By: Nick Vlattas, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
CHARLESTON, S.C. –The College of Charleston softball team and head coach Linda Kalafatis have announced the addition of Ashley Chastain as an assistant coach, completing the first-year staff. Chastain will serve the staff as the pitching coach and work to improve the already-touted CofC pitching corps.
Chastain served as a graduate assistant coach at South Carolina over the 2011-12 season after her four-year playing career as a Gamecock.
She also brings international experience, both as a player and an instructor. She is an international member of the Wesseling Vermin’s softball club of the German Softball Federation. She helped lead the team to numerous accolades and championships, most recently a national championship at the highest level in German softball last month. Chastain was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series.
While abroad, she also served as a pitching coach for the German National Team as well as the coach of a junior team within the Wesseling Vermin’s softball club. She developed pitching workouts and designed practices in order to prepare players to compete at their highest potential for the 2013 European Championship.
“We’re so excited to have Ashley on board and our pitching staff is excited to work with her,” said Kalafatis. “She is young and vibrant and eager to share her knowledge and passion of the game with the program.”
Chastain has also served as an instructor for Higher Ground Softball out of her native state of Georgia since 2008, teaching physical fundamentals and mental aspects to young students of the game.
“It is an honor to be at the College of Charleston,” said Chastain. “I am grateful to be a part of this staff. They’re great to work with and have been extremely friendly and welcoming, which has made my transition very easy. I’m excited to work alongside a coach of Coach Linda’s knowledge and caliber and can’t wait to continue and improve upon the success of this program!”
Chastain received her bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in secondary education and her master’s in secondary education from South Carolina.
