Craig Nicholson has been hired by ASU softball to replace previous head coach Clint Myers, ASU announced Sunday.
Nicholson most recently coached at Ball State, where he compiled a 241-162 (.613) record in seven seasons as head coach, including an NCAA tournament appearance in 2010.
Prior to arriving at Ball State, Nicholson coached softball at Central Arizona College and went 723-90 (.889) in 11 seasons at the helm, winning four national junior college championships.
ASU is hoping the Central Arizona College connection brings similar success to their program. Myers coached the Central Arizona College softball team to six national championships from 1987-1995 before Nicholson took over that program.
Nicholson is the fourth coach in ASU history, following Myers, Linda Wells and Mary Littlewood.
At ASU, Myers advanced to seven Women’s College World Series in eight seasons, including two national championships in 2011 and 2008.
He was introduced as Auburn’s head coach on June 14, citing family reasons for the reason for his departure. His two sons will be on Auburn’s staff.
ASU figures to contend for a national championship in 2014 after only losing one starter, second baseman Sam Parlich, from a Women’s College World Series team in 2013.
"We have a veteran team returning and it's always great to have that veteran (player) leadership," Nicholson said in a statement. "I'm going to need to lean on our upperclassmen to help me a little bit. I want to make sure the lines of communication are open with good feedback from players who have had great success at ASU."
"We launched this search with several priorities, including hiring someone with head coaching experience, an individual who could recruit elite softball student-athletes and a coach with integrity and a proven track record in graduating student-athletes," said Steve Patterson, ASU Vice President for Athletics. "We wanted a coach that shared the same vision for ASU softball that our loyal fans and Sun Devil alumni have come to expect at Farrington Stadium.
"As we conducted our search, it became clear that Craig Nicholson was the perfect fit for ASU,” Patterson said. “His name kept surfacing as a young, up-and-coming coach. He was a proven winner right here in Arizona and then went on to Ball State to build a consistent championship program. As we visited about our position, Craig's passion and enthusiasm for Arizona State was contagious. He is someone who wants to be here long-term and become a part of our community. We are thrilled to have him join the Sun Devil Athletics family and lead our national champion softball program."
ASU consulted with many head coaches around the nation before deciding to hire Nicholson.
"When we began our coaching search several weeks, ago, our first priority was to hire the best coach for our current student-athletes as well as future Devils," said Dawn Rogers, ASU's Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Women's Administrator in the statement. "I had the opportunity to talk with countless head coaches about our position. I so appreciated the willingness of championship coaches in softball to share their views on candidates from across the country. I was humbled by the respect for Arizona State softball that the national softball community shares. And as we progressed in the search, it became evident Craig Nicholson was the perfect fit for our program. I especially appreciated his passion to be our next head coach; that stood out in our conversations. He is a teacher, a consummate professional and has the drive and confidence to bring another national championship home to ASU."
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow the reporter on Twitter @jjanssen11
