Cleveland State names Angie Nicholson as new softball coach
Aug. 21, 2006
Cleveland, Ohio - Angie Nicholson, a 2000 Cleveland State graduate who has won 136 games in six seasons as a collegiate softball coach, has been named the head women's softball head coach at Cleveland State. CSU Director of Athletics Lee Reed made the announcement on Monday (Aug. 21).
Nicholson replaces Julie Jones, who left CSU in late July after 10 seasons to become head coach at Akron.
"I am excited about the return of Angie Nicholson to Cleveland State as our new softball coach," Reed said. "The passion for the game that she has shown and the understanding of how to motivate student-athletes will allow our program to continue to grow.
"Angie was already a member of our Viking family because of her time spent here as a player and because of that, she has an understanding of what this program needs to do to get to the next level. I look forward to working with her."
Nicholson, 31, has quickly risen through the coaching ranks, coaching six seasons at three different institutions, including as the head coach at Horizon League member Butler in 2006.
A native of Elyria, Ohio, Nicholson lettered four times in softball at CSU, earning All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference honors as both a junior and senior in 1999 and 2000. Used primarily at third base during her career, she battled a pair of major knee surgeries to rank sixth in Viking history by playing in 191 games, starting 187 times.
A three-time recipient of an Athletic Academic Excellence Award during her CSU career, Nicholson graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 2000.
Nicholson began her coaching career in 2001 as head coach at Cuyahoga Community College, a position she held for four years. She was responsible for rebuilding the Challenger program, improving from 14 wins in 2001 to 30 in 2004. She posted a four-year mark of 94-64 (.595) at Tri-C, mentoring 14 all-conference selections, five all-region honorees and eight academic all-conference representatives.
Her final season at Tri-C was her best, as the 2004 squad won the regional championship and finished sixth in the Junior College World Series. A two-time Ohio Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year recipient (2002 & 2004), Nicholson also earned National Junior College Athletic Association Region 12 "Coach of the Year" honors in 2004. Her teams made appearances in the regional tournament in three of her four seasons.
While serving as the head coach at Tri-C, Nicholson was also a seventh grade teacher and volleyball coach in the Cleveland Board of Education school system.
Nicholson left Tri-C in 2004 to become head coach at Ursuline College. Inheriting a team that won just three games in 2004, she quickly turned the program around, guiding the team to a 26-17 record in 2005 and earning the NAIA team a spot in the conference playoffs and regional tournament.
Four Arrows earned all-conference accolades in 2005, while two of those players also earned all-region honors. The softball team at Ursuline was the first UC program to have athletes earn conference and regional recognition. Nicholson also served as the cross country coach at Ursuline.
Nicholson left Ursuline after just one season to become head coach at Butler, guiding the Bulldogs to a 17-30-1 mark in her only season. Her impact on the program was a big one as her lone five-player recruiting class included pitcher Kristie Malinkey, who earned second team Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-America honors this past year.
Nicholson, who played at CSU as Angie McCall, is married to former Viking wrestler Richard Nicolson and the couple has three daughters, Taylor (4), Mackenzie (2) and Payton (1).
