating in defensive game preparation and film analysis. Bails spent the 2022 season at Birmingham Southern College, coaching the defensive line, which placed its entire unit on the all-conference team. BSC went 7-3 in his lone season there with its defense recording 19 sacks. Bails’ one season in Birmingham came after starting his coaching career with two seasons at Catholic. With the Bears, Bails helped lead the team to the 2020 Division I state championship, which came at Northwestern’s Turpin Stadium. In two seasons at Catholic, Bails helped the Bears post a 20-3 overall record and a pair of district championships. A former Delta State defensive end, Bails was a team captain and a Mississippi High School Super 22 selection as well as an all-district and all-state honoree at Ripley High School. Bails earned his undergraduate degree in health, physical education and recreation in 2017 from Delta State.

Tylan Martin enters his first season on Northwestern State’s coaching staff with a large amount of Southland Conference experience. Martin, the Demons’ first-year running backs coach, spent the past four seasons at Nicholls as the Colonels’ running backs coach and special teams co-coordinator, helping the Colonels win the 2023 Southland Conference championship.  Martin coached four first-team All-Southland Conference selections, the 2023 Southland Conference Player of the Year (Jaylon Spears) and the 2024 Southland Freshman of the Year (Miquele Brock).   Before jumping into the Southland, Martin spent two seasons coaching wide receivers and running backs at West Georgia where he tutored a pair of All-Gulf South selections.  Martin had a two-year stint at Millsaps where he coached a pair of all-conference honorable mention honorees. Martin began his coaching career as the wide receivers coach at East Central Community College where he helped the Warriors reach a pair of playoffs and win the 2015 C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl.  While at East Central, Martin helped Kabion Ento earn first-team all-state and first-team All-Region 23 honors. Ento eventually was part of the Green Bay Packers organization and the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes.  Ento is one of three players Martin coached who have worked their way into professional football, joining running back/wide receiver Antonio Gibson (Washington Commanders, New England Patriots) and wide receiver John Hurst (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers).  

In his second season on the Northwesterrn State coaching staff, Maurice Stewart returns to a familiar role — coaching wide receivers. Stewart, who came to Natchitoches from Belhaven with head coach Blaine McCorkle, spent the 2024 season as the Demons’ running backs coach.  His return to the wide receiver room brings him back to the final position he coached on McCorkle’s Belhaven staff. Stewart spent the 2023 season coaching wide receivers at Belhaven. In his lone season in that role, Stewart helped mold Jacobey James-Grace into a second-team all-conference selection after James Grace averaged 17.9 yards per catch and tallied five touchdown grabs.  Stewart spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as Belhaven’s defensive graduate assistant, helping 11 players notch All-American Southwest Conference honors in that time frame. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Stewart spent two seasons at Millsaps College, coaching wide receivers and serving as the Majors’ video coordinator. A standout defensive back at Belhaven from 2015-18, Stewart tallied114 career tackles (3.5 for loss), 27 pass breakups and eight interceptions in 37 games.

Justin Williamson enters his second season on the Northwestern State coaching staff with more of a singular focus. After serving as both the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach during his first season at Northwestern, Williamson will have his full focus on the Demon linebacking corps. Off the field, Williamson will serve as the team's recruiting coordinator. That group, under Williams's direction, produced one of Northwestern's first All-Americans since 2021 in junior Blake Gotcher, whose 162 tackles led the nation and landed him three All-American honors and a spot among the Buck Buchanan Award finalists. Williamson came to Natchitoches with head coach Blaine McCorkle, having spent one season on McCorkle's Belhaven staff as the  special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2023. In his lone season at Belhaven, Williamson tutored first-team All-USA South Conference linebacker Wyatt Beck, who recorded 49 tackles (11.5 for loss) and two sacks as the Blazers collected the program’s first conference championship. Williamson also coached first-team all-conference and all-region punter Andrew Norton, who averaged nearly 43 yards per boot and had four 50-yard or longer punts, including a career-long 68-yarder in a win against Lyon College. Ahead of coming to Belhaven, Williamson spent two seasons as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Bridgewater College, a Division III program in Bridgewater, Virginia. Under Williamson, the Eagles went 9-1 in 2022 and led the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with 31 sacks. In two seasons at Bridgewater, Williamson coached three ODAC all-conference honorees. Williamson began his coaching career at Norfolk State, spending four seasons with the Spartans — the final three as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. He started his Norfolk State career as the tight ends coach in 2017. As a player, Williamson was a third-team All-CAA selection as a senior defensive lineman after recording nine tackles for loss and seven sacks for the Spiders.  He and his wife, Marquenette, welcomed their first child - a son, Noah - in July 2024. 

