Wofford College

Wofford College Athletics
429 North Church Street Spartanburg, SC 29303

Division 1 South Carolina Southeast

Private Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Chelsea Butler

Wofford College announced on Mary 25, 2022, that Chelsea Butler has been named the head coach of the softball program. Butler brings over a decade of experience, both as a collegiate student-athlete and pitching coach, at the Division I level to Wofford.

Butler has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland, working with the pitching staff. This past season, Maryland was 29-23 overall and 14-8 in the Big 10. It marked the most wins for the Terps since 2013 and the fifth-place finish was the highest since joining the conference. It was also the first season in which Maryland won a game in the Big Ten tournament. Jaeda McFarland (first team) and Megan Mikami (second team) were named All-Big Ten.

“We are excited to have Chelsea take the helm as we launch our softball team,” said director of athletics Richard Johnson. “It is important to get things right when you are starting a program. Coach Mark Line has done a great job in laying the foundation and now he is turning it over to Chelsea to continue to build the team. We look forward to seeing them take the field in the spring of 2024.”

“I am thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to build the Wofford softball program,” said Butler. “I want to thank President Nayef Samhat, Athletic Director Richard Johnson, Deputy AD/SWA Elizabeth Rabb and Mark Line for this opportunity and I am incredibly honored by their belief in me. I look forward to not only building this program, but empowering young women to find and be the best version of themselves on the field, in the classroom and in their individual lives. Now and forever, Go Terriers!”

During the 2019 season Butler led the pitching staff and assisted with recruiting at Incarnate Word. She was the associate head coach at Presbyterian College from 2014 to 2018. She was in charge of the pitching staff and designing off-season and in-season workouts, while also serving as the recruiting coordinator. She coached three All-Big South pitchers, 18 NFCA Scholar Athletes, and helped the Blue Hose earn 2015 Big South runner-up honors.

Prior to her time at Presbyterian, Butler spent one season at Temple. While with the Owls, she oversaw the pitching staff and designing off-season and in-season workouts. Additionally, she coordinated several in-game aspects, including pitch calling and charting. Butler also served as the recruiting coordinator and, as the first assistant, handled travel logistics and other duties.

Butler joined Temple after spending the 2013 season at Utah State, where she worked primarily with the pitchers. While with the Aggies, she was also responsible for scouting reports and served as the recruiting coordinator.

Before Utah State, Butler was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Eastern Kentucky, during 2012. While there, she was responsible for the pitchers and recruiting. Her first coaching experience as an assistant coach with the USA Athletics 18 gold team in Southern California.

As a player, Butler played two seasons at Golden West Junior College. As a sophomore there, she posted a 21-13 record with a 1.35 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 231.2 innings of work. She earned first team all-conference recognition and was an all-tournament selection. Butler then was a two-year pitcher (2008-09) for Eastern Kentucky. Her career was highlighted by a standout senior season in which she posted a 2.32 ERA.

A native of southern California, Butler earned a degree in sociology from Eastern Kentucky in 2009. She added a Masters of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University-Irvine in May 2017.

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Kara Shutt

Kara Shutt joined the Terrier softball staff as an assistant coach in July of 2022 after two seasons with Mississippi.

"First and foremost, Kara is a wonderful human being who exemplifies high character and a positive demeanor on and off the field," said Butler. "Kara has had the opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in our game, and I know that her experiences, paired with her own coaching philosophies, will allow Kara to continue to shine. I am thrilled that Kara has decided to join our Wofford Softball family, and I know that our athletes are going to love being around her and learning from her. Wofford Softball got better today!"

Shutt spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant with Ole Miss from 2021-22 in which she helped the Rebels to a 41-19 campaign that concluded in the Los Angeles Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament in 2022. With Shutt on the staff, Ole Miss posted its fourth-ever 40-win season, and the 39 regular season wins tied for the program record. Her first season in Oxford in 2021 saw the Rebels post a 36-22 record with an appearance in the Tucson Regional, also advancing the finals.

