NEWARK, Del. - - For the second year in a row, the Wilmington University softball coaching staff has been named the 2024 ATEC/NFCA East Region Coaching Staff of the Year, as announced by the organization earlier this month.
Head coach Mike Shehorn completed his 11th season at the helm of the Wildcats in 2024 and has brought the program to new heights throughout his tenure. It is the second year in a row that Shehorn and his cast of assistants (James Brittingham, Tom Freeland, and Jerry Grasso) have earned the Regional Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Shehorn led the Wildcats to a 46-16 overall record and has raised his overall coaching record to 353-197 overall record, bringing his overall winning percentage to .642 in his 11 seasons. The Wildcats have set new single-season wins record in each of the past two years, with 46 victories this year setting the new program mark.
The Wildcats ended the regular season ranked 17th in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, capturing the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships as well as making back-to-back trips to the National Softball Championships with a 5-0 record through Regionals and Super Regionals.
After winning the University's first-ever game at a finals site, the Wildcats finished ranked a program-high No. 5 in the final 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll with 330 points. National Champion UT Tyler ranked atop the final standings followed by Western Washington Indianapolis, and Lenoir-Rhyne.
The 2024 season saw the Wildcats host the CACC Tournament, the NCAA DII East Region 1 Tournament as the No. 1 seed, and the East Super Regional Tournament at Asbury Field: all firsts for the softball program.