Holly Aprile Position: Assistant Coach Alma Mater: UMass-Amherst, '92

Holly Aprile returns for her fifth season as an assistant coach with the Pitt softball program. Aprile is in her fourth year working the pitchers and catchers, but also continues to help with all facets of the game.

"We've made a great transition already with Holly as the pitching coach," head coach Michelle Phalen said. "The team has responded to her and I'm impressed with the progress we've made in such a short period of time. I'm confident in Holly's ability and in her strengths as a coach."

With the focus on each pitcher's strength, Aprile guided 2006 graduates Laura Belardinelli and Meghan Bostick to the top of the record books. In addition, Bostick was a Big East Pitcher of the Week following a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 19 strikeout performance in the second week of March.

Aprile joined Pittsburgh after ser ving as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina for nine seasons. From 1995-2003, Aprile helped guide the Gamecocks to seven NCAA Regional appearances and a College World Series berth in 1997. Prior to her work at South Carolina, Aprile was a graduate assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University in 1994-95.

In 1993, Aprile was the head softball coach of the Amherst College club team in Amherst, Mass. As an undergraduate, Aprile was an All-America pitcher/outfielder for the University of Massachusetts and helped the Minutemen to four Atlantic 10 titles from 1989-92. She was named All-Atlantc 10 firstteam four times and recorded A-10 Player of the Year honors three times. As a senior, she led UMass to its first trip to the College World Series finishing her career with a then-school record 77 victories. In honor of her achievements, she was inducted into the the UMass Hall of Fame in 2005.

From 1993-99, Aprile was also a participant on the United States National Team, playing in the US Olympic Festival (1993-97), Pan Am Qualifying (1994, 1997) and the South Pacific Classic (1998).

Aprile earned her bachelor's degree in sports management from UMass-Amherst in 1992 and earned her master's degree in political science from Eastern Illinois in 1995.