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Deanna Gumpf
HONORS AND AWARDS:
2017 NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year
2016 NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year
2014 NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year
2014 NFCA Donna Newberry Perseverance Award
2014 Alliance of Women’s Coaches Bigger Picture Award
2013 BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year
2011 BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year
2011 Notre Dame Monogram Club Honorary Monogram Recipient
2004 NFCA Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year
2004 BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year
2002 NFCA Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year
2002 BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year
Entering her 23rd season as Notre Dame’s head coach in 2024: 855-367-2 (.699)
Entering her 23rd season as leader of the Notre Dame softball program, Deanna Gumpf continues to ascend the ladder as one of the nation’s premier head coaches.
Under Gumpf’s guidance the Irish qualified for the NCAA Regionals every season she’s been at the helm, a streak of 21-consecutive seasons. The Irish have won four conference tournament titles in the span, and staked claim to the BIG EAST Conference’s regular-season championship during her first four seasons as head coach (2002-05). The Irish hoisted BIG EAST regular-season hardware again in 2010, 2011, and the program’s final year as a conference member in 2013 before transitioning to the Atlantic Coast Conference prior to the 2014 campaign. Since the move to the ACC, Gumpf has seen similar success in one of the nation’s top softball conferences. Twice the Irish have finished as runner-up in the ACC tournament, and finished in the top half of the conference standings in every season since joining.
The Notre Dame coaching staff has received nine prominent honors during Gumpf’s tenure, being tabbed as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2002 and 2004, the NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2014, 2016 and 2017 (co), and the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year in 2002, 2004, 2011 and 2013.
Gumpf has compiled a career record of 855-367-2 (.699) prior to the 2024 season, placing her among the elite skippers in the NCAA.
NOTRE DAME HIGHLIGHTS:
• 5-Time NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year (2002, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2017)
• 2014 NFCA Donna Newberry Perseverance Award
• 2014 Alliance of Women’s Coaches Bigger Picture Award
• 21 NCAA Regional Appearances in 22 eligible seasons (2020 cancelled due to COVID-19)
• 12-Time NCAA Regional Finalist
• 11-Time BIG EAST Conference Champion (Seven Regular-Season, Four Tournament)
• 4-Time BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year (2002, 2004, 2011, 2013)
• 2-Time Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Runner-Up (2014 & 2016)
• 4 USA Softball National Player of the Year Finalists
• 3 NFCA Freshman of the Year Finalists
• 24 NFCA All-Americans
• 102 NFCA All-Region Selections (49 First-Team Choices)
• 8 Conference Players of the Year
• 4 Conference Pitchers of the Year
• 2 Conference Freshmen of the Year
• 131 All-Conference Selections (68 First-Team Choices)
• 4 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
• 25 NFCA Division I Scholar-Athletes selections
• 4 NPF Draft Picks
• 2011 Notre Dame Honorary Monogram
• Jarrah Myers – 2002 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year
WHERE GUMPF RANKS IN ND HISTORY
Deanna Gumpf is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of Notre Dame athletics. The Irish head coach passed Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach Muffett McGraw for the most wins all-time as a head coach at Notre Dame April 11th, 2023 as the Irish defeated Michigan State 8-0 in 6 innings in East Lansing. She’s totaled 855 wins in her career, as she and McGraw are the only two coaches in Notre Dame history to eclipse the 750 win plateau.
Gumpf had previously joined McGraw as the only coaches in Notre Dame history to win 700 or more games by way of a 6-1 victory over Boston College during the opening round of the ACC Championship on May 10, 2018 in Atlanta.
Gumpf has held the title of the all-time winningest Irish softball/baseball coach history since 2015 after notching her 559th victory on February 27th against Missouri. She surpassed long-time baseball skipper Jake Kline (1934-75) with the 3-2 victory.
Gumpf became the softball program’s all-time winningest coach with her 378th victory at Notre Dame when the Irish posted a 1-0 victory over Illinois State in the 2010 NCAA Championship. Win No. 400 came in the form of a 9-0 five-inning win over Providence in April of 2011.
