Concord University

Concord University Athletics
P.O. BOX 1000 Athens, WV 24712

Division 2 West Virginia Northeast

Public Small Competitive team

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Coaches

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Alyssa Morris

Alyssa Morris begins her third season as the head coach of the Concord softball program in 2023-24.

Playing a lineup predominantly made up of freshman during her first season in the dugout, Morris and the Mountain Lions won 17 games in 2022. Laura and Sarah Thompson were named All-MEC First and Second Team, respectively.

The Mountain Lions won 20 games in 2023 with nine wins come from April 7 til the end of the season. CU had one of the best freshmen in the MEC in Lacie Lewis who led the Mountain Lions with a .341 average and 59 hits.

One of the best players in program history for the Mountain Lion softball program, Morris returned to Athens after a two-year head coaching stint at Union College, an NAIA program in Barbourville, Kentucky.

Morris spent the 2019 season as an assistant at Union before assuming the head coaching duties prior to the start of the 2020 campaign.

"I'm elated to hire one of our own to be the next leader of the Concord University softball program," Concord Director of Athletics Kevin Garrett said at the time of Morris' hiring. "Alyssa was not only one of the best student-athletes in program history, but she was a great ambassador for Concord during her playing days. She's familiar with the campus and the success of the program."

In two seasons at Union, Morris posted a record of 35-29, including starting her inaugural season with a 14-7 mark in 2020 before the cancellation of the season.

A 2016 graduate of Concord with a degree in sociology, Morris began her coaching career as a graduate assistant for Indiana Wesleyan, a program that went 102-27 and appeared in back-to-back NAIA College World Series in her two seasons.

"I'm super excited and very thankful to be at Concord and to be given this opportunity to coach at my alma mater," Morris said when she was introduced as the program's current head coach. "I want to thank Kevin Garrett, our President Dr. Kendra Boggess and the search committee for considering me. I can't wait to meet the team in person and get this year underway."

As for Morris' playing days in the Maroon and Gray, the native of Virginia Beach, Virginia owns program records in home runs (46) and RBI (169). Her 226 career hits are fourth in program history. Morris was also elected to Concord's Hall of Fame and will be inducted in the fall of 2022.

Morris was the first All-American in program history as she batted .393 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI. Morris was not only a prolific power hitter, but as CU's everyday catcher she managed a pitching staff that sported a 2.17 ERA during the 2015 season, a single-season program best.

Then a junior, Morris and the Mountain Lions had a memorable season as they won 34 games and made the program's first NCAA Tournament, winning a game in the national postseason with a victory over West Chester in 2015.

Overall, Morris was a four-time all-conference selection, earning second team honors in 2013 and again in 2014. She was a First Team All-Mountain East Conference pick in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, she was a consensus all-region first team performer in her final two seasons.

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Kendal Rooze

Kendal Rooze concluded her first season as an assistant coach for the Mountain Lion softball program in 2023.

Rooze, a native of Kokomo, Indiana, begins her tenure at Concord after a playing career at Indiana Wesleyan—a previous coaching stop for head coach Alyssa Morris as an assistant. She played in 15 games as a freshman in 2021 where she drove in three runs. Rooze graduated in 2.5 years from IWU.

As a graduate assistant, she is enrolled in the institution's masters of business administration program.