Darren Jackson II joined the Northwestern State coaching staff in February of 2026. He comes to NSU after spending the previous two seasons as special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Hampton.   During his time at Hampton, he led the Pirates’ defensive backs corps to the top of the rankings in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and ranked in the top 25 nationally in yards allowed per game. The Pirates had the 11th best pass defense, 167.8 yards per game) in the nation that season.   A native of Gloucester, Va., Jackson has coached at nearly every level of the game, serving in various capacities as head coach, defensive coordinator, special team coordinator, defensive backs coach and linebackers coach in the high school, NAIA, FCS and FBS ranks.   Prior to Hampton, Jackson served as head coach and defensive coordinator at Sterling College from 2022-23 after a one-year stop at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in 2021. He also spent the 2020 season at Colorado Mesa University as defensive backs coach and co-special team’s coordinator.   He was named to the 2020 American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Leadership Class, a program that identifies and develops future leaders in the football coaching profession.    He also served as special team’s coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Evangel University in 2019, helping guide one of the nation’s top defensive units. Evangel ranked sixth nationally in total defense and 12th in scoring defense that year. He helped guide Anthanie Leeviraphan to  finish the season with six interceptions, the second-highest total in the nation, earning second-team all-conference honors.   In his first head coaching job at Trinity Bible College, an NCCAA program in Ellendale, S.D., he inherited a roster of just 26 players prior to the 2016 season. He guided them to their first win in two seasons, first home win in five seasons, first homecoming win in 10 seasons and the best overall record in six seasons during his lone year leading the program.    Jackson was named coach of the year following that season had five players from that team earn first or second-team NCCAA honors.   He began his coaching career at Viginia Episcopal School in 2011 while completing his undergraduate degree. From there he served in various roles, including linebacker coach, for three seasons at The Apprentice School in Newport News, Va. He won a 2A Florida state championship as a member of the coaching staff at University Christian School in Jacksonville in 2015, before jumping to the college ranks in 2016 at Trinity Bible.   Jackson is a two-time graduate of Liberty, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in education in 2012 and Master of Arts degree in human services counseling – life coaching in 2016.    He and his wife, Tina, have two sons, Keon and Maceo.  

Alex Wills is in his second season as a Northwestern State assistant coach after being hired by the school in August 2024. In his first season in Natchitoches, he made a giant impact, leading one to All-American status and four more to gold medals at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships. Wills coached freshman Roy Morris to Second Team All-American status in the long jump, finishing 15th with a jump of 24-7.75. Morris was the first freshman to earn All-American honors from NSU since 2011. At the conference outdoor meet, he coached four gold medalists—Raven-Symone Jarrett (heptathlon), Kalli Knott (pole vault), Jaslyn Smith (triple jump) and Samari Finney (long jump), helping lead the Lady Demons to their second straight indoor/outdoor sweep. In the indoor season, he helped guide Madison Brown to the gold medal, as NSU finished 1-2 with Peyten Ware placing second. Wills came to NSU after four seasons as the assistant jumps and multis coach at Tarleton State, where he helped his event group to break seven school records. As the top assistant, he helped 38 athletes garner All-Western Athletic conference first or second team accolades and 87 new marks on its all-time indoor and outdoor top-10 record books. He also coached one NCAA D1 indoor national qualifier and six regional qualifiers if the team was eligible. Individually, Wills coached Gabriele Tosti to an indoor school record leap of 52-7.25 in the triple jump, finishing 11th in the national rankings. Wills was also instrumental in the development of the pole vaulters. Hannah Cades posted an impressive showing at both indoors and outdoors, recording a 13’1.5” and Jaxson Bray recorded a men’s indoor pole vault of 16-1.75. Before his time at Tarleton State, he was a volunteer assistant coach at Texas Tech during the 2020 indoor season. Prior to that, Wills worked as an assistant coach at Frostburg State in 2019 and was as an interim assistant coach at West Texas A&M from 2018-2019. During his tenure, WTAMU won the 2018 Women’s NCAA Division II Indoor national championship.

