Roanoke College Women's Softball

Mitchell will begin his eighth season as head coach of the Maroons' softball program.     In seven years as the head coach of the Maroons, Mitchell has coached the team to three 30+ win seasons, as well as two NCAA Tournament appearances (2012, 2013).  Mitchell has an all-time record of 180-96, with an 86-46 mark in ODAC play.   The Maroons were 31-14 in 2013, riding the wave from the previous season's success.  The Maroons went 15-5 in ODAC play but knocked out of the ODAC tournament.  However, having been featured in the NFCA Top-25 for the greater part of the season, the Maroons earned an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA DIII Regional Tournament. The Maroons second-straight NCAA Regional Tournament bid resulted in Roanoke being a site for the Regional Tournament.  Leona Rainey and Alea Bier were named First-Team All-ODAC while Stephanie Clark and Kelly Higbie earned Second Team All-ODAC nods.  Rainey and Bier were also named to the 2013 NFCA Division III All-Atlantic Regional Teams.   The 2012 season was a banner year for the program, going 35-11, claiming the ODAC Championship and the Newport News Regional Title, earning the program's eighth NCAA Tournament bid and advancing to the NCAA Div. III Softball National Championship tournament where they finished fourth in the country. Leona Rainey earned her second-straight NFCA All-American award and Kelly Hogtie was the ODAC Rookie of the Year, MVP of the ODAC, and MVP of the NCAA Regional Tournament, in addition to NCAA National Championship All-Tournament Team.  Alea Bier was named ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.   In 2011, the Maroons went 27-11 overall, 12-6 in conference play and were ranked third in the ODAC Tournament.  Leona Rainey was named the program's first NFCA All-American since 2003.  Both Lisa Scruggs and Rainey were named NFCA All-Atlantic Region.   Mitchell led the Maroons to its ninth 30-win season with a 30-9 mark in 2010.  The 13-5 conference mark placed second in the ODAC.  Freshman Leona Rainey was named ODAC and VaSID College Division Rookie of the Year, in addition to being named Third-Team NFCA All-South Atlantic Region.   In 2009, Mitchell led the Maroons to a 24-11 record and a fourth-place finish in the conference.  The ODAC Tournament win over Virginia Wesleyan was the first for the program since 2006.   Prior to being named the Maroons' head coach, Mitchel served as an assistant. During his two years as an assistant coach at Roanoke, the Maroons earned a 30-win season, an ODAC Title and an NCAA Regional Tournament berth.   Mitchell is no stranger to the Roanoke Valley.  Mitchell has over 20 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and high school level.  In addition, he was the head coach at William Byrd High School from 2006-08.   Mitchell holds an associate degree from Virginia Western Community College in 1990 and a bachelors degree from Ferrum College in 1993. Mitchell was a member of the Ferrum's Panthers softball program that qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament three-straight seasons (1991-93) and won back-to-back USA-South Conference Championships (1992-93).  He was a member of the 1992 squad that held the highest team fielding percentage (.976) in the country.   A local in the Roanoke Valley, he graduated from Patrick Henry High School and returned to his alma mater for a four-year stint as the head baseball coach from 1999 to 2003.  Prior to PH, he was the head baseball coach at Virginia Western Community College from 1995-99. In his final year at VWCC, he led the team to the Virginia Community College State Championship.    In 2002, he was named to the Roanoke Valley Sports Journal all-time men's fast-pitch team, earning a spot as the team's shortstop.