University of AL - Birmingham

617 13th Street South Birmingham, AL 35294

Division 1 Alabama Southeast

Public Large Competitive team

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Coaches

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Jimmy Kolaitis

Kolaitis arrives in Birmingham after five seasons at the University of Oregon as an assistant softball coach, recruiting coordinator and hitting coach. During that time, the Ducks compiled a 256-42-1 record, won four Pac-12 Conference Championships, finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2014, 2015 and 2018 and made four trips to the Women’s College World Series.

Kolaitis bring a wealth of college experience to UAB, but he also brings a wealth of knowledge from the National Pro Fastpitch League, having worked with the Scrap Yard Dogs and the Chicago Bandits. As the pitching coach for the Scrap Yard Dogs in 2017, Kolaitis worked with Monica Abbott, who won Pitcher of the Year and broke the league record for strikeouts in a season. The Scrap Yard Dogs won the NPF Championship in 2017.

With the Chicago Bandits, he served as an assistant coach, working with the likes of Vicky Galindo, Abbott and several national team participants and two players from the Japan Olympic team.

Prior to working at Oregon and with the NPF, he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at South Alabama from 2008-13. Under his guidance, the Jaguars went 173-95-1 and won Sun Belt Championship in 2012 and 2013. The Jags advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, playing in the Tuscaloosa Regional and hosted an NCAA Regional as the 13th ranked team in the nation in 2013.

From 2004-08, Kolaitis was the Director of Operations at Troy as the Trojans won the Sun Belt Championship in 2006, advancing to the Tuscaloosa Regional and in 2007 when Troy went to the Oxford Regional.

Before arriving in Troy, Kolaitis was an assistant baseball coach at Lee Scott Academy from 2000-02 and helped guide the Warriors to the 2002 AISA State Championship. He was also an assistant coach for the Boys of Baseball Travel, a national travel team based out of Auburn, Ala. from 1999-2006. He coached many top prospects throughout the country, including 14 first round draft picks.

A graduate from Lee Scott Academy, Kolaitis earned an associate of arts degree in education in 2002 from Southwest Tennessee Community College and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration and marketing from Troy University in 2007.

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Joe Guthrie

Guthrie enters his first season with UAB after spending last season at Louisiana as an assistant coach with the Ragin' Cajuns. While there, Louisiana went 41-16, finishing second in the Sun Belt during the regular season and were runners-up in conference championship. Guthrie helped guide Louisiana to its 19th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Prior to Louisiana, Guthrie sent time in the National Pro Fastpitch League with the Scrapyard Dogs in 2017, and as an assistant coach at Penn State (2014-16) and at Bucknell as a volunteer assistant coach for one season (2017). At Penn State, the Nittany Lions broke over 30 records as he coached six All-Big Ten selections, three All-Region selections and two players who earned All-Big Ten Tournament selections.

Guthrie spent six seasons as the head softball coach and assistant athletics director at Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala. and also served as a scout in the Miami Marlins organization from 2006-07

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Courtnay Foster

Foster begins her first season at UAB after spending the last year at Louisiana as a volunteer assistant coach and working with the Ragin' Cajuns pitchers. Before making the move to Louisiana, Foster was the head coach at Bucknell (2016-17) where she guided the Bison to a 50-43 record and saw four of her players earn five All-Patriot League awards.

She also had a five-year stint (2011-15) as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Northwestern. With the Wildcats, she coached Kristen Wood and Amy Letourneau as they both led the Big Ten in strikeouts and ranked in the top 20 nationally in strikeouts in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

As a student-athlete for Northwestern, Foster was a three-time All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten selection, a two-time NFCA All-Mideast Region award winner and a 2005 NFCA All-American. She racked up 80 wins, 1,014 career strikeouts and led Northwestern to a WCWS victory over Alabama in 2006.