KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that Bruce Lenington of Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) has been named the 2024 NAIA Softball Coach of the Year, marking the first time Lenington has received the honor.

Lenington guided the Saints to the program's first NAIA Red Banner in program history after a 57-3 season.

The Saints concluded their season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, running through their regular season slate-suffering only one loss to Central Washington back on February 7; at the tail end of a stellar season, OLLU won their last seven consecutive games to wrap up play. After suffering what would become the last loss of the season in the 2024 Red River Athletic Conference Championship Game to LSU Alexandria (La.), OLLU  outscored opponents 19-3 in the seven-game span. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) didn't allow a run to be scored against them until the NAIA World Series Semifinal game, which went eight innings.

In the 2024 season, Lenington guided his team to impressive numbers, hitting .347 as a team, and topped nearly every offensive category this season. Including, hits (466), doubles (90), triples (13), home runs (53), RBI (319), and extra-base hits (156).

Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) was the top-ranked team in the nation from the first regular season rating on March 6 through the final rating ahead of conference tournaments on May 1. Lenington coached the 2024 Player of the Year and two-time NAIA All-American First-Team selection in pitcher Cassandra Valdez who put up impressive numbers all season long.

The NAIA Softball National Coach of the Year is selected through an election process following the annual World Series involving all NAIA Softball Coaches. All conferences, Continental Athletic Conference, and the World Series quarterfinalists are included on the ballot.