Courtesy of IPFW Athletics
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – IPFW head softball coach Germaine Fairchild announced the hiring of Chelsea Cantillo and Kelley Kaneshiro to her staff. Cantillo and Kaneshiro previously worked together at Utah State where Cantillo took her first coaching position while Kaneshiro was a junior on the team.
Cantillo spent the 2014 season on the staff at Army in West Point, New York, where she helped the Black Knights earn the fourth seed in the Patriot League Tournament en route to posting 23 wins. She helped guide two members of the squad to earn All-NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) honors, including a first-team selection. Cantillo worked primarily with the infield during her stints at Army and Utah State.
Prior to joining the staff at Army, Cantillo coached at Bowling Green, where she helped the Falcons earn a berth in the Mid-American Conference on the way to posting 27 wins in 2013. While at Weber State, Cantillo worked as an assistant in the academic and compliance offices. Cantillo started her collegiate coaching career at Utah State, where the team hit 33 home runs and 215 runs scored, and was instrumental helping three student-athletes earn All-Western Athletic Conference honors. It was the Aggies’ largest contingent on the all-conference team since joining the WAC in 2006.
Cantillo enjoyed a successful career at the University of Georgia (2006-07) leading the Bulldogs to runner-up honors at the NCAA Regionals in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Athens, Georgia. As a freshman in 2006, she finished second on the team with a .354 batting average and 32 runs batted in on a squad that finished 54-15 and 24-6 in the Southeastern Conference. She earned All-SEC second team honors along with being named to the All-Freshman squad. The following year, the Bulldogs posted a 46-28 mark.
Prior to earning her degree in sociology in 2009, the Santa Ana, California native worked as a student coach and student strength and conditioning advisor her final two years at Georgia with the Bulldogs. Following her graduation from Georgia, Cantillo broke into the coaching ranks at Aliso Niguel High School (2009-10). Her sister, RT, currently plays for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch league.
Kaneshiro comes to IPFW after most recently being employed by the City of Boise (Idaho) working with at-risk youth. During her time in Boise, Kaneshiro also worked for the local YMCA as the lead membership representative.
Kaneshiro spent four seasons at Utah State as an infielder, becoming the most prolific home run hitter in school history. She is the only player in Utah State’s history to hit three home runs in a game. Kaneshiro also holds career marks in home runs, slugging percentage, and times hit by pitch. Her single-season home run marks rank first (2010), third (2011), third (2008), and ninth (2012) all-time in program history. In all, Kaneshiro holds seven different Utah State game, season, and career records.
In her Aggie career, Kaneshiro started 177 games, while amassing a .311 batting average with 39 home runs and 110 RBI. Kaneshiro led Utah State all four seasons in home runs. As a senior, Kaneshiro was second on the team with a .340 average, slugging .567, and on-base percentage of .467. As a freshman, Kaneshiro led Utah State in average, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, and slugging.
After her time on the field with the Aggies, the Auburn, Washington, native worked as an intern for the City of Brighton (Utah) in its recreation department supervising adult and youth sports leagues, while also overseeing its event staff.