The 2013 campaign saw a pair of victory plateaus reached, as Notre Dame earned the 1,000th win in program history with an 8-2 decision at Georgetown (April 3). Later in the season, Gumpf joined Jake Kline and Paul Mainieri as the only softball/baseball coaches to win 500 games at Notre Dame following an 11-1 victory over Connecticut on April 23. The Irish offense erupted for eight runs on six hits during the bottom of the fourth inning against the Huskies to put the game out of reach and secure win number 500.
STANDOUT PLAYERS DURING THE GUMPF ERA
During Gumpf’s tenure, 15 different Notre Dame players have earned NFCA All-America honors, with Andrea Loman (2002-03), Megan Ciolli (2004-05), Emilee Koerner (2013-15) and Karley Wester (2014 & 2016) being recognized as multi-time All-Americans. Koerner, the 2015 ACC Player of the Year, became the first player in program history to earn three All-America citations by being named to that season’s NFCA All-America Third Team after earning second-team honors in 2013 and a third-team citation in 2014. Most recently, Karina Gaskins (2022) and Abby Sweet (2021) were named NFCA All-America for their performances during their respective campaigns.
The Irish have also produced 102 NFCA all-region performers, eight conference players of the year, four conference pitchers of the year, two conference freshman of the year selections, 131 all-conference recipients, four USA Softball National Player of the Year finalists (Karina Gaskins – 2022, Abby Sweet, 2021, Karley Wester – 2015-16, Emilee Koerner – 2013), and three NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year finalists (Jane Kronenberger – 2022, Ali Wester – 2016, Karley Wester – 2014) since 2002.
RECENT NOTRE DAME SUCCESS
2023 saw the Irish return to the NCAA Championship for the 24th consecutive season. After going 30-19-1 in the regular season and qualifying for the ACC tournament, the Irish saw their name called on selection Sunday to compete in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Notre Dame’s offense was explosive all season as the Irish won 11 of their 30 contests by mercy rule. Included in the team’s 30 victories included four ranked wins, starting the season off with a 7-1 win over No. 22 Arizona State. The Irish followed up with a 5-4 victory over No. 12/14 Duke to begin the first conference series of the season. Notre Dame added a decisive series victory over No. 14/17 Virginia Tech at Melissa Cook Stadium, winning the opener 6-1 before ending the series with an exclamation point, an 11-3 five-inning win over the Hokies. The Irish offense was led by Karina Gaskins, Joley Mitchell and newcomer Lexi Orozco. Each hit over the .340 mark with 10 or more homers and over 40 RBI. Payton Tidd was the anchor in the circle, starting 26 and throwing 10 complete games. Gaskins, Mitchell, Orozco, Kloss and freshman Mickey Winchell earned All-ACC honors for their performances during the season.
Notre Dame returned to the NCAA Championship for the 23rd straight season (26th overall in program history) in 2022. The Irish competed in the NCAA Evanston Regional, who’s winner went on to appear in the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. The 2022 season saw Notre Dame reach the 40-win plateau for the 12th time in the Gumpf era, and the first since the 2016 campaign. The Irish earned wins over four ranked opponents, defeating #21/22 LSU (8-6) and #11/9 Texas (9-2) in back-to-back games at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational, and earned a 8-1 victory against #13/8 Duke in the lone contest with the Blue Devils during the season. Gumpf’s graduate student pitcher Alexis Holloway added the final ranked win of the season as she threw the second solo no-hitter of her career as the Irish defeated #16/16 Clemson, 4-0 at Clemson. Karina Gaskins was an instrumental piece of the 2022 team, winning ACC Player of the Year honors, as well as being named an NFCA Second Team All-American.
After a covid-shortened 2020 season, the Irish got back on track during an unconventional 2021 season. Captained by seniors Sarah Genz, Alexis Holloway and Abby Sweet, the Irish finished 33-15, again qualifying for the NCAA Championship with 20 wins in ACC play. Sweet earned NFCA Second Team All-American honors for her performance during the season, adding an NFCA First Team All-Region honor, and First Team All-ACC. Freshman Karina Gaskins was a Second Team All-ACC honoree in her first season, also earning NFCA First Team All-Region.
