University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Catching Up with Softball Head Coach Jenny Allard
10/24/2023 10:43:00 AM | Softball
When Heather Lyke launched the search for the new leader of the University of Pittsburgh softball program, she knew that her old Michigan teammate would be the perfect fit not only for the future of the program but most importantly for the student-athlete experience.
"This is not the first time I have tried to hire [Coach Allard], and when I launched the search, two thoughts came to mind: It was either three strikes and you're out or the third time is the charm. Lucky for us and Pitt, we did not strike out, and the third time is the charm."
Jenny Allard was named the Pitt softball head coach on June 19, 2023, after spending the past 28 seasons at the helm of the Harvard softball program, where she was the Ivy League's longest-tenured and winningest softball coach. Allard, who was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022, owns a 688-518-4 overall record, including a 342-130-1 Ivy League mark.
During her tenure, Allard led Harvard to nine Ivy League titles, six 30-win seasons and all eight of its NCAA Championship appearances. She coached seven Ivy League Players of the Year, eight Ivy League Pitchers of the Year, seven Ivy League Rookies of the Year and three All-Americans as well as 78 first-team, 75 second-team and 51 honorable mention All-Ivy League selections.
"I am excited to be the next leader of Pitt Softball," says Allard. "Pitt is on the rise, and I am ready to bring great energy and determination to the softball program. Pitt Softball has hardworking student-athletes, the backing of an amazing athletic department and University and support from the larger community of Pittsburgh. Vartabedian Field will be an exciting place to be in the coming years."
Prior to her coaching career, Allard had a prolific collegiate career as a player at Michigan, where she and Lyke were teammates from 1988 to 1990. Allard spent time at third base before stepping into the circle to fill a pitching vacancy during her junior season in 1989. She was a four-time All-Big Ten selection (first team – 1987, 1989, 1990; second team – 1988), a two-time First Team Mideast Region pick and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a senior.
"Coach Allard set the standard for excellence as a player and has continued that standard as a current Hall of Fame coach," says Lyke. "Her intellect, her work ethic and her ability to work with others, in my opinion, are unmatched. She's always worked hard, trained hard and had great expectations of herself and others, and she will bring those expectations and sense of teamwork to our team.
"Sometimes the key to success, they say, is being at the right place at the right time. I believe that not only are we in the right place at the right time but, most importantly, we have the right person and the right opportunity. I remember [Coach Allard] telling me that 'I never knew I could teach the game as well as I could play the game,' and that is a gift, to be really good at teaching the game you love and, most importantly, to love teaching the game."