Chris Salim joined the staff of the Northwestern State sports information office in September of 2025 after five years of working in the sports information office at Southeastern Louisiana Univerisity. In four years at Southeastern (2018-2022), he was the primary contact for men's basketball, women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's cross country and men's golf.  After his tenure at Southeastern, Salim spent one year coaching baseball at Between the Lines baseball academy in Shawnee, Kansas before returning to Natchitoches in 2023. Salim has covered high school athletics locally since his return to Natchitoches in August of 2023. Salim is also a Demon baseball alumni where he played from 2004-2006 under former Demon and Alabama head baseball coach Mitch Gaspard. Salim was part of the 2005 Southland Conference regular season champion Demons' baseball that received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after a 40-21 season. He graduated from Northwestern State in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communications.  Salim is also an alumni of St. Mary's high school in Natchitoches where he graduated in May of 2001.  

In his first season as Northwestern State’s defensive coordinator, Matt Conner’s unit belied its collective experience and began laying the foundation for a return to greatness. Included in that group were linebacker Blake Gotcher and defensive end Chancellor Owens, both of whom earned All-American honors. Gotcher, the nation’s leading tackler with 162, was named to a trio of All-American teams — The Associated Press, Phil Steele and STATS Perform — while becoming a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the nation’s top FCS defensive player. Owens, meanwhile, earned Freshman All-American honors from Sports Illustrated after leading the Demons with 10.5 tackles for loss. Conner’s time as the Demons’ defensive coordinator, extends his relationship with head coach Blaine McCorkle that dates to 2018. Conner capped a seven-year run at Belhaven — the final three as defensive coordinator — with a  USA South Conference championship and a Division III  Playoff berth — both program firsts. Conner’s defense ranked third overall in the USA South in 2023, allowing 279.4 yards per game, while standing second in passing yards allowed per game at 180.4. Led by Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Carlton Brown, the Blazers placed four defenders on the All-USA South First Team. Brown, who had 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, was joined on that unit by linebacker Wyatt Beck, cornerback Dee Gray and safety Josiah Raymond.  Brown collected first-team All-Region III honors while Gray (10 pass breakups, two interceptions) was named third-team All-Region III. The Blazers’ defensive unit was dominant all year in 2022, helping Belhaven to an 8-2 finish. Connor Fordham was named the USA South Defensive Player of the Year after recording nearly 100 tackles to lead Conner’s group. The unit held opponents to just 15 points per game and just three yards per rushing attempt. Five defensive players earned All-USA South honors following the campaign. Under Conner in 2021, the Belhaven defense continued to be among the best in the American Southwest Conference led by six All-ASC recognitions. Additionally, Brown was named the ASC Defensive Lineman of the Year and an AFCA Division III All-American on the Second Team defense. Brown was the Blazers’ first All-American in the NCAA era. During the spring of 2021, Conner assumed the role of defensive coordinator and played a crucial part in leading the Belhaven defense to a highly successful season, one of the best in recent years. The 2021 campaign ended with six defensive players receiving all-conference honors, including first-team All-ASC defensive lineman Demetrius Brokenberry, second-team All-ASC defensive lineman Colton Strain, and second-team All-ASC/D3football.com All-Region defensive lineman Carlton Brown. A native of Oxford, Mississippi, Conner’s playing career at Oxford High School led to All-State honors and an opportunity to represent the state as an offensive lineman in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game. Conner played two seasons as an offensive lineman at Itawamba Community College where he was a part of one of the nation’s most productive junior college offenses during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. After competing at Itawamba, Conner played at Delta State University. Following his playing career, Conner earned his bachelor’s degree in special education at the University of Mississippi as he simultaneously worked on the football staff at Oxford High School. During his six seasons coaching at Oxford High, Conner coached tight ends, offensive and defensive line, and powerlifting. Conner helped coach the Chargers to a 66-14 record and played a part in developing seven NCAA Division I football players and one Mississippi Defensive Player of the Year. He also helped the Chargers’ powerlifting team win three consecutive state championships. Conner and his wife, Amanda, have two sons — Reid and Beau.

