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Shannon Salsburg
Shannon Salsburg was named Head Softball Coach at Monmouth in September 2015. Prior to that, Salsburg was the Head Coach at Bowling Green State University for the prior nine years and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 2012.
Salsburg led the Hawks to 11 wins in 2022 including a shutout victory over ACC opponent North Carolina. She guided the team to six wins in the MAAC and sent out the seniors with a sweep over Quinnipiac on Senior Day. Lindsey Baron and Julia Thuer were members of the Preseason All-MAAC team, while Billie Kerwood earned a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie team at the end of the season. The Hawks picked up notable wins over in-state rival Seton Hall (9-1) and future CAA foe Delaware (6-4) in late March.
In 2021, Salsburg led Monmouth to its third consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship after compiling a 25-7 (25-7 MAAC) record. She was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the second time. Salsburg helped five different student-athletes earn All-MAAC honors. Senior Alyssa Irons, senior Katie Harrington, and junior Lindsey Baron were all named to the All-MAAC First Team, while senior Erika Coreth and freshman Julia Thuer were tabbed All-MAAC Second Team. Thuer was also the lone unanimous selection to the MAAC All-Rookie Team. Notable wins include 16-3 over Quinnipiac, 12-0 over Quinnipiac, 16-1 over Saint Peter's, 11-2 at Niagara, 14-3 at Niagara, and 12-2 against Saint Peter's. She guided the Hawks to nine straight wins in late April.
Although the 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19, Salsburg guided the Hawks to multiple impressive wins, ending with an 11-9 record. The team was selected to finish first in the MAAC Preseason Poll, and sophomore Lindsey Baron was named Preseason Player of the Year. Baron was joined on the Preseason All-MAAC Team by junior pitcher Alyssa Irons, senior first baseman Kayla Rosado, and senior third baseman Amber Wozniak. Rosado had a historic 20 games, batting .438 (28-for-64) with 23 RBI and four home runs. In the third game of the season, Monmouth earned a 7-5 win over Purdue, led by four home runs. The Hawks earned another win over a Big Ten opponent on February 22, defeating Maryland 2-1. An offensive explosion propelled Monmouth over Maryland Eastern Shore on March 1, 20-3. The Hawks registered 21 hits, which were the most in eight years.
In 2019, Salsburg led Monmouth to its second-straight MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Monmouth closed the campaign with a 36-18 overall record, winning the second most games for a single season in program history. The Hawks clinched the MAAC Co-Regular Season Championship with a 16-4 conference record, and went into the tournament as the No. 2 seed after Marist secured the tiebreaker. Sophomore Alyssa Irons was named MAAC Pitcher of the Year and All-MAAC First Team after ranking second in the NCAA for wins and shutouts. Her 30 total victories on the season shattered a program record (22 set in 1995). Freshman Lindsey Baron was named MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year, breaking the program record for doubles in a season with 21. Baron was also named to the All-MAAC First Team after leading the team in runs, home runs, total bases, and walks. Junior Kayla Rosado and sophomore Erika Coreth rounded out All-MAAC First Team accolades, while junior Amber Wozniak was named to the All-MAAC Second Team. At the tournament, Monmouth dominated No. 3 Siena in its opening game, 11-1 in five innings. In the semifinals, junior Deangie Jimenez hit the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, as Monmouth advanced to its fifth consecutive MAAC Championship with a win over No. 1 seed Marist, 5-4. In the championship game, the Blue & White earned a 6-1 win as five different players hit an RBI. At the NCAA Regional, Monmouth hung tough with #10 LSU, eventually falling 2-0. The Hawks were eliminated after being edged by Louisiana Tech, 1-0.
Salsburg took the program to record-breaking heights in 2018, leading the team to its first-ever conference tournament championship and NCAA appearance. The Hawks also won their first Regular Season Championship since 1999 after registering a 19-1 MAAC record, which broke the record for the most conference wins in team and MAAC history. Salsburg was named MAAC Coach of the Year, and the team headed into their NCAA Regionals matchup with #10 Tennessee having won 24 of their last 25 games. Monmouth won all three games in the conference tournament to earn the historic tournament title, including a 14-inning marathon against #2 seeded Fairfield in the semifinals. Salsburg guided seven Hawks to an All-MAAC Team, including senior Amanda Riley winning MAAC Pitcher of the Year. Riley, along with senior Katie Baron, senior Alex Holzman, and sophomore Amber Wozniak were all placed on the First Team, while sophomore Sam Tomasetti, senior Chloe Howerth, and sophomore Kayla Rosado were placed on the Second Team. The team finished the season with a 32-16 record, which is the most wins in a single season since 2000. Monmouth went on an 13-game winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament, which ties a program record. The Hawks also went on an 11-game winning streak earlier in the season, which ranks t-2nd most in history.
