MState Softball's Jay Miller Named USA Softball Women's National Team Head Coach
February 16, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State head softball coach Jay Miller has been selected to the prestigious position of head coach of the USA Softball Women's National Team, the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) and the USA Softball Women's National team selection committee announced Monday afternoon. A long-time veteran of the United States coaching ranks, Miller will now lead the four-time Olympic medal-winning team as it enters the 2009 season.
The USA Softball Women's National team coaching staff will be selected from the existing coaching pool and will be named at a later date.
"This is a tremendous honor," Miller, who became MState's winningest coach this past weekend with a 223-166 record, said. "I have been fortunate to work with USA Softball for almost 20 years in one capacity or another, and this is a great opportunity. I have been fortunate to work with the best softball players in the world, and I look forward to doing so again this summer."
Miller will serve as USA Softball's head coach as it embarks on the quest of trying to help get the sport back on the Summer Olympic Program. In addition to heading up the national team training camps during the month of June, the U.S. will take part in the Canada Cup July 3-12 and the World Cup 4 in Oklahoma City July 13-20.
The 2009 slate also includes a trip to the Japan Cup July 28-Aug. 3 and the Aug. 4-11 Pan Am Qualifier in Guadalajara, Mexico.
"Jay Miller's selection as the head coach of our Women's National team will bring a wealth of experience to our program," ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Ron Radigonda said. "All of us at ASA/USA Softball are fortunate to have coaches like Jay that are committed to our program and the development of softball worldwide. I am looking forward to working with Jay as USA Softball embarks on a very aggressive 2009 schedule to showcase softball this year prior to the IOC vote that hopefully reinstates softball to the Summer Olympic Program."
Miller's most recent international success came in 2007 when he led the USA Junior National Team to the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in the Netherlands. The gold medal-winning effort capped a run that included a perfect 10-0 mark in the qualifiers the previous fall.
"Jay brings to the table proven success at the international level, extensive knowledge of the game and a long history in several capacities with the USA Softball Women's Program," USA Softball Director of National Teams Ronnie Isham said. "I look forward to working with Jay and his leadership of the USA Softball Women's Program into the future."
The NFCA Hall of Fame inductee earned his first international experience during the 1992-96 quadrennium, serving on the selection committee that would ultimately be in charge of selecting the squad that would go on to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
He also served as head coach of the U.S. Red squad that won the gold at the 2001 U.S. Cup, and the USA Elite team that won the 2003 Canada Cup after finishing runner-up a year earlier.
In 2004, he assisted the national squad to gold medals at the International Sports Invitational and the Intercontinental Cup. After assisting the 2005 U.S. squad to silver at the Canada Cup, Miller helped the Red, White and Blue to the 2006 World University Games championship in Taiwan.
Miller has led his 2009 Bulldogs to a 6-2 start in his seventh season in Starkville. Currently in his 27th season as a collegiate head coach, Miller has built an impressive 932-581 record, ranking him 12th among active NCAA Division I coaches in wins. He has led MState to the postseason five times in his first six seasons.
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