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Danielle Henderson
Danielle Henderson, a three-time All-American student-athlete at Massachusetts, 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2009 UMass Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, was named the head coach of the Massachusetts softball program in June of 2021. Henderson, the sixth head coach in program history, returns to her alma mater after spending the previous seven seasons as head coach at UMass Lowell.
“It is with great excitement that we welcome Danielle Henderson back home to a program she took to great heights as a student-athlete,” Bamford said. “Danielle’s legacy as one of the most decorated female athletes in UMass history, combined with her successful coaching resume, clearly established her as the ideal leader of our proud softball program. We are thrilled to have Danielle and her staff lead our efforts to build back a championship-caliber program and deliver a first-class student-athlete experience. Today is a great day for our athletics department and UMass softball!”
Henderson spent the last seven seasons at the helm of UMass Lowell, accumulating 118 victories and guiding the program through its transition to play at the Division I level. Henderson’s club captured its first-ever America East Regular-Season Championship in 2019, going 28-20 including a program-best 15-3 mark in league play, setting new Division I program records for total wins, winning percentage (.583), runs (213), home runs (42) and RBI (195) along the way.
The 2019 campaign came on the heels of back-to-back second place finishes in the America East standings in 2018 and 2017, and became the first women's team at UMass Lowell to earn a Division I postseason win and just the second team at UMass Lowell to appear in the America East title game in just its first season of Division I postseason eligibility in 2018.
“I am thrilled to be back at UMass,” Henderson said. “I want to thank Ryan Bamford for allowing me this opportunity to return home to lead this program. UMass has always held a special place in my heart and I want to give back to the University and all the players that have been a part of the program's rich history. I am looking forward to carrying on the winning traditions of UMass softball.”
Henderson was twice named the America East Coach of the Year (2019 and 2017) while at UMass Lowell, with 32 student-athletes earning all-conference accolades during her tenure. In 2021, Courtney Cashman became the first River Hawk to win a Player of the Year nod since the program elevated to Division I and joined the America East in 2013-14, while Ryley White became the third River Hawk in the last four seasons to take home America East Rookie of the Year honors. In addition, five players have earned all-region recognition during Henderson’s time in Lowell.
Henderson came to UMass Lowell after serving as an associate head coach at Massachusetts in 2014. She had also previously worked on the UMass coaching staff from 2000 to 2003 under legendary head coach and fellow UMass Hall of Famer Elaine Sortino. Massachusetts went 187-86-1 during Henderson’s five seasons with the program, including 171-64 from 2000 to 03 with four consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and Atlantic 10 titles. In 2002, she helped guide the Minutewomen to a 33-game win streak and 53 total victories.
After serving as a private pitching instructor and playing professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league for the Akron Racers, Arizona Heat and New England Riptide, Henderson spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio State (2011-12) and Stanford (2013). In 2013, the Cardinal went 39-21 and finished the season ranked 21st in the country, while advancing to the finals of the NCAA Lincoln Regional.
A native of Commack, N.Y., Henderson captured a gold medal as part of the U.S. National Team at the Pan American Games in 1999 before helping Team USA to its second consecutive Olympic Gold Medal at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.
Henderson, a four-year standout at Massachusetts (1996-99), was a three-time All-American, a four-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and the only four-time Atlantic 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player in league history. She finished her collegiate career with 25 school records and was second all-time on the NCAA strikeout list with 1,343. As a senior in 1999, she set an NCAA record for consecutive scoreless innings, hurling 105 empty frames from March 16-May 2 en route to winning the Honda Award as the nation’s top college softball player. She also posted a 26-game win streak that year (Feb. 27-May 21), which was the seventh-best streak in NCAA history at the time.
In her four years in Amherst, she posted a 108-35 record in 161 appearances (964 innings) with a 0.70 ERA, 72 shutouts and 135 complete games. Henderson threw an unprecedented 14 no-hitters and three perfect games, helping Massachusetts to four A-10 championships, four NCAA Regional appearances and a pair of Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances (1998 and 1997). She was also named to the 1997 WCWS All-Tournament Team. As a senior, she received the 1999 Honda Sports Award, a prestigious honor that recognizes the best collegiate player in the nation in each of 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports.
In 2001, she had her jersey number (44) retired at Massachusetts, becoming the first and only player in program history to receive such an honor. She was inducted into the New England Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. Henderson received her bachelor's degree in sport management from Massachusetts in 1999.
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