From 2017-2019, the Irish averaged 35 wins a season, qualifying for NCAA Regionals in every season and a regional final appearance. Cait Brooks led those squads offensively, culminating in a 2019 NFCA First Team All-American selection, 2019 ACC Player of the Year and is one of the most accomplished hitters in Irish history. Notre Dame had 11 NFCA All-Region honorees in that time frame, and saw 10 All-ACC honorees in that same span.
The Notre Dame coaching staff claimed at least a share of the NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year award for the third time in four years in 2017, fresh off the 19th straight NCAA Championship appearance for the Irish that season. Notre Dame traveled to the NCAA Auburn Regional for the first time, and closed the season with signature wins over No. 24 Arkansas, No. 11 Michigan, No. 11 Georgia and eventual national champion No. 4 Oklahoma at various points during the campaign.
Notre Dame reached an NCAA Championship regional final for the 10th time in 2016, finishing the season with a 43-13 record at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. The Irish placed third in the ACC regular-season standings with a 13-7 league mark in their third campaign in the conference, ultimately reaching the final game of the ACC Championship tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina, against eventual Women’s College World Series qualifier Florida State.
Notre Dame spent over 120 days ranked in the national top 25 polls during the 2016 season, one of the longest stretches in program history in that regard. The Irish also surpassed the 40-win plateau for the 18th time in their history, a watermark attained in 12 of the first 15 seasons since Gumpf became the program’s head coach in 2002.
The 2016 Notre Dame offense established a team record with 346 RBI in 56 games, finishing with a team batting average over .340 for the third straight season and just the fourth time in 28 years. The Irish batted .347 to place fourth in NCAA Division I softball, their third national top six placement in average in as many years.
Karley Wester earned her second career NFCA All-America nod by claiming third-team honors following a dynamic 2016 season that saw the Notre Dame center fielder establish Irish program marks for a single season with 91 hits, 68 runs scored and 46 stolen bases. No other Notre Dame player has ever reached the 90-hit or 40-steals plateau in a given season. A Top 10 Finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, Wester became Notre Dame’s career stolen bases leader in less than three seasons (finished with 129), and finished her career as the active NCAA Division I and all-time ACC leader with 323 hits.
Karley Wester headlined seven Notre Dame NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region representatives in 2016, which included fellow first-team selections Micaela Arizmendi, Cait Brooks, Melissa Rochford and Ali Wester, second-team choice Morgan Reed and third-team performer Bailey Bigler. The five Irish first teamers on the NFCA all-region squad equaled a program benchmark for a given season.
Notre Dame hosted an NCAA Regional for just the second time (first since 2005) during a historic 2015 campaign. The Irish capped that season with a 42-15 (.737) mark, establishing single-season program records for hits (543), runs (395) and on-base percentage (.419), batting above a .350 clip (.351) for the second straight year.
Notre Dame also earned eight victories over fellow national top-25 foes in 2015, and enjoyed a 24-game winning streak from March through the end of April that was the second-longest in the nation during the year. The Irish tied their 2014 team total of seven NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region honorees with Emilee Koerner, Katey Haus, Micaela Arizmendi and Karley Wester representing the first team, Cassidy Whidden on the second team and Jenna Simon and Morgan Reed on the third team.
Pitchers Allie Rhodes and Rachel Nasland each enjoyed breakout seasons under Gumpf’s tutelage in 2015. Rhodes became the 23rd 20-game winner in Notre Dame history by logging a dominant 20-5 mark in the circle as a junior, winning 15 of her final 16 decisions. Nasland compiled a 17-9 record as a sophomore, throwing her first career no-hitter against No. 9 Florida State (March 15) on her way to earning 2015 All-ACC Second-Team accolades.
The Irish finished 41-13 (.759) and placed second in the ACC regular-season standings with a 16-5 league mark in their inaugural campaign in the conference in 2014, ultimately reaching the final game of the ACC Championship tournament in College Park, Maryland. Team records set by the 2014 Notre Dame team included the highest batting average (.357) and most doubles (107, 1.98 doubles per game) in a single season in program history, figures that also led all Division I teams in the NCAA.
