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College of Charleston

College of Charleston Athletics
 301 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29424
Division 1 South Carolina Southeast
Public Large National competitor
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Tracey Lynch

Tracey Lynch is in her third season as the head coach at College of Charleston.


Lynch has led the Cougars to 34 wins, including 18 in CAA play, her first two years after inheriting a team that finished with just six wins and none in the conference in 2021. Charleston has qualified for the conference tournament both seasons and defeated Hofstra in a dramatic nine-inning contest in 2022.


Under her tutelage, the Cougars have shown a dramatic improvement in the circle. Freshman Caroline Conner was named the CAA Rookie of the Year last spring, and her and Payton Lemire both ranked among the CAA leaders in most pitching categories. Charleston has posted a team ERA of 3.13 and 3.17 the past two years, down by almost three runs a game before Lynch's arrival.


The program has seen an influx of talent in her two recruiting cycles, with last year's group ranked in a tie for 21st in the nation by Extra Inning Softball, second among non-Power 5 programs. Several of those players made an immediate impact, including Conner and third baseman Karlee Hughes, who were both named to the All-CAA second team.


Lynch previously served as an assistant coach at CofC during the 2013 season when the Cougars won 37 games and finished second in the Southern Conference. She has spent the past six years as an assistant at UNCG working primarily with the Spartan pitchers and catchers.


During her time at UNCG, the Spartans won four SoCon regular season titles and qualified for NCAA postseason play by winning the conference tournament in 2018 and 2021. Four UNCG teams won 30 or more games during her tenure, and the 2018 squad finished 46-13 for the second-most wins in school history.


Individually, Lynch helped develop a pair of SoCon Pitchers of the Year, with Morgan Scott receiving the honor this spring after leading the league with 20 wins and 210 strikeouts to go along with a 2.18 earned run average. Alicia Bazonski was selected the top hurler in the SoCon in 2018.


Lynch oversaw the program’s operating budget and academic progress and represented UNCG softball at camps and clinics. She also played an integral role in recruiting and assisting incoming student-athletes with their transition to college.


Following her one season on the staff at CofC, Lynch spent the 2014 and 2015 campaigns as an assistant coach at Stony Brook. Under her tutelage, Allie Cukrov was named the America East Pitcher of the Year and to the NFCA All-Region first team in 2014. The Seawolves won 29 of 33 conference games and the 2015 America East regular season title.


Lynch proved to be an outstanding pitching mentor in her first collegiate coaching position at LIU Post from 2011-12. In 2011, the Pioneers ranked 14th in the nation with a team ERA of 1.67 while posting a record of 41-16 and advancing to the Division II College World Series. She was part of a staff that earned the NFCA East Region Coaching Staff of the Year Award.


In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Lynch has served as an instructor at camps and clinics around the country, including five times at the prestigious Showball Showcase Camps in Las Vegas. One of only 40 coaches invited to work each camp, she helped collegiate prospects demonstrate their skills as well as providing important information on the recruiting process.


Lynch is a 2009 graduate of Liberty University, earning a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Her career with the Flames was cut short due to an injury, but she was able to complete her rehab in time to play competitively in China during the summer of 2008.


Lynch and her husband, Josh Vernon, are the parents of sons, Tucker (2) and Tate, born September 21, 2022.

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Jake Combs

Jake Combs is in his third season as an assistant coach at College of Charleston and works with the Cougar outfielders while assisting with the hitters.


Combs has helped the Cougars see their fortunes climb over the past two years, including 34 wins and berths in the past two CAA Tournaments. His group of outfielders were among the best defensively in the conference, committing only three errors in 190 total chances in 2022.


He also helped the Charleston program put together two strong recruiting classes, including the 2021 group that was ranked No. 21 in the nation and second among non-Division I schools by Extra Inning Softball.


Combs came to Charleston after serving as a graduate assistant on the first coaching staff in Clemson softball history. The Tigers were 63-16 over the 2020-21 seasons, including a 44-8 record in 2021, the ACC regular season title and two wins at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional.


Prior to his stint at Clemson, Combs spent five years working with the softball program at Indiana and was the volunteer assistant coach in 2019. That year the Hoosiers went 36-21 and entered the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll for the first time since 1996, debuting at No. 24 and spending six straight weeks ranked among the nation’s elite.


Indiana defeated two Top 10 teams in the same season for the first time in program history with wins over No. 6 Georgia and No. 10 LSU. The Hoosiers also hosted the Big Ten Softball Tournament for the first time, with Combs assisting in the operation of running the event.


Before joining the coaching staff, Combs was a student manager for four years and was involved in all aspects of the Indiana program. He was also an assistant coach for the Indiana Magic Gold and Indiana Dreams travel ball teams for five summers.


Combs graduated from Indiana in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology and earned his Master of Science degree in Athletic Leadership from Clemson in May 2021.

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Laina Holmgren

Laina Holmgren joined the College of Charleston softball coaching staff in July 2023 following two seasons at Louisiana Monroe.


Holmgren is returning to the Lowcountry after spending three years as an assistant at George Washington followed by two seasons at Monroe. She was a member of the softball team at Charleston Southern (2017-18) after beginning her collegiate career at Boise State.


She worked with the infielders, outfielders, hitters and catchers at Monroe. Under her tutelage, the Warhawks improved from last in the Sun Belt in batting average in 2021 to third in 2022 while the team posted its third-highest win total since 2001 and tied the mark for most wins in Sun Belt play.


In Holmgren’s first season at GW in 2019, the team ranked second in the nation with a .341 batting average and finished fifth in 2021 at .340 while also placing in the top 10 in several other offensive and defensive categories. They won a pair of A10 regular season titles and earned the school’s first automatic NCAA Regional bid in 2021 when GW captured the A10 Tournament title.


Holmgren began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at CSU. She has also been an instructor at softball camps at CSU and Boise State, The Packaged Deal/Jen Schro Catching and the Softball Performance Workshop, the latter two in Anaheim, Calif.


Holmgren graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from CSU in May 2018 and received the Christenberry Award for having a 4.0 GPA, a mark she reached each semester of her collegiate career. She was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2015 and 2016.

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Maggie Mrowka

Maggie Mrowka joined the College of Charleston softball staff as an assistant coach in July 2023.


Mrowka has been active in the Fairfax, Va., area for the past two years with US9 Baseball and Softball. In addition to providing on-field hitting and fielding coaching, she coordinated marketing efforts for camps around the country and developed communication plans to increase awareness of travel organizations.


She also provided private softball hitting and fielding instruction and assisted with the Fairfax Firebirds 14u/16u travel team at practices and tournaments. Mrowka also maintained a position as fitness center supervisor for Northern Virginia Community College during the summer 2022 semester.


Mrowka worked in minor league baseball as a marketing intern with the Fredericksburg Nationals during the 2021 season. From 2014-18 she assisted with the Virginia Baseball Club, managing groups of children ages 5-12, creating games and drills while managing social media platforms.


Mrowka was a three-time team captain at Mary Washington, a member of the Capital Athletic Conference All-Academic Team each season and an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2021. She graduated Summa Cum Laude as a business administration major and is currently a Master of Science candidate in sports and recreation studies at George Mason.

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