DePaul Blue Demons softball
| DePaul Blue Demons softball | |
|---|---|
| University | DePaul University |
| Head coach | Liz Bouck-Jagielski (1st season) |
| Conference | Big East |
| Location | Chicago, IL |
| Home stadium | Cacciatore Stadium (Capacity: 1,000) |
| Nickname | Blue Demons |
| Colors | Royal blue and scarlet[1] |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| "MCC": 1995, 1997, 1998 CUSA: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Big East: 2008, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Regular Season Conference championships | |
| "MCC": 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 CUSA: 2002, 2003 Big East: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 | |
The DePaul Blue Demons softball team, first organized in 1976, represents DePaul University in the sport of college softball at the Division I level of the NCAA. The team has been a member of the Big East Conference (Big East) since the 2006 season. They play their home games at Cacciatore Stadium on campus in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons are currently led by head coach Liz Bouck-Jagielski, who succeeded Tracie Adix-Zins starting in 2025.[2]
History
[edit]Early history (1976–1979)
[edit]Few records were kept during the early days of DePaul's softball run. It is known that Tina Brown, the first Senior Women's Administrator for the women's basketball program, would also serve as the first head coach from 1976-1978.[3] In 1979 Jeannie Lenti would serve as head coach for just the one season while also being the Athletic Director at DePaul since 1975. Retiring only in 2020 after a 45 year long career.[4]
Eugene Lenti era – First tenure (1980-1987)
[edit]Beginning in 1980, National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Famer and brother of Jeannie Lenti, Eugene Lenti, began his 37-nonconsecutive-year long tenure at DePaul.[5]
Phil Cahil era (1988-1989)
[edit]Serving only two seasons, Cahil achieved a pleasable record of 62―39 (.613)[6]
Eugene Lenti era – Second tenure (1990-2018)
[edit]Returning to the position in 1990, Lenti would go on to have four seasons with 50 or more wins. Them being 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2008. The 1999 season is considered DePaul's best as the team finished 22―0 in conference play and 54―14 (.794) overall. The team would become ranked #11 in the nation before ultimately being defeated by UCLA in the 1999 NCAA Semifinal.[7] By 2015 Lenti had become ranked seventh in wins in the history of college softball. His final record at DePaul was 1,236-604-6 (.671). Starting the 2020 season, it was announced that he would become the assistant coach at Auburn.[8]
Tracie Adix-Zins era (2019–2024)
[edit]Beginning in 2019, Adix-Zins would begin her six year term as coach. Despite a small uptick during the 2021 season, following the suspended 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team would experience increasingly worse records. In 2024 the team would finish just 9―39 (.191), making it the worst season in program history. She was soon fired by the university.[9]
Liz Bouck-Jagielski era (2025–present)
[edit]After a tenure as the assistant coach at Roosevelt University, it was announced on June 11, 2024 that Liz Bouck-Jagielski would serve as the team's next head coach. She played softball at DePaul from 2000-2004 and served as the assistant coach from 2004-2011.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ DePaul University Graphic Identity Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ "2025 SOFTBALL Coaching Staff". Softball. Big East Conference. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ "City of Chicago Will Honor Doug Bruno July 19 With Title IX Champion Award". Big East Conference. DePaul University Athletics. June 23, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ "Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto to retire from DePaul University". DePaul Newsroom. June 5, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Patsy Newitt (April 19, 2020). "Timeline of alleged entanglements between DePaul's athletics department, Title IX office". The DePaulia. The DePaulia. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ "June 2024 DPUSB Record Book" (PDF). DePaul University Athletics. DePaul University Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ "Where No DePaul Softball Team Has Gone Before". Big East Conference. DePaul University Athletics. February 27, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Jeff Shearer (February 13, 2020). "Softball assistant coach Eugene Lenti: new role, new home". Auburn. Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Tom Gorski (May 12, 2024). "Tracie Adix-Zins fired as DePaul Softball head coach after six seasons". The DePaulia. The DePaulia. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ "Liz Bouck-Jagielski Tabbed DePaul Softball Head Coach". Big East Conference. DePaul University Athletics. June 11, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.