University of NC - Pembroke

UNCP Athletic Department
P.O. Box 1510 or One University Drive Pembroke, NC 28372-1510

Division 2 North Carolina Southeast

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Coaches

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Stephanie Graziani

A 10-year collegiate coaching veteran with previous stints as an assistant coach at both Mayville State and UNC Pembroke, Stephanie Graziani was named the 11th head coach in the history of the Braves softball program in June 2022, and enters her third season as head coach for the 2024-25 season.

Graziani took over the reins of the program after serving the previous five seasons (2018-22) as the assistant coach for the Braves. The Black & Gold amassed nearly 115 victories in her five years as an assistant, logging three winning seasons, while also amassing 11 all-conference selections and a pair of all-America nods.

During Graziani's first season at the helm of the Black & Gold, the Braves finished the season with a 20-31 record and finished 11-11 in Conference Carolinas play. The team collected a pair of Conference Carolinas weekly awards, one all-conference recipient and one all-defensive team award during the 2023 season.

Graziani's second season as head coach saw the Braves finish with a 19-33 record, including a 10-14 mark in Conference Carolinas play. The Black & Gold saw two players named to the All-Conference team.

The New Castle, Pa., native came to Pembroke after a four-year stint as the assistant coach at Mayville State in Mayville, N.D. During her tenure at MSU, the Comets' win total increased each season, culminating in a pair of wins in the North Star Athletic Association Conference Tournament in 2017.

Graziani's playing career began at Iowa Central Community College where she earned NJCAA Second Team All-Region honors her freshman season and NJCAA First Team All-Region and NFCA First Team All-American accolades following her sophomore campaign. She led the Tritons to their first-ever appearance at the NJCAA National Championship in 2009 after winning a regional title.

Following two years at Iowa Central, she completed her final two seasons of collegiate softball at NCAA Division II Florida Southern. While a member of the Mocs, Graziani established herself as the Sunshine State Conference's best leadoff hitter and led the team to its first ever super regional appearance in her senior season. She ended her playing career with 132 stolen bases to go along with 181 wins and just 57 losses.

After her successful collegiate career, Graziani played for the USAAI softball team in the summer of 2012. The team traveled to Prague, Czech Republic and Vienna, Austria, to compete against the world's best talent. She also has coaching experience at the Florida Southern College Summer Camp, as well as Neshannock High School in Lawrence County, Pa.

Graziani earned her associate degree from Iowa Central in May of 2010 before graduating in April of 2012 with a bachelor's degree in human movement and performance from Florida Southern. She continued her educational journey to Concordia-Chicago, where she obtained a masters of applied exercise science degree in August of 2015. Graziani is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in health and human performance from Concordia-Chicago, with plans to graduate in May 2025.

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Lauren Hawley

A seasoned collegiate coach with previous experience as an NCAA Division II student-athlete, Lauren Hawley joined the Braves as an assistant coach in August 2022.

Hawley trekked to Pembroke from Alliance, Ohio, where she spent three seasons (2020-22) as an integral part of the coaching staff at Mount Union. She also has a previous coaching stop at Moniteau High School in western Pennsylvania.

Hawley played a key role in the success at Mount Union over her three seasons, having helped lead the Purple Raiders to a 67-27-1 (.711) mark over that span, including an impressive 32-7 clip in 2021 that culminated in UMU’s staff being named the Ohio Athletic Conference’s Coaching Staff of the Year. Hawley mentored a dozen all-conference and six all-region players over her last two seasons in Alliance, including two-time All-American Grace Heath. The Purple Raiders climbed as high as No. 15 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 amid that magical season in 2021 as well.

Hawley made her coaching debut at Moniteau High School in 2019 where she guided a pair of student-athletes through the college recruiting process, while also increasing player strength, agility and game skills through practice preparation. She also has a previous stint as a grounds crew intern for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers collegiate baseball summer team.

Prior to making her debut in the coaching world, Hawley was a four-year starter (2015-18) and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Catcher of the Year for Slippery Rock where she helped lead the program to more than 75 victories across four seasons. She played in 155 games (153 starts) across her illustrious collegiate career, while also registering a .276 (124-for-449) batting average to go along with 33 extra-base hits (13 HR) and 75 RBI. She snapped the lid on her collegiate career ranking among the program’s top 10 in games played, walks (43), RBI, hits and home runs. She also logged a .988 career fielding percentage, committing just nine errors in 736 total defensive chances.

Hawley earned her bachelor’s degree in sport management from Slippery Rock in 2018. She received her master’s degree in education from Mount Union in 2021.