The son of a longtime football coach, Tyson Wachenheim’s latest stop on his football journey brings him to Northwestern State as the Demons’ special teams coordinator. Wachenheim joined Blaine McCorkle’s staff in December after two seasons at Towson where he coached the Tigers’ tight ends. Under Wachenheim’s instruction, Carter Runyon twice earned All-American honors from The Associated Press as well as All-CAA acclaim. In two seasons, Runyon caught 88 passes for 1,051 yards and nine touchdowns.  Wachenheim spent the 2022 season at Belhaven, coaching tight ends under McCorkle. Wachenheim was part of an offensive staff that put together the No. 4 rushing attack in the country and the No. 12 red-zone offense nationally. Wachenheim spent two seasons at Indiana as a graduate assistant, working with quarterbacks and wide receivers.  He was part of a Hoosiers staff that helped Indiana deliver a signature win against nationally ranked Penn State in 2020 while working with eventual first-round NFL Draft pick Michael Penix. Showcasing his versatility, Wachenheim worked with the defense during his graduate assistantship at Georgia Tech for three seasons. Wachenheim began his coaching career as the tight ends coach at VMI where he coached first-team All-Southern Conference tight end Ryan Swingle. A 2015 Christopher Newport graduate in American studies, Wachenheim earned his master’s degree in building construction and facilities management from Georgia Tech in December 2019. Wachenheim and his wife, Amanda, have a son, Elliott. 

As a soccer coach, Coach Kelly brings a lot of knowledge, experiences, energy and passion for the sport of soccer, and for the student athletes. His coaching experiences spans over 18 years in the academic setting and over 14 years of successful and progressive coaching at the youth levels, ODP level (Olympic Development Program), high school and collegiate levels, for a total of well over 22 years of combined soccer coaching experience. He has also served as DOC (Director of Coaching) and operated several soccer camps and clinics across the US working with, and preparing advanced and elite soccer prospects for ODP, collegiate level play and simply just improving & developing their game at any age. Along the way, Coach Kelly has garnered several accolades & made successful runs at winning 3 College Showcase Championships, 2 Conference Championships & 2 State Finalist, and had the wonderful opportunity to produce 68 All-Academic, 37 All-Conference, 29 All-Region, 24 All-Star, and 3 All-Americans in college teams that he has coached. Most recently, he led the PPU Women’s Soccer Team to two back-to-back playoff berths, winning the conference regular season championship in 2022 and runners up in 2023, with one win away to making it to Nationals. He’s also led the PCC Women’s Soccer Team to two, back-to-back playoff berths in 2018 & 2019, making the Elite 8 in 2019, helped the Northern Michigan University women’s soccer team qualify for the GLIAC championships playoffs in 2017, and have led the TVC Women’s soccer program to 2 back-to-back winning seasons (2014 & 2015), earning a spot both years in the NWAC Championship playoffs. He’s also led the TVC men’s soccer program to a winning season with only 1 point away from making the NWAC Championship playoffs in his first year with the team in 2015. Coach Kelly holds several USSF & NSCAA licenses.

Anna Braxton (MS, LAT, ATC, RDN) joined the Northwestern State athletic training staff in January of 2025. She works primarily with the women’s tennis team and soccer. She holds a Master’s of Science in Athletic Training from Southern Miss and a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science from Northwestern State. Braxton has worked extensively with collegiate and high school athletes, providing treatment, rehabilitation, and sideline coverage for multiple sports, including soccer, baseball, softball, football and basketball. Before coming to Natchitoches, she served as an assistant athletic trainer at Louisiana Christian and as a student athletic trainer at several institutions, where she developed expertise in injury evaluation, therapeutic interventions, and return-to-play protocols. Prior to her time at LCU, she was a student athletic trainer at Southern Miss, where she treated the baseball team, Hattiesburg HS, where she helped their athletic program by providing treatment and rehabilitation services for student-athletes and Jones Community College, where she treated football players, men’s and women’s soccer teams, and basketball teams. She is certified as an athletic trainer and licensed in Louisiana, Anna is also an American Red Cross BLS provider and instructor.  