The Irish, who added 533 hits and a .419 on-base percentage, also finished second nationally with a .552 slugging percentage and were seventh in scoring after tallying 6.69 runs per game. Notre Dame was ranked among the national top 25 teams over the final 14 weeks of 2014, tying a program record set by the 2001 Irish team (54-7) for consecutive weeks appearing in the national polls during a single season.
A total of three Notre Dame players received 2014 NFCA All-America citations, with Micaela Arizmendi and Karley Wester copping second-team accolades and Emilee Koerner being named as a third-team All-American. The three Notre Dame All-America selections were tied for the most among all NFCA Division I members with College World Series participant Oregon, NCAA Super Regional qualifier Washington and fellow NCAA Regional competitor Auburn.
Wester, who led the conference in batting average (.455), hits (81) and stolen bases (26) on her way to being named the ACC Freshman of the Year, was also one of three finalists for the inaugural NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award. Wester, along with fellow first-team choices Arizmendi, Koerner, Laura Winter and Cassidy Whidden, joined Katey Haus and Jenna Simon (second team) in representing a program record seven Notre Dame players who received NFCA all-region honors in 2014.
The 2013 version of the Irish posted a 43-15 (.741) record, surpassing the 40-win plateau for the ninth time during Gumpf’s tenure, winning the 13th and final BIG EAST Conference regular-season championship in program history, and ultimately reaching the final game of the BIG EAST Championship at the USF Softball Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Emilee Koerner made Irish history in 2013 by finishing as one of the 10 finalists for the USA Softball National Player of the Year award, becoming the then 22nd Notre Dame NFCA All-America (second team) selection in the process. Laura Winter completed a dominant junior campaign as the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year, earning the distinction of being the first Irish player to win both the league’s player and pitcher (2012) of the year honors during her career.
EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY SERVICE
In addition to its triumphs on the field, the Notre Dame softball program has made its mark in the greater South Bend community through various philanthropic endeavors. The Irish have received the Notre Dame Trophy Award, presented to a varsity athletics team exhibiting excellence in community service, seven of the last eight years, thanks primarily to the success of the program’s Strikeout Cancer initiative.
Established in 2011 in support of the Gumpf family after daughter Tatum was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the summer of 2010, Notre Dame’s Strikeout Cancer leukemia awareness campaign has raised more than $250,000 in its first eight years of existence that included a record $48,000 raised in a single year in 2018. All proceeds directly benefit South Bend’s Memorial Children’s Hospital and children throughout the state of Indiana who have been diagnosed with cancer. Tatum has been in remission since the fall of 2012, on the road to making a full recovery.
ROAD TO NOTRE DAME
A native of La Palma, California, Gumpf (née Mays) played at the University of Nebraska from 1989-92 while earning a degree in business management. Gumpf was an All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection in 1991 and an honorable mention pick in both 1989 and 1990.
Prior to her collegiate success in Lincoln, Gumpf enjoyed an outstanding prep career with Gordon’s Panthers, one of the most dominating Amateur Softball Association teams in Southern California.
Gumpf pursued a professional position with Delta Airlines after graduating from Nebraska but did not stay too detached from softball. She started to give private pitching lessons in the Southern California area, and what began as a small side job turned into a major venture.
Gumpf began her collegiate coaching journey at Long Beach State, serving alongside head coach Pete Manarino during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. The 49ers posted an 80-42-1 (.654) mark during Gumpf’s tenure, winning back-to-back Big West Championships. Long Beach State pitchers saw the team ERA improve resoundingly under Gumpf’s tutelage, falling more than one full run to 1.40 in 1996 before improving once more (1.35) in 1997.
After earning a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in physical education and coaching in 1997, Gumpf joined the coaching staff of NFCA Hall of Famer Liz Miller at Notre Dame. As an assistant coach at Notre Dame (1998-2001), Gumpf worked primarily with the Irish pitchers and hitters. In each of those four seasons, Notre Dame lowered its team earned run average and eventually posted a spectacular 0.89 ERA in 2001, which ranked seventh best in the nation.
THE GUMPF FAMILY
Gumpf resides in South Bend with her husband John, two children, Brady and Tatum, and dog, Jenny.
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