JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida head softball coach Marcie Hickey announces the hiring of Shelby Turnier as the assistant softball coach for the program who will work with the Osprey pitching staff.
“We are excited for Shelby to join our coaching staff,” said Hickey. “She had valuable postseason playing experience at UCF as well as the experience of winning a championship in the NPF with the Chicago Bandits. She has a competitive mentality and wealth of knowledge that will greatly benefit our pitching staff. We are very fortunate to add someone with her credentials to our staff.”
Turnier comes to UNF after a standout pitching career with UCF, leading the Knights to three NCAA Tournament berths and a successful summer with the Chicago Bandits who won back-to-back National Pro Fastpitch Championships.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity to be a part of a great coaching staff and amazing group of girls,” said Turnier. “The entire North Florida family has been so welcoming and I couldn’t feel more confident in my decision to work at this university.”
Turnier was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-America First Team selection as a junior and earned all-region honors her final season. After her collegiate career, Turnier was the 11th overall pick in the NPF draft to the Chicago Bandits which was the highest for the UCF program. She helped the team to the 2016 NPF Championship.
The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native was a three-time American Athletic Conference first team honoree as well as a Conference USA Freshman Team selection in 2013. As a junior, Turnier picked up several honors including becoming the first UCF Player to earn the ESPNw National Player of the Week, the second Knight to earn an NFCA national weekly honor and the first to be named the NFCA Pitcher of the Week. She was a five-time American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week and posted the lowest ERA in the nation and the UCF single-season record at 0.87. For her career, Turnier became the third UCF pitcher in school history to reach 70 career wins and 800 strikeouts.
In addition to her playing experience, Turnier was the head coach for the Gators Gold 16U Softball team.