In the second year of his second stint at Northwestern State, Norman Joseph has an adjusted role on the Demon coaching staff. After spending the 2024 season as the Demon offensive coordinator, Joseph will be Blaine McCorkle's assistant head coach while maintaining his work with the Northwestern quarterbacks. Joseph is a coaching veteran with a career marked by record-setting offenses, play-calling innovations and quarterback development. He has a special history in Louisiana, having coached at four colleges in the state — Northwestern State, ULM, Louisiana Tech and Louisiana College. Notably, in Louisiana, Joseph coached three quarterbacks who later earned Super Bowl rings. Joseph spent the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, following a two-year run as the head coach and assistant athletic director at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Alabama. Under Joseph, Stetson’s offense led the Pioneer Football League and ranked 32nd nationally in passing yardage (241.3 yards per game). Joseph’s offensive scheme also allowed a young bench to finish third in the conference in total offense. A season before heading to McGill-Toolen, Joseph celebrated a state championship as Catholic-Baton Rouge’s offensive coordinator, winning the title on NSU’s Turpin Stadium turf. Joseph spent the 2018-19 seasons at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, helping lead the Fire to a conference title in 2018.  That sojourn to Florida followed 11 years of coaching in Mississippi, including a nine-season run as the head coach at Mississippi College from 2005-13. Joseph’s best season at Mississippi College came in 2009 when the Choctaws went 9-3 and posted a 7-1 mark in the American Southwest Conference, capturing the school’s first ASC championship since 1997.  Led by Gagliardi Trophy finalist quarterback Adam Shaffer, Mississippi College defeated Huntington in the first round of the Division III playoffs. That season, Mississippi College produced three D3Football.com All-Americans — tight end Renard Ellis, offensive lineman Josh Lankford and linebacker Quartez Ashmore. Additionally, Joseph was named the ASC Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year. Two seasons earlier, the Choctaws’ Shaffer-led offense set school records for scoring offense, total yards, first downs, passing yards, pass completions, pass attempts, touchdown passes and overall touchdowns. Shaffer threw for 3,500 yards — ranking third nationally.  In Joseph’s first season in Clinton, Shaffer set the school’s freshman records for passing yards, completions and touchdowns and established a school single-game record with seven touchdown passes against Belhaven. Throughout his nine seasons at Mississippi College, Joseph tutored six All-Americans, including wide receiver Jake Allen, who spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers of the NFL. Joseph returned to the head coaching ranks in 2004 at then-Louisiana College, leading the Wildcats to a 5-5 mark. In his lone season in Pineville, Joseph’s team established 38 team and 41 individual records and ranked seventh nationally in passing yards, 15th in total offense and 28th in scoring offense. That followed offensive coordinator stops at Midwestern State University (2003) and San Jose State (2001-02).  At Midwestern State, Joseph’s offense led the Lone Star Conference in rushing yards and allowed the fewest sacks in the league. MSU’s 5.3 yards per carry average set a school record. At San Jose State, Joseph embraced the West Coast offense. It was during that time that Joseph’s Spartan offense set a NCAA Division I record for combined total offense in a game (1,640 yards of combined total offense in a win against the University of Nevada) — a record that remained intact from 2001 to 2016.  Joseph’s first head coaching stop in his career came at then-Belhaven College where he was the school’s first head coach. While building the Blazers’ program, his first two years saw Belhaven become the only NAIA coach in the nation with a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in back-to-back seasons. His 1999 Belhaven team spent six consecutive weeks ranked in the NAIA Top 25 and produced 20 all-conference players, evenly split between the first and second teams.  In his three seasons at Belhaven, Joseph produced a 16-15 mark, including a 10-9 conference record. During the 1994-1996 seasons, Joseph served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Southern Mississippi. In 1996 his Golden Eagle offense ranked second in the conference in scoring and led the nation in turnover margin. He also coached a quarterback to a #4 NCAA ranking in passing efficiency. He helped USM go 20-13 over his three years with most of the losses against nationally ranked SEC and ACC teams. Prior to USM, he was the offensive coordinator at then-Northeast Louisiana University.  His NLU offense became the first NCAA offense in history to produce a 2,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver in one year. In 1993, Irving Spikes rushed for a still-standing school-record 1,563 yards. He helped NLU to four straight winning seasons ranking #1 in the conference in scoring, passing and total offense. His offense ranked eighth in the country in scoring offense in 1992 and third in the country in 1993. NLU won conference championships in 1990 and 1992 and received FCS playoff berths in 1990, 1992 and 1993. In Joseph’s first stop at Northwestern State, he spent two seasons (1988-89) as the passing game and recruiting coordinator, helping the Demons capture the 1988 Southland Conference championship and a #8 national ranking. The Demons led the Southland in scoring, total offense and rushing offense during his first NSU tenure.  In 1987, he was the passing and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana Tech after a nine-season stint as a position coach at NLU from 1978-1986. He also served as a volunteer coach at Vanderbilt University in 1977. A Churchman All-American at Mississippi State University, Joseph is a 1977 MSU graduate who earned his master’s degree in education from NLU in 1979. Joseph and his wife, Jane, are the parents of three daughters — Elizabeth, Grace Anne and Sara Catherine. 

