TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 8, 2016) – University of South Florida softball head coach Ken Eriksen announced today the addition of Wally King to his staff as an assistant coach.
“I want to thank coach Eriksen and the administration for this opportunity,” King said. “I am looking forward to working with a world-class staff and developing a shared vision for our athletes that will enable them to reach their best both on and off the field. The standards of excellence at USF, both academically and athletically, match closely with my core values and allow for overall development as students, athletes, and leaders. I believe that in order to build champions you need to build their entire lives on excellence.”
King will take the place of Tommy Santiago, who departed at the end of the 2016 season to coach privately in the area.
“The process to make sure we are not taking any steps back in our coaching staff has been a very patient and relenting process,” Eriksen said. “It actually came full circle back to the one coach that was an immediate thought in complementing our player development philosophy. Having been around Coach King the last seven years it is not hard to see that he is not allergic to hard work and his ability to communicate to high-level athletes is excellent. I am excited that Coach King and his immediate family will be joining the USF Athletic Department family and more excited that someone of his caliber will be on the field with us every day.”
A veteran head coach with more than 20 years of experience, King will join the Bulls from Division II Ferris State, where he served as the head coach for the 2016 season. In his one year the helm of the program, King took a team that finished 16-36 in 2015 and led them to a 36-18 record in 2016.
Prior to his role at Ferris State, King served as the Diamonds Sports Training National Director of Coach & Player Development in Grand Rapids, where he has been a college coach liaison for player contact, overseen the training of athletes and handled all softball-related duties. In addition, he has also worked as a volunteer assistant coach with Furman University and served as an adjunct professor at Muskegon Community College teaching both weight training & health classes.
Before returning to West Michigan, King was the associate head softball coach at Syracuse University from 2008-13. During King’s time on the Orange staff, he helped guide Syracuse to four-straight 30 win seasons and consecutive BIG EAST Championship bids. Syracuse made its deepest postseason run ever in 2012 as the Orange advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals and defeated its highest nationally-ranked opponent ever with a 1-0 victory against second-ranked Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament. SU finished the year listed among the nation’s top 25-ranked teams for the first time.
Prior to joining the Syracuse staff, King served as the assistant coach at Trine University in Angola, Ind. While with the Thunder, King helped guide the squad to the most wins in school history (31) and its first national tournament appearance. The team set school records in runs (251), doubles (70), home runs (24), RBI (212) and had a league-best ERA.
Before his time at Trine, King served as a volunteer assistant coach and hitting instructor in 2006 at Bowling Green State University.
A National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) member, King began his coaching career on the collegiate level at Grand Rapids Community College as the assistant softball coach and head recruiter. During his three seasons with GRCC, King helped develop the program into a national title contender with back-to-back World Series appearances.
King also brings an extensive playing background with two of the world’s top five teams in a fastpitch softball career that spanned from 1985-2003. Between 1998 and 2002, King was the starting centerfielder for the Midland Explorers, the fourth-ranked team in the world, and he spent 2003 with the third-ranked Waterloo Hallman Twins. He was a first-team All-American, as well as state and national tournament MVP with the Kamphuis Pipeline in 1997. In 1996, King helped lead the Midland Metros to the national championship.
A former prep standout at Forest Hills Central High School, King played collegiate baseball at Hope College from 1985-88 where he earned bachelor’s degrees in both sociology and psychology. He later earned his master’s degree in social work from Grand Valley State University in 1994.
