Lacy Schurr Named Softball Associate Head Coach
7/5/2023 12:30:00 PM | Softball
PITTSBURGH – Pitt softball head coach Jenny Allard announced the addition of Lacy Schurr as the associate head coach, Wednesday afternoon. Schurr comes to Pittsburgh after spending the past three seasons as the head coach at Ball State.
"It is a privilege to name Lacy Schurr as the new Associate Head Coach of Pitt Softball," said Allard. "She teaches the game with passion and supports student-athletes in their growth both on and off the field. I am thrilled to be working with her again. She is a great addition to the Pitt Athletics Family."
Prior to leading the Ball State program, Schurr was a member of Allard's coaching staff at Harvard from 2016-19. Schurr joined as an assistant coach in 2016 and served as the associate head coach for the next three seasons. The Crimson amassed a 101-81 record during that time, including a 59-23 mark in Ivy League play.
During her time at the helm of Ball State, Schurr led the team to an 86-75 record, including a 63-34 mark in Mid-American Conference play. Schurr led the Cardinals to a program record 31 MAC wins (31-8) in her first year as a collegiate head coach, including the longest single-season MAC winning streak in program history at 16 games.
Over three seasons, Schurr has seen seven players earn NFCA All-Great Lakes Region honors, including two first-team honors, four second-team accolades, and one third team honors. On the conference awards list, she mentored the 2022 MAC Player of the Year and the 2022 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Overall, her players have earned 14 All-MAC honors, including seven first team and six second team. She has also coached three MAC All-Freshman Team selections and a MAC All-Defensive Team honoree.
In the classroom, the Cardinals have earned a total of 32 Academic All-MAC honors and seven CSC Academic All-District Honors. Schurr saw Faith Hensley go on to become just the eighth player in program history to be named an Academic All-American when she was named to the 2022 Softball Academic All-America Second Team.
Prior to Ball State, Schurr was responsible for the development of the Harvard hitters who regularly ranked near the top of the Ivy League in batting average and runs scored, including leading the league with a .311 average in 2016. She also served as the Crimson recruiting coordinator for the past three years. Overall, she helped Harvard athletes earn 20 All-Ivy League selections, five National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honors, three Ivy League Pitcher of the Year accolades, and one Ivy League Rookie of the Year award.
In her first year as an assistant at Harvard in 2016, the program finished at the top of the Ivy League standings with a 16-4 conference record to earn its first of four straight appearances in the Ivy League Championship Series. The Crimson would go on to capture the Ivy League crown in both 2018 and 2019 to earn back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances.
Before arriving at Harvard, Schurr spent three seasons (2013-15) as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University, where she mentored the pitching staff and defense. Under her guidance, the team lowered its ERA from 3.40 to a 2.40 mark during the 2014 campaign. In addition, her tutelage shaped EKU's fielders into the nation's 43rd-ranked defense with a .968 fielding percentage the same year.
Nine Eastern Kentucky players earned All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) honors over her three-year stint with the Colonels, with two players also garnering NFCA All-Region accolades.
Schurr's first coaching stop came at her alma mater, the University of Louisville, as a volunteer for the Cardinals during the 2012 season. UofL finished the season with a program-record 55 wins, captured the Big East regular season and tournament titles, advanced to the NCAA Louisville Regional finals, and ranked 18th nationally at the end of the year.
Schurr (formerly Wood) was just as impressive as a player for the Cardinals, becoming the first softball All-American in Louisville history when she was named to the 2006 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-America Third Team. A 2019 inductee into the Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame, Schurr led the Cardinals to three NCAA Regional appearances, including the first in program history in 2004. The program also reached the NCAA Regional finals for the first time in program history in 2006.
A catcher and two-time team captain for the Cardinals, Schurr led the team with a .382 batting average, nine home runs, and 51 RBIs as a senior in 2006. She still owns the program's career record for grand slams and continues to rank among Louisville's top 10 in several career offensive categories including batting average, hits, slugging percentage, doubles, home runs, and RBIs.
Schurr's play also sparked the Cardinals to the 2005 Conference USA and 2006 Big East regular season championships. After graduating from Louisville in 2006 with a degree in sociology, Schurr played professionally for two seasons in Australia and Italy.