Corey Fletcher (MSAT, LAR, ATC, RDN) joined the Northwestern State athletic training staff in July of 2023 and will serves as the primary athletic trainer for the softball program.   A native of Bossier, Fletcher holds a Master of Science in Athletic Training from Central Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science from Northwestern State, graduating Cum Laude.  While at Central Arkansas, Johnson worked with the Bears football, volleyball, women’s soccer and baseball teams. She utilized Presagia (InjuryZone) software as a means of tracking sports injuries at UCA, completed baseline concussion testing on student-athletes and developed various rehabilitation programs for athletes under her watch.    Her clinical strengths include injury evaluation and management, emergency care, concussion testing and education, manual therapy techniques, rehabilitation program development, and dry needling. She is committed to preventive care, including heat illness management, arm care, and ankle stability programs. Corey values interdisciplinary collaboration and has worked closely with physicians, orthopedic specialists, and physical therapists to ensure the best outcomes for her athletes. She continues to support the health and performance of collegiate athletes while mentoring student workers and interns while here at NSU. She is licensed in both Arkansas and Louisiana, BOC certified, dry needling certified, and holds additional certifications in CPR, COVID-19 contact tracing, and mental health training. In January 2025, Corey married her husband Thomas Fletcher, an Airman in the US Airforce.      

Avrie Bassingthwaite is in her first season as an athletic trainer at Northwestern State after being hired in July 2024. She works primarily with the women’s basketball team. She came to Natchitoches from Florida Atlantic, where she worked with spring football and women’s tennis. While with FAU, she designed and implemented circuit training for athletes who could not fully participate in practice due to injury or a medical condition as well as assisted with emergency situations and managing athletes with medical conditions. Prior to her time in Boca Raton, she worked with the University of Connecticut, where she performed injury evaluations, treatments and modalities, taping and concussion protocols. Bassingthwaite also worked as an intern with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. With the WNBA power, she was the game day away team liaison, assisting the away ATC for the duration of home games. She also assisted the home team ATC in pregame taping and treatments. For five seasons, she was the medical coordinator for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Professional Football League, running the entire medical department. While with the Pirates, she assisted athletic trainers in injury prevention, pain management, athlete maintenance and rehabilitation in various settings including games, practices and community events, as well as national travel for games and training. Bassingthwaite graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2019 from Becker College and her master’s in 2024 from UConn in athletic training.

Andrew Norton is in his first year as Northwestern State’s director of equipment operations after spending a season as an administrative graduate assistant with the Demon football team where he worked with the team’s special teams units. Norton is responsible for outfitting all of Northwestern State’s athletic programs and works closely with the department’s apparel representatives.  Under current Northwestern State head football coach Blaine McCorkle, Norton completed a five-year career at Belhaven, helping the Blazers capture the 2023 USA South Conference championship, the first conference title in program history. Norton was a two-time first-team all-conference punter and earned second-team all-region recognition in 2023. For his career, Norton dropped 51 of his 210 career punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and had 11 punts of at least 50 yards. He went 1-for1 on field goals in his career, connecting on a 21-yarder against Howard Payne in March 2021. A December 2022 Belhaven graduate in leadership and coaching, Norton was a four-year member of the football leadership council, a three-year member of Belhaven’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a team captain in 2023. He also was a three-time academic all-conference selection. Norton and his wife, Emily, had their first child — a son, Elijah — in February.    

Bailey Sarna (MSAT, LAT, ATC, RDN) joined the Northwestern State sports medicine staff in 2025 after receiving her Master of Science in Athletic Training from Northern Arizona. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University of Kansas, where she also gained extensive experience as a student athletic trainer with Jayhawk football team. During her master’s program, Bailey completed clinical rotations with Division I football, volleyball, and track & field programs at Northern Arizona and the University of Colorado, where she focused on injury evaluation, rehabilitation, and return-to-play management under the supervision of certified athletic trainers and team physicians.   Bailey has experience working with a wide range of athletes, from post-surgical rehabilitation to concussion management and general orthopedic injuries. She is passionate about athlete-centered care, integrating evidence-based rehabilitation, and creating a supportive environment to optimize performance and recovery. Bailey is BOC certified and certified in CPR/AED and dry needling.