Courtney Tucker was named as the third head coach in Salem softball history on Wednesday, August 17th, in a formal announcement from Director of Athletics J.J. Antoine. Recognized in 2014 as a member of the USA South Conference 50th Anniversary team, Tucker takes over the Salem softball program after spending the last year as an assistant at William Peace.
In her time at William Peace, the Pacers posted a 24-15 record and were 12-6 in USA South Conference action. William Peace collected 12 home wins and finished third in the conference regular season standings, before suffering a series of setbacks in the league tournament to Huntingdon and Pfeiffer. The Pacers finished with a .338 team batting average, boasted a .489 slugging percentage and outscored their opponents 226-183 in 2021.
Tucker’s familiarity with Salem College at the USA South Conference landscape extends beyond her recent stint with the Pacers. She also served as a graduate assistant at former member Averett as well as playing and coaching at her alma mater, N.C. Wesleyan.
Tucker’s collegiate coaching began at Averett in 2008, where she was a graduate assistant. She was instrumental in helping the Cougars place third in the USA South Conference regular season standings.
After one season in Danville, Va., Tucker returned to her alma mater, N.C. Wesleyan, serving as the outfield and hitting coach for the next eight seasons (2010-16), where she played a role in assisting 100 student-athletes earn academic and athletic accolades. During a five-year stretch from 2012 through 2016, N.C. Wesleyan won 87 games and 44 USA South Conference contests with Tucker as an assistant. That included a 20-15 overall mark in 2016, which resulted in a 14-6 record in league games and a spot in the USA South Conference Tournament.
In 2018, Tucker departed N.C. Wesleyan to become an assistant coach at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland. She continued her work with both hitters and outfielders, limiting the number of errors committed by the defense that season to 82. Offensively, the Fighting Owls hit .347 as a unit and had 10 players post a .300 batting average or better. As a result, Harford finished 8-8 in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference that season and made its second-ever appearance in regionals in program history while earning six players a spot on the All-Conference team.
Tucker’s coaching career began shortly after she completed her four-year playing career at N.C. Wesleyan, where she earned a bachelor of arts in criminal justice and psychology in 2007. A lifetime .359 hitter, who accrued 153 hits, 77 runs, 33 doubles and 13 home runs, she established the program record in RBI (124) and putouts (976) during her career. Tucker was instrumental in helping the Battling Bishops post back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2006 and 2007. As a result of her collegiate play, Tucker earned a spot on the World Sport Stars Softball Club, which traveled throughout in Europe in 2007 and 2008.
Tucker’s standout performances on the field resulted in a number of accolades, including Battling Bishops’ Female Athlete of the Year (2006-07), team Most Valuable Player (2004, 2007), USA South All-Conference (2006, 2007), All-Region selection (2007) and North Carolina College Sports Information Association All-State selection (2007).
An active member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Tucker earned a pair of master’s degrees: master of arts in management & leadership (2011), master of science with a concentration in sports administration & sports management from Liberty University. In addition to coaching on a collegiate level, Tucker serves as head coach for the Raleigh Knockouts and was formerly the head coach of the 14U Triangle Twisters (2021) while providing lessons at Grand Slam USA.