Coaches Named 2009 NFCA Division III Coaching Staff Of Year
Posted: 6/25/2009
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Members of Messiah's softball team were presented a citation from Pennsylvania State Representative Sheryl Delozier (in black) Monday at the program's summer camp.

Starkville, MS — After guiding Messiah softball to the program’s first national championship and leading the team on a remarkable post-season run, head coach Amy Weaver and staff were honored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Thursday, being named the 2009 NFCA Division III National Coaching Staff of the Year.

Assistants Alex Quigley, Jen Thuma and Sam McCloota joined Weaver to comprise the Falcons’ braintrust, helping Messiah to a season-ending 23-game winning streak which culminated with the 2009 NCAA Division III National Championship.

Messiah was the only unranked squad at the eight-team Division III World Series and did not boast an NFCA All-American on its roster. Despite those facts, Weaver secured the school’s first softball national championship in the program’s third trip to the World Series.

“We are very, very excited to be honored with this award,” Weaver said Thursday afternoon. “The first thing I did when I found out was call my assistant coaches. They are an absolutely huge part of everything that we do. I really like that the NFCA has a national coaching staff of the year award. To me, that makes a lot more sense than the way some other organizations do it, naming just a coach of the year. With Alex, Jen and Sam, it really is a team effort.”

Thuma has spent the longest time with Weaver, first playing at Messiah before joining as an assistant in 1999. A two-time All-American, Thuma was also named to the 1998 NCAA Division III World Series All-Tournament team, batting an incredible .636 over the weekend.

Quigley, in his fourth year, and McCloota, in his second, have paid major dividends, as Quigley serves as the Falcons’ pitching coach while McCloota works primarily with the outfielders. Quigley served as a pitching instructor throughout the high school tenure of sophomore-to-be Jessica Rhoads, arguably the nation’s best pitcher at the NCAA Division III level this year.

“All of us have very unique personalities, and I think that really works well for us as a staff,” Weaver said. “We can handle players in a lot of different ways, and I think the girls really respond to having those different voices.”

Weaver and company were named the NFCA East Region Coaching Staff of the Year prior to learning of their national award. It was Weaver’s second regional honor — the other came following the 1999 campaign.

Weaver also earned her fourth MAC Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year honor this season. Perhaps fittingly, her 300th career win came in Messiah’s national championship victory. Messiah finished the ’09 campaign with an overall record of 43-4.

“This entire year experience has been a lot of fun,” she said. “I think all of us have taken the time to enjoy it.”

Pennsylvania State Representative Sheryl Delozier made an appearance at Messiah’s girls’ softball camp Monday morning, further honoring the Falcons’ players and coaches with a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Speaking in front of campers, Delozier discussed what a great honor a national championship was.

“It’s exciting to see all of you here, with a desire to get better at the game of softball,” she said. “I played softball growing up, and I love the sport. I know I’m biased, but you’re learning from some of the best in the country here at Messiah.”

Along with the National Coaching Staff of the Year award, the NFCA also released its Division III Regional Coaching Staff of the Year award winners Thursday. A press release is available at the organization’s official website.