Jennifer McFalls Named New Kansas Head Coach
New Kansas Athletic Director Jeff Long made his first significant move as the Jayhawks AD by hiring Jennifer McFalls as the new Head Coach on Monday night. McFalls takes over for Megan Smith who left for Marshall.
McFalls becomes the second former Texas assistant under Connie Clark this past season to get a head coaching job. Tripp McKay became the new Kennesaw State head coach on June 29.
The move comes as a surprise to some in the industry as interim head coach Rich Wieligman, who joined the Jayhawks coaching staff last summer as an assistant coach, was the odds-on favorite to get the job once Smith departed to Marshall.
McFalls coached under Clark at Texas (2011-2018) helping lead the Longhorns to the Women’s College World Series in 2013. McFalls experience as a head coach includes the National Pro-Fastpitch’s Dallas Charge back in 2015.
McFalls played on the USA’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2000 Olympics, scoring the game-winning run in the USA’s victory over Japan in the gold-medal game. She also scored the only run in the USA’s 1-0 win over Australia to send the Americans to the gold-medal game. She was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1994-2000, helping her teams to a gold medal in the 1999 Pan American Games and a gold medal at the 1998 World Championships.
The question now is where does Wieligman end up for the 2019 season? Another person that has been affected by this move is former Ohio University assistant coach Jeremy Manley who was lined up to join the Jayhawks coaching staff this offseason under Megan Smith sources tell FastpitchNews. Manley who would have taken over for Abbie Butler who left the coaching industry following the 2018 season would also have been on the Kansas coaching staff had Wieligman gotten the promotion.
Instead, it is uncertain where Manley ends up and in what role. Manley is regarded as one of the top young pitching coaches in the game as some have compared him to Mike White with both having ties to New Zealand. Manley helped Ohio make NCAA Tournament this past season in just his second season at Ohio. Manley had interviewed for head coaching job this off-season at couple of division one head coaching jobs. Does Manley continue to look for a head coaching job or an assistant coaching job for the 2019 season?
Another interesting question will now be who does McFalls bring in to her staff? These questioned will be figured out as the fall develops.