During her second season in 2017, Salsburg led Monmouth to its third consecutive MAAC Championship Round. The Hawks ended the season with a 25-31 overall record, making the run to the MAAC championship round as the five seed. Junior pitcher Amanda Riley completed a historic season, ending the 2017 campaign littered in the Monmouth record books for a single-season. Her 248.1 innings pitched are a single-season program record. Her 17 wins rank tied for sixth. Riley's 46 appearances are a program record, while her 34 starts tie a program record. Her 241 strikeouts shattered the program record by 74, and the historic season included All-MAAC First Team honors and All-ECAC Second Team honors. In addition, senior Justene Reyes and junior Chloe Howerth were named to the All-MAAC Second Team and freshman Kayla Rosado was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team under Salsburg's guidance.
In Salsburg's first season at Monmouth in 2016, the Hawks returned to the MAAC Tournament Championship Round and posted a 29-21 record. Six Hawks were named to the All-Conference Teams, while six also earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors. Under Salsburg's tutelage, the Hawks set new program single-season records both in the batter's box (41 home runs) and in the circle (249 strikeouts). Jill Freese also capped her career with 14 home runs and 47 RBI's, both good for second in program single-season history. In the circle, Amanda Riley set a new program single-season record with five saves, while the sophomore hurler also matched the program single-season mark with 167 strikeouts.
Salsburg's teams posted a 196-232-1 overall record during her nine years as head coach at BGSU, including a 92-98 mark in MAC regular season competition. She was the longest-tenured coach in program history, and is also second in wins in BGSU softball annals.
The Navarre, Ohio, native coached nine All-MAC First Team honorees, nine Second Team selections and nine Freshman Team picks. Two of her student-athletes earned MAC Freshman of the Year, while two more of her players were named to the NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Team. Salsburg’s student-athletes also excelled in the classroom in her time at Bowling Green, as two were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, four earned CoSIDA Academic All-District and 17 were honored as Academic All-MAC, including seven in 2015.
2012 was arguably Salsburg’s most impressive season at Bowling Green. The Falcons posted a 36-22 overall record, going 15-7 in MAC play. The 2012 team tripled the overall win total from the previous season, and fell just one win short of the school single-season record. The 24-game improvement from the previous season was the largest in the country. BGSU finished second in the East Division that spring, and earned the third seed in the MAC Tournament. Not surprisingly, Salsburg was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2012, becoming only the fourth coach in the history of the program to win the award, and the first since 2001.
Salsburg has never shied away from putting together a difficult non-conference schedule, including multiple games against national powers. Along with typically scheduling some of the toughest teams in the country, Salsburg’s teams have displayed a strong power-hitting ability. She was the only head coach in BGSU history to coach her team to 30-plus home runs in a season, peaking with 47 in 2008. She was also the only coach to have her team reach 30-plus homers in consecutive seasons (35 in 2007 and 47 in 2008). Her 2010 team again broke the 30-homer barrier with 31.
In 2007, her first season at the helm of the Falcons, she posted a 33-12 season record, good for a .733 winning percentage, the best winning percentage and the fourth most wins in BGSU softball history. The 2007 Falcons shattered the school single-season record by blasting 47 homers, with BGSU also recording a program-best .449 slugging percentage.
Salsburg was named the seventh head coach in the history of Bowling Green Softball on Sept. 25, 2006, after spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the staff at Kent State University. While with the Golden Flashes, she helped the team to the MAC East Division title and the MAC Tournament crown in 2006. Salsburg and KSU shattered the school and MAC record for home runs in 2006, ranking 13th in the nation with 54 round-trippers.
KSU had an overall record of 33-24 and a league mark of 16-5 in 2006. The Golden Flashes qualified for the MAC Tournament in each of Salsburg’s two seasons in Kent.
Prior to her two seasons at KSU, Salsburg served three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks post two of the top three batting averages in school history during her time in Fayetteville. Arkansas advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament as well as NCAA Regional play in 2002. UA set school single-season records in batting average, homers, slugging percentage and on-base pct. during Salsburg’s tenure.
In addition to KSU, Salsburg spent one season (2001) as an assistant coach at the University at Buffalo, and began her coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Akron, helping the Zips advance to the MAC Tournament in both years there (1999 and 2000).
Salsburg is a 1998 graduate of Penn State University, where she was a four-year starter at first base. She captained the Nittany Lions in three of those seasons, and established the school career record for home runs (34) that stood until 2013. She remains Penn State’s career leader in runs batted in (118) and walks (99). A two-time All-Big Ten selection, she earned All-Great Lakes Region First-Team honors in 1995.
Salsburg received her bachelor’s degree from Penn State in 1998, and earned her master’s degree from Akron in 2000. She and her spouse, Michelle Fagnant, have two children - daughter, Anna, and son, Brooks.
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