Joining the Fordham softball coaching staff for her second second season is Serena Settlemier, the 2006 Big 12 Player of the Year at the University of Kansas and a professional softball player for the Rockford Thunder.
In her first season, she helped guide the pitching staff to team records for wins (39) and strikeouts (358), while coaching the offense to team records for batting average (.304), hits (498), RBI (303), runs (330), and doubles (94).
"We are thrilled to have Serena as a part of our staff," said Orchard. "She brings both professional and Big 12 collegiate experience to our team, and that will only make us better for the upcoming season."
Settlemier, a Second Team All-American in 2006, had an incredible playing career at Kansas, culminating in a Big 12 Championship in 2006, where she was named MVP of the tournament. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2006 after hitting .326 with school record marks of 22 home runs and 61 runs batted in, and was twice selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team in 2002 and 2005. She served as team captain of the Jayhawks in 2005, and over her career received the Jayhawk Scholar Award four times, while being an Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2004.
Besides Kansas softball, Settlemier also worked as a broadcast coordinator for the Jayhawk Radio Network and ESPN Regional. While there, she produced women's basketball broadcasts, as well as talk shows for Bonnie Hendrickson (women's basketball head coach) and Bill Self (men's basketball head coach). Following her career at Kansas, Settlemier signed on with the Texas Thunder of National Pro Fastpitch, where she garnered NPF Player for the Week honors once, which came against the Arizona Heat.
In 2007, Settlemeir and the Thunder moved homes to Rockford, Ill., where she currently plays with U.S. National Team members Cat Osterman and Amanda Freed.
A 2006 graduate of Kansas, Settelmier received her Bachelors' degree in Communication, with an emphasis on Journalism.
