The player turned coach of the day is Michelle Gascoigne. A star pitcher at the University of Oklahoma, Gascoigne is currently the pitching coach with Northwestern University.
Michelle had an outstanding career at Oklahoma. She was 49-7 record with a 1.65 ERA and 507 strikeouts in 378.0 innings pitched. She held opponents to a measly .189 batting average.
Upon leaving Oklahoma, Michelle played professional softball with the National Pro Fastpitch Chicago Bandits in 2013. An All-NPF selection in 2013 and 2014, Michelle helped lead the Bandits to two Cowles Cup titles in 2015 and 2016.
Starting her coaching journey while still playing pro ball, Michelle was a grad assistant at Oklahoma in 2014 and 2015. Michelle joined the Northwestern staff in 2016 and has been there since. He husband Tony Smith is also on the staff.
I get to see Michelle and the Wildcats several times every season. While they usually play in Evanston, about 15 minutes away, this season, they will play in Rosemont, just a bit farther in the other direction. Still, I will see the team several times as usual.
Like the others I have featured in this series, Michelle has always been great to me. I have interviewed her several times, but even in simple chats around the stadium, she is always gracious and great to see. The same can be said for Coach Tony, too!
For more info on Coach Michelle and the Wildcats, go to nusports.com. This concludes my player turned coach series...for now.
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