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Les Stuedeman
In 1995, Lorraine "Les" Stuedeman became the first softball coach at UAH. During her successful career, she has transformed an idea into a winning tradition.
Stuedeman has made a significant mark in the South Region during her tenure, guiding the Chargers to an incredible 1228-413-1 record, and her teams have never had a losing season.
Stuedeman’s accomplishments have been recognized on the national level as she was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual conference 2014.
The Chargers most recent campaign was a season to remember, as UAH won both the GSC Regular Season Championship and GSC Tournament Championship en route to reaching the NCAA tournament for the 20th consecutive season. Stuedeman helped guide a pair of All-Americans, including Katie Bracken and Lawren Hayes.
In the 2017 season, Stuedeman won her 1,000th game to make her the 34th coach in NCAA softball history across all divisions to reach that plateau.
Stuedeman’s teams have earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament 25 times – including the stretch of 20 in a row with the team’s 2023 berth – and the Chargers have captured four South Region titles (1999, 2001, 2009 and 2011). In 2009 and 2011, she guided the Chargers to the brink of a national championship finishing as the Division II Softball World Series runner-up both seasons. Stuedeman and her staff have been named South Region Coaching Staff of the Year six times (1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2011).
Under Stuedeman, the Chargers have appeared in 14 Gulf South Conference Championship games, winning nine titles, including three in a row from 2006 through 2008. The Chargers have an all-time GSC tournament record of 77-36 – the best mark in the conference.
In her extraordinarily successful collegiate coaching stint, Stuedeman also has 10 GSC Coach of the Year titles to her credit as she garnered the award in 1996, 2001, and 2002 before winning it four consecutive seasons from 2008-11 and adding another pair in 2013 and 2014 before winning her 10th honor in 2017.
The program’s success in the conference was highlighted when in 2010 Stuedeman was named GSC East Division Coach of the Decade, while the Chargers were also picked as the decade’s top softball program. Five former Chargers were members of the GSC All-Decade team, while Stephanie Pinto and Sage Woodham were named Player and Pitcher of the Decade, respectively.
Stuedeman would repeat as the GSC Softball Coach of the Decade in 2020, and eight Chargers landed on the two GSC All-Decade teams.
Stuedeman's first recruiting class did her proud over their four seasons and made quite the immediate impact as her squad made her the first UAH coach to go to a national championship and to win a conference title in her first year as head coach. All-American pitcher Wendy Hurst, who Stuedeman coached for a season at Hewitt-Trussville High School, set the tone for future Chargers as she set several NCAA softball records during her career, and she also owns the pitching section of the UAH softball record book.
Additionally, Hurst was an inaugural member of the GSC Hall of Fame as she was inducted in 2014, and she was joined in the Hall by Carter in 2016, Pinto in 2017, and Lane Davis in 2019.
Along with Hurst and Carter, Stuedeman has had several other players earn GSC, South Region and All-America honors under her direction. Overall, there have been 42 All-Americans, 10 GSC Players or Pitchers of the Year and eight Freshmen of the Year. Additionally, in 2005 Pinto earned the prestigious Gulf South Conference Commissioner's trophy.
In addition to her responsibilities at the helm of the softball program, Stuedeman served as the Senior Woman Administrator for the UAH Department of Athletics from 2010-14.
Before beginning her time at UAH, Stuedeman coached one year at Hewitt-Trussville (1994-95). While at HTHS, she led her team to a 43-13 overall record and was named the Jefferson County Coach of the Year. Prior to coaching high school, Stuedeman was an assistant for two seasons at the University of West Alabama where she also earned a Master's Degree in Education. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Huntingdon College.
Along with coaching on the college and high school levels, Stuedeman has been instrumental in the growth of fastpitch softball in North Alabama as she coached and helped organize the first 12-and-under softball travel team in Huntsville.
Stuedeman played first base and catcher in college and high school. She lettered one season in both volleyball and softball at Samford University prior to transferring to Huntingdon College where she lettered for three seasons as a catcher. While at Samford, she became their first ever all-conference performer. At Huntingdon, Stuedeman earned All-America and All-District Honors in 1992, and All-District in 1990 and 1991.
In the fall of 2013, Stuedeman was inducted into the Huntingdon Athletic Hall of Fame, and she also was enshrined in the Vestavia Hills Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Additionally, she was inducted to the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.
Stuedeman is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Stuedeman and her spouse reside in Huntsville with their sons Cooper and Carter.
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