BOONE, N.C. – App State softball head coach Shelly Hoerner has agreed to a contract extension that runs through 2025, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Monday. The extension was approved by Chancellor Sheri Everts and the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.
"Since we hired Shelly in 2017, App State Softball has been on an upward trajectory," Gillin said. "Shelly is a tremendous leader for our softball program, and we look forward to our student-athletes' continued pursuit of excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community."
Now entering her fifth season as the Mountaineers' head coach, she has led the program to three straight winning seasons for the first time in school history. App State had posted a win-loss record below .500 in each of the four seasons before her arrival.
This past spring, the Mountaineers went 27-19 and captured their first Sun Belt Tournament victory (against Georgia State), while pitcher Kenzie Longanecker and outfielder Gabby Buruato were named all-conference.
"I would like to thank the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Everts and Doug Gillin for their confidence in me to continue to lead our program," Hoerner said. "I am humbled and honored to be the head softball coach at App State. My family and I love it here. The vision Doug has, and his support for the future of our program, is beyond exciting. We have cultivated a family-first, blue-collar culture that will continue to elevate the growth of App State Softball. It is a testament to the buy-in of our student-athletes past, present and future, our coaching and support staff that makes me proud to be their leader. I am so proud and thankful to be a part of App Nation and our Boone community."
After being hired in June 2017, Hoerner immediately led the Mountaineers to their best record in four years during the 2018 season. App State then tied the program record for wins in a season during the 2019 campaign, notching a 31-25 record.
App State, which had not won more than two Sun Belt games in a season prior to Hoerner's arrival, posted 13 victories against league competition in 2019. The team earned its first Sun Belt Tournament berth as the No. 5 seed and its first postseason berth to the NISC.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Hoerner guided the Mountaineers to a 13-9 record, which included a 1-0 win over the ACC's Virginia Cavaliers and a Sydney Holland no-hitter in a win against UNC Greensboro.
Five of App State's six total All-Sun Belt selections have occurred since Hoerner's arrival, and App State Softball had its first-ever draft pick, as infielder Haley Stewart was selected No. 30 overall in the American Softball Association Draft after the 2019 season.
Off the field, Hoerner's team has excelled in both the classroom and in helping others in the High Country community. The softball team finished with a 3.60 spring 2021 semester grade point average, and their cumulative GPA ranked 13th out of 121 Division I softball programs in the fall of 2021 according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
In the community, App State ranked No. 8 nationally in community service hours among softball programs in 2018-19, according to hours recorded through the Helper Helper platform.