Before joining the Rebel staff, Shutt was a graduate manager at another SEC program with South Carolina. The Gamecocks posted a record over .500 each of Shutt's two seasons in Columbia, the first of which in 2019 saw South Carolina advance to the finals of the Tallahassee Regional in a 38-19 campaign. The Gamecocks touted a 17-6 clip in 2020 before the season's untimely end due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Shutt was a key player on the Elon Phoenix as an All-American and three-time All-CAA First Team selection. The outfielder placed on the All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team in each of her final three seasons, and her senior campaign in 2018 was capped with an NFCA All-American Third Team nod and her second NFCA All-Region First Team selection. With 63 career doubles, Shutt is both the Elon and CAA all-time career leader. With 21 doubles in 2016, she set a single-season program record that she replicated in her senior season. Shutt hit .425 as a senior to set the Elon Division I program record for a season. A career .373 hitter, Shutt finished second on the Elon all-time hits leaderboard with 253.

As a freshman, Shutt wasted no time making her presence felt in the Phoenix lineup in 2015, driving in 44 RBI to set the record for most in a season by a freshman and finish second in the program's single-season record books. With a .331 average, Shutt earned CAA All-Rookie Team and Third-Team NFCA All-Region honors.

A native of Greensboro, N.C., Shutt graduated from Elon with a bachelor's degree in sport management in 2018 and earned her master's degree in the same field from South Carolina in 2020.

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Taylor Liguori

Taylor Liguori joined the coaching staff in July of 2023. A recent graduate of the University of Maryland, she will work primarily with the infielders.

“This hire is truly so special to me,” said head coach Chelsea Butler. “Having had the opportunity to coach Taylor for three years at Maryland, I was able to witness who she is as a person and leader on a daily basis. She has a bright softball mind and an incredibly high softball IQ, she will undoubtedly be one of the top young coaches in the country. Our infield is going to benefit greatly from Taylor and our entire team is going to love being around her and learning from her. I am thrilled that Taylor has decided to join our Wofford Softball family. The Terriers got better today!”

As a player, Liguiri appeared in 49 games during the 2023 season, starting 30 games. She had a .274 batting average and posted a career-high three RBIs against Indiana. Over her career, she played in 136 games with 90 starts with a .327 on-base percentage and a .967 fielding percentage.

She spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Birmingham Thunderbolts, earning the 2022 18U PGF national championship along with the NFCA Coaching Staff of the Year award. She has also worked camps at the University of Maryland.

A native of Columbia, Maryland, she graduated from Maryland with a degree in communications and leadership studies. Liguori was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar twice and was named a Big Ten Scholar-Athlete three times. She served as a board member for the Maryland Student-Athlete Advisory Committee focusing on student-athlete engagement and was a Big Ten SAAC member as well.

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Mark Line

Mark Line has been a leader on campus for over 30 years, first as the baseball coach and then as an administrator. He joined the athletic department administrative staff in July 2003 in the role of associate athletic director for internal operations and sports programs. He was promoted to senior associate athletic director in 2012 and was named the Deputy Athletic Director in March of 2017.

In July of 2021, he was named the inaugural coach of the softball program. He served as the head coach for a year and recruited the first class of student-athletes who will arrive on campus in the fall of 2022. He will remain on staff as an assistant coach to Chelsea Butler.

A 1977 graduate of Erskine, he earned a masters degree from Western Kentucky. Line posted a 210-158 record (.571) in 10 years as the Terriers baseball coach (1986-95). He received District Coach of the Year honors in his second season as the 1987 squad put together as a 23-11 mark. Wofford then set a single-season school record for victories the following campaign with a 27-12 record. It marked the first time Wofford qualified for postseason play in consecutive seasons. Line’s 1991 team established another Terrier mark for wins with a 30-9 record.

Line was selected as a 2004 inductee into Wofford’s Athletic Hall of Fame. The first-base dugout at Russell C. King Field, the Terriers’ on-campus baseball facility, is named in his honor.

Line has served as chairman of the physical education department since 1988. Following the 1995 season, Line accepted a role as associate dean of students in the Wofford student affairs office. He worked with volunteer services, Bonner Scholars, the campus judicial system and a host of other activities involving campus life.

Line and his wife, Pam, have two children: Alyse Worley, a 2010 graduate of Wofford, and Sam, a 2014 graduate of Emory and Henry College. Alyse and her husband Mitch live in Spartanburg, while Sam and his wife Meg reside in Greenville.