Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College Athletics
33 E. College St. Hillsdale, MI 49242

Division 2 Michigan Midwest

Private Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Kyle Gross

Hillsdale College is pleased to introduce Kyle Gross as its new head softball coach. Gross takes the place of Joe Abraham, who was hired by Division I University of Toledo in August 2018.

In his first year leading the Chargers, Gross took the team to the rarefied air of repeating a championship. Coming from the #8 seed, Gross and the Chargers won the 2019 Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament, earning a second straight bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. This was the first time in program history the team had won back-to-back conference tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.

Gross came to Hillsdale after serving as an assistant coach at two different Division I institutions in recent years: Presbyterian College and Kent State University. He served as the interim head coach at the University of Toledo for the 2013-14 school year.

“I would like to thank Mr. Don Brubacher, Rich Pewe and the hiring committee for the opportunity to coach at Hillsdale College,” Gross said. “There is a culture excellence and virtue at Hillsdale College and within the softball program I am honored and excited to become a part of. I recognize the privilege and responsibility in leading such a tremendous program and I cannot wait to get started.”

In his year as interim coach at Toledo, Gross made his mark on the Rockets’ program, guiding it to its best record in eight seasons while ending long winless droughts against programs like Central Michigan and Ball State. That 2014 Toledo team was also the first to post a winning record at home since 1997.

His coaching journey has also included stops at Walsh University and Heath City High Schools in Ohio.

In addition to his coaching positions, Gross has extensive experience at softball camps and clinics, highlighted by six years spent as former U.S. Olympian Crystl Busto’s hitting instructor at camps she hosted. He worked closely with Busto to develop strong hitting mechanics in camp and clinic participants. He’s also worked as a softball official at the high school and Division I college levels.

“Coach Gross brings a wealth of experience in softball and leadership training to Hillsdale College and the athletic department,” said Don Brubacher, Director of Athletics. “We are confident he will contribute to the mission of the college and provide excellent management and coaching for the softball team.”

Gross coached the Cincy Doom Gold 18U ASA Gold and Heath Crush travel softball teams for a total of six years, building strong programs in a highly competitive geographic area of the Midwest region.

Prior to entering the coaching profession, Gross was a police officer in the city of Newark, Ohio for 15 years. He received commendations for his service record and was a 10-year member of a tactical team.

In 2018, Hillsdale went 25-16, winning the Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament championship in its first year as a member of the league. The Chargers defeated #1 seed Grand Valley State in the first round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional in its second all-time appearance in the postseason tournament.

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Danielle L'Argent

The 2020 season will be the second in the role of assistant softball coach at Hillsdale College for Danielle L'Argent. In her first season with the Chargers, she helped guide the program to its second straight Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament championship. That title represents just the latest in a long list of acolades she and players she's coached have earned over the years.

L’Argent helped the Cavaliers transition from NAIA status to NCAA Division II. In their first season in the NCAA, the Cav’s won 32 games and placed second in the GNAC regular season. Over her two seasons with Concordia, L’Argent helped multiple athlete reach the All-GNAC team, All-GNAC Academic Team, and Easton/NFCA Scholar Athletes. In addition, Meghan Luebbert was named GNAC player of the year in 2016, and named to the 2017 NFCA All-American team among other honors.

During the fall of 2016 L’Argent was named the Interim Head Coach where she was at the helm of the Cavalier Softball program.

Before her time at CU, L’Argent was an Assistant Varsity Coach at Clovis West High School in Fresno, CA for one season and coached for the Fresno Force for three seasons prior to that.

The Clovis, CA native was a three-year starter at Chadron State College where she was named to the All-Nebraska team in 2012.

L’Argent received her Undergraduate degree in Sports and Recreational Management from Chadron State College in 2014. She earned her masters degree in teaching with a concentration in secondary education from Concordia University 3 years later.

A list of academic and athletic accomplishments by players L'Argent has coached appears below.