Courtesy of Ohio Athletics
ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio University head softball coach, Jodi Hermanek announced today the hiring of former Bobcat Jillian Van Wagnen as an assistant coach.
“As the head coach for the Bobcats, I couldn’t be more excited for this hire,” Hemanek said. “Jillian is a true product of what being a student-athlete for the Ohio University Bobcat’s softball program is all about, and it’s a privilege to offer her the chance to lead future Bobcats towards the same opportunity.”
Van Wagnen spent four years as a player for the Ohio softball squad. While with the team, the outfielder started 161 games from 2009-12. She had a career .308 batting average with 118 hits and 75 runs scored. Van Wagnen also accumulated 69 stolen bases, which is second all-time in school history.
“This is a huge opportunity,” Van Wagnen said. “My love and passion for this program is bigger than ever. I’m happy to be teaming up with Coach Hermanek and Coach McMichael as we continue to build a successful program.”
After graduating from Ohio with a degree in physical education, Van Wagnen worked as an assistant coach for the Newman University softball team in Wichita, Kan. While there, Van Wagnen worked with the outfielders and focused on slap hitting and base stealing.
Van Wagnen also served as the director of operations with the Wichita Mustangs Softball Academy where she supervised daily operations within the organizations.
Recently, Van Wagnen has served as a long-term physical education teacher at Longfellow Middle School in Lorain, Ohio. She also served as the assistant softball coach for the Lorain High School varsity softball team.
“Jillian is a positive, passionate motivator who I will rely on to coach our speed, slapping and defensive work,” Hermanek said. “The coaching and recruiting experience that she has gained since her time in the uniform has prepared her to step into this level of coaching.”
Van Wagnen joins a Bobcat team that went 32-26 where they won their first ever conference tournament title and returned to the NCAA Postseason for the first time since 1995.
