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Terry Burdette
Terry Burdette has served as the head coach of the Hood College softball program since 2012.
Burdette's coaching career earned him induction into the Greater Washington Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Alvin G. Quinn Frederick County Hall of Fame in 2016. He also coached a team of Maryland ASA All-Stars in an exhibition against the U.S. National Team.
The 2022 edition of the Blazer softball program, produced 18 wins, the most at Hood since 2018. Jocelyn Pfleiger turned in a stellar season, earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region V Second Team and Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Rookie of the Year accolades. The first-year student was joined on the all-conference squad by classmate Rebecca Gottleib and senior Cailyn Barthlow.
The trio extended the string of consecutive years with and All-MAC Commonwealth player to 10 seasons, with Barthlow in 2021 and Kaitlin Barron in 2019 directly preceding the 2022 honorees.
In 2018, Burdette and his team won 19 games, qualifying for third straight conference tournament appearance. Kristy Erfurdt was honored as a member of the All-MAC Commonwealth first team. While Kristen Scott was named to the second team, and Sophia Leaman and Kayli Paugh earned honorable mentions.
The 2017 team made the MAC Commonwealth tournament for the second straight season and placed four players on the all-conference team, with Roo Saglimbeni earning NFCA All-East Region.
In 2016, Burdette earned MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year honors after the team turned in a 13-win improvement over the previous year and advanced to the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. The Blazers tied for second in the MAC Commonwealth during the regular season and are seeded third heading into the conference tournament. Hood led the conference and ranked 19th in Division III in home runs (30 total). Five players were named all-conference with Paugh earning a place on the NFCA All-East Region team.
The 2014 and 2015 seasons resulted in more All-Commonwealth selections for Hood in Ashley Fourcade - who set the school's career home run record - and Erfurdt. Fourcade received the honor both seasons, with Erfurdt joining her in 2015.
His second season saw Hood post a 15-win improvement over his first year and the Blazers qualified for the Commonwealth Conference Tournament in their first year in the new league. Burdette's squad produced the CC Rookie of the Year in Ashley Fourcade, who was joined on the all-conference team by Casey Dunn, Amy Hagerdon, and Carly Farr. Hood led the Commonwealth with 22 home runs.
In his first season as the Blazers' mentor, Hood qualified for the Capital Athletic Conference tournament for the fifth straight yearand Kelly Gafner '12 was named to the All-CAC Second Team.
As the head coach of the 18U Heartbreakers Junior Olympic Travel Team, Burdette won over 700 games from 1995-2020. He was recognized at the 2010 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention for eclipsing the 600-win plateau. His Heartbreaker squads have amassed seven top-10 finishes in the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) and Protect Our Nation's Youth (PONY) Nationals, which included four top 3 finishes.
Burdette has mentored 71 players who went on to play at the collegiate level, including 38 at Division I programs. Among those outstanding student-athletes is former Blazer head coach, Kate Barrick, who in 2005 was lauded as the Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year while at Fordham University. Burdette also coached Iona College teammates Alison Higgs and Liz Hammel, who captured the 2004 and 2005 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) player of the year awards, respectively. In addition, Higgs went on to showcase her talents for one season in the National Pro Fastpitch League.
A native of Dickerson, Md., Burdette also served as the camp director for the Heartbreakers Softball Camp, which he developed in 1996.
Burdette has also offered his expertise as a clinician at pitching, hitting and coaching clinics throughout the Central Atlantic region, including the 2009 Softball Bash in Richmond, Va.
Burdette's previous collegiate coaching experience includes a three-year stint at Mount St. Mary's University. During his first season in Emmitsburg in 2004, Burdette primarily worked with the Mountaineer pitching staff, but assumed a more comprehensive team role in 2005 and 2006.
On the high school level, Burdette served as an assistant softball coach at nearby Walkersville High School from 1999-2002 and 2008-11 and helped guide the Lions to the Maryland 2A state championship crown in 1999.
Burdette received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Elizabethtown College in 1978. He has been a member of the NFCA since 1995 and served on the executive board as the organization's National Travel Ball Representative from 2005-2010.
Burdette and his wife, Barbara, reside in Woodsboro. They have six children, Jennifer, Amy, Lisa, Tara, Jimmy and Bryan in addition to four grandchildren, Ashley, Tyler, Bethany and Lyla Susan.
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