Courtesy of Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Head coach Megan Smith announced the hiring of Mary Jo Firnbach to the Kansas softball staff Friday. Firnbach will join the Jayhawks and serve as the associate head coach.
“When we started the process of adding a coach to our staff, we were looking for someone that could help elevate our program to the next level,” said Smith. “MJ Firnbach is exactly that. She has been successful as a head coach and associate head coach at the highest level and will bring so much experience and knowledge to our staff and players. Our players will benefit specifically from her offensive expertise and her ability to develop elite hitters. MJ’s character and demeanor are a perfect fit for our program’s family-like atmosphere and we can’t wait to see the impact that she will make!”
Firnbach’s primary responsibilities at Kansas include, working with the offense, defense and the Jayhawk outfielders. She will also assist with recruiting and camps and clinics.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join the Kansas softball program and return to the Big 12 conference,” said Firnbach. “There are a lot of great changes happening with the program, the dedication and support from the administration to get KU where it wants to be is great. I can’t wait to get to campus and start helping KU achieve its goals and reach the top.”
Prior to joining the KU, Firnbach spent the last eight seasons at Texas A&M as the associate head coach. Firnbach’s major job functions included working with hitters, infielders, team defense and offense. She also shared recruiting duties, and assisted with camps and clinics and the overall management of the program.
While at Texas A&M, Firnbach made an immediate and positive impact on the Aggie softball program, building the team’s batting average to an impressive .284 her first season and an even better .290 with the 2008 NCAA national runner-up squad. By the end of the 2013 season, the Aggies boasted a .304 team batting average under Firnbach’s tutelage.
Firnbach spent seven seasons as the head coach at Syracuse University before heading to Aggieland. At helm of the Orange, Firnbach compiled an overall record of 174-169-1. Under her direction, SU established a new school record for victories (36) and made its third appearance in the BIG EAST Championship, earning Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2005.
Previously, Firnbach served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Illinois State for three years. The Redbirds won Missouri Valley Conference crowns in 1996 and 1997 before Firnbach was named the head coach of the Orange in 1998.
Firnbach entered the coaching profession immediately following her college graduation, serving as a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons at Southern Illinois, her alma mater, while completing her master’s degree in sport psychology. She served as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan from 1993 to 1995 where she helped lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten Conference regular season and tournament championship, the National Invitational Tournament title and to an appearance in the College World Series.
On the professional level, Firnbach played the 1991 season for the Raybestos Brakettes in Stratford, Connecticut. The Brakettes won the national championship and the gold medal at the Olympic Sports Festival. She also played with the Michigan Cruise in Ann Arbor, Michigan, finishing fifth at the national tournament in 1994.
As a student, Firnbach was a four-year standout at third base at Southern Illinois, where in 1991 she earned an undergraduate degree in community health education. While at SIU, Firnbach was named team captain in 1991, a season in which the Salukis went 42-7 and were the Gateway Conference regular season and tournament champions. She was a two-time Gateway All-Conference first-team selection and an All-Midwest second-team honoree.
Firnbach also received several accolades recognizing her accomplishments on and off the playing field. She was named the Gateway Conference Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s and was Southern Illinois’ nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year in 1991. In 1996, Firnbach was inducted into the Southern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the Woodstock High School Hall of Fame.
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