After 18 seasons at Marshall University, Shonda Stanton became the winningest coach in program history. It was going to take a special opportunity to lure her away from Huntington, West Virginia.
The head coaching vacancy at IU proved to be that opportunity.
IU Athletic Director Fred Glass announced Stanton as the ninth head coach in IU softball history Saturday, 17 days after former head coach Michelle Gardner resigned.
“We are thrilled to have Shonda Stanton as the new head coach for our softball program,” Glass said in an IU Athletics release. “Shonda is a winner known for her recruiting acumen, strong player development and commitment to graduating confident young women.”
The search committee to fill Gardner’s vacancy was led by Senior Associate Athletic Director Scott Joraanstad.
Stanton accumulated 560 victories and made two NCAA Tournament appearances during her time at Marshall. The Thundering Herd posted 42 wins this past season while securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament out of Conference USA.
Marshall went 1-2 in an NCAA Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, losing twice to Illinois.
Stanton was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year for 2017 after Marshall finished conference play with a 20-4 record.
“I am passionate about developing student-athletes and will provide the structure and support necessary for our Hoosiers to walk in excellence in the classroom, on the ball field and in the Bloomington community,” Stanton said in the release.
A trait of Stanton’s teams has been the ability to hit at the plate and run on the base paths. Three times during Stanton’s tenure, Marshall led the country in stolen bases, including in 2017, and Marshall has posted a team batting average of over .300 for each of the last three seasons.
Marshall also collected four conference championships in the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA under Stanton’s guidance.
“I appreciate the foundation the previous staff has constructed and will work to elevate Indiana University Softball to prominence in the Big Ten and on the national landscape,” Stanton said in the release. “IU softball has a proud history and I look forward to engaging our alumni as well as expanding our fan base.”
Before joining Marshall in 1999, Stanton spent one season in charge of the IUPUI Jaguars, leading the team to its only winning season in program history. She played and was a four-year starter at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1992-95.
Stanton also spent two seasons as a coach with the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch league in 2007 and 2008.
Stanton inherits an IU team coming off a 23-31 season that saw the Hoosiers lose in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, as well as lose four seniors to graduation.
Cameron Drummond
