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Julie LeMaire
After eight years at the helm of the NSU Softball team (with two seasons being altered due to COVID-19), LeMaire continues to see success and growth in the program each year. In 14 seasons as a head coach, LeMaire has compiled an impressive career record of 458-305 and a career .600 winning percentage.
The 2023 season was one to remember for Head Coach Julie LeMaire and her squad. The Sharks reached 40 wins for the first time since 2010 and NSU brought home several postseason accolades in the process. Alexis Smith was named to the 2023 Tucci/NFCA D2 Player & Pitcher of the Year Watchlist. Smith was also selected as a member of the All-SSC First Team, Alyssa Drogemuller, Ryleigh Langwell, and Kerstyn Shaw represented NSU on the All-SSC Second Team, with Tia Williams, Smith, Langwell, and Shaw making the All-SSC Defensive Team as well. LeMaire led the Sharks to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA South Region Tournament, the program’s first ever Super Regional appearance, Regional Championship, and an appearance at the National Tournament. Smith and Drogemuller tabbed spots on the All-South Region First Team and were also named to the NFCA All-America Second Team.
Following two seasons that were altered due to COVID-19, the 2022 season was one for the books. The Sharks reached 30 wins for the second time in the last three seasons (excluding the 2020 season) and NSU brought home a handful of postseason awards in the process. Tia Williams became the fifth player in program history to be named SSC Player of the Year, and the first since Suka Van Gurp took home the award in 2019. Williams was also a member of the Top-50 list for the 2022 Schutt Sports/ NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year awards. Ashley Connor garnered SSC Freshman of the Year honors, the first in program history. Williams and Connor were also members of the All-SSC First Team, Madison Fine, Sydney Lageyre, Ryleigh Langwell, and Alexis Smith represented the Sharks on the All-SSC Second Team, with Connor, Lageyre, and Langwell making the All-SSC Defensive Team as well. LeMaire rounded out the awards becoming the program's first-ever coach to be selected SSC Coach of the Year after guiding the Sharks to their first-ever share of the SSC title. The 12 accolades were the most by any program in the league. NSU Finished with a 23-4 mark in conference play, the Sharks ratted off six SSC series sweeps to wrap up the regular season with 37 victories- the most in a single season since 2010. LeMaire led the Sharks to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA South Region Tournament and NSU placed three athletes on the All-South Region teams. Connor and Williams earned first-team honors by the D2CCA and second-team selections by the NFCA, while Lageyre was also named a member of the NFCA All-South Region Second Team.
With a season shortened to just 24 games due to COVID-19 protocols in 2021, the Sharks saw four players receive Sunshine State Conference postseason honors as outfielders Sam Sisco and Alexis Smith, and freshman catcher Madison Fine, were named to the All-SSC First Team and first baseman Juliana Speranza earned a spot on the All-SSC Second Team.
In 2019, the Sharks reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 2014, finishing with a 30-20 record and fifth in the Sunshine State Conference. NSU brought home multiple postseason awards, as senior second baseman Suka Van Gurp was named SSC Player of the Year and earned All-SSC, D2CCA All-South Region and NFCA All-South Region First Team honors. Miriam Schmoll also picked up All-SSC Second team laurels.
During just her second year at the helm, the Sharks dramatically improved their overall season record from 12-39 in 2016 to 27-24 in 2017. Notable NFCA Top-25 wins for LeMaire and the Sharks came when NSU split a twinbill with No. 23 Alabama Huntsville and a home series 2-1 victory against SSC foe No. 8 Saint Leo.
Picked to finish last in the SSC Preseason Softball Coaches Poll, the Sharks ended their 2017 campaign with a 15-9 conference record and a third place finish. In 2016, the Sharks went 2-22 against SSC league opponents, losing all eight conference series of the season, being completely swept in six of the eight. In 2017 conference play, the Sharks won five of the eight conference series, including two sweeps. The Sharks saw two players earn All-SSC recognition as Dana Edmundson was named an All-SSC First Team outfielder and Dakota Villella grabbed a spot on the All-SSC Second Team as a second baseman. Edmundson also went on to earn a spot on the D2CCA All-South Region Second Team.
In the fall of 2015, LeMaire became just the third head coach in NSU's program history, joining the NSU coaching staff after a successful four-year stint at Emporia State (Kansas). As one of the most successful Division II softball teams in the country, she guided the Hornets to a 164-65 record and three NCAA Regional Tournament appearances since taking over the program in 2012.
In four years with the Hornets, LeMaire coached over 50 All-MIAA performers, one MIAA Player of the Year, two MIAA Defensive Players of the Year, two MIAA Freshmen of the year, 13 NFCA All-Region and 13 Daktronics All-Region performers, and three NFCA and three Daktronics All-Americans. In 2014, the Hornets posted their best record at 49-14 under LeMaire, winning their eighth straight MIAA regular season championship and earning their 11th straight trip to the NCAA tournament. The season's success also gave LeMaire her second MIAA Coach of the Year award.
In LeMaire's first season with the Hornets, she made MIAA history by guiding Emporia State to a perfect 20-0 conference record, and a 3-0 mark in the MIAA tournament, becoming the first team in conference history to go undefeated through a complete round robin schedule. She also had 10 Hornet student-athletes named to the All-MIAA team in addition to having Stephanie Goodwin earn MIAA Freshman of the Year honors. En route to a 42-11 season record, LeMaire earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors in her first year.
Prior to her stint at Emporia State, LeMaire spent three seasons at fellow MIAA member Fort Hays State. In just three seasons, she led the Tigers to a 92-76 overall record. By her last season in 2011, she had led the program to their first-ever MIAA Tournament Championship game appearance, while the team received votes in the NFCA (National Fast Pitch Coaches Association) national poll for the first time in school history. During her tenure with FHSU, the program set five offensive program records, three pitching program records and two defensive program records in route to three consecutive 30-plus wins seasons, also a program record.
Before taking on the head coaching role at Fort Hays State, LeMaire spent two seasons at fellow Sunshine State Conference member Lynn University as the assistant coach. She worked primarily with the pitching staff, outfielders and hitters. In two seasons working with the Fighting Knights pitching staff, she managed to helped drop the team ERA from 5.83 in 2007 to 2.69 in just one year.
LeMaire also served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of North Dakota from 2004-06. While with the Fighting Sioux, she took part in recruiting and coaching All-American outfielder Casie Hanson, who would become the first player in UND history to win the NCC Freshman of the Year award. She also worked with standout pitcher Tara Petersen who became the UND all-time leader in most every pitching category and finished in the top 10 in NCAA Division II in career strikeouts.
LeMaire had a four-year playing career as both a pitcher and outfielder at NCAA Division II Quincy (Illinois). As a senior, she was named the team's Most Valuable Player and set both single season and career records in home runs. She was also a Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region and All-Great Lakes Conference selection, as well as the recipient of Quincey's Brother Clete Van Ackeren Award for Academic and Athletic Achievement in 2004.
A native of Basco, Illinois, LeMaire earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Quincy University in 2004 and a master's degree in Kinesiology from the University of North Dakota in 2007.
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