Tudor introduced as new softball coach

gomastodons.com

Lucas Aulbach

Amy Tudor was introduced as the new coach of the WKU softball team at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Tudor, a 2002 WKU graduate and former player who spent the past four seasons as coach at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, is taking over for former coach Tyra Perry, who accepted the same position at Ball State earlier in August.

Tudor was a three-year captain for the Lady Toppers during her time as a player and was a member of the first softball team in school history. She holds the WKU record by throwing out 23 runners attempting to steal back in 2002.

She said she is thrilled to be back at WKU as a coach.

“This is an awesome opportunity to return to where I ended my career,” Tudor said. “I feel that this is a very special and unique place to be not only as a student-athlete, now as the head coach of the softball program.”

Athletics Director Todd Stewart said on Wednesday that he planned to have the coaching search finished sometime this week.

He said she stood out as the best candidate for the position because of her history at WKU as well as her strong coaching record – she won 68 percent of her games at IPFW.

“She knows our program well and knows what it means to wear WKU on the uniform,” Stewart said.

Tudor said she hopes to build on the success WKU had on the field last season. The Lady Toppers finished 43-18 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history during the 2012-13 season.

“It’s one of those experiences that only really happens once in your life and I want to take it to the next level,” she said. “I want to build on what Trya Perry has done with the softball team last season and be able to take the softball team to that very next level.”