April 4, 2006

By Rich Rosenthal, SOU Sports Information

ASHLAND, Ore. - A highly accomplished player and longtime collegiate coach will be Southern Oregon University's next head softball coach. SOU Director of Athletics Dennis Francois today announced current College of Charleston assistant and former University of Nevada-Las Vegas all-star Kim Fritts will replace Larry Binney, who is retiring upon conclusion of the 2006 season.

"We are delighted to have Coach Fritts on our staff," Francois said. "She brings with her a wealth of experience as a player, competing at the NCAA Division I and professional ranks, and she has served as an assistant on some excellent coaching staffs. I am confident that these experiences and her reputation as a great recruiter will assist in keeping our program in the upper echelon of our region and in the NAIA."

Fritts, 34, helped guide College of Charleston to a 53-18 record in 2005 that included a Southern Conference championship and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Hailed for her hitting and pitching instruction and recruitment skills, Fritts served as the lead assistant at Lewis & Clark College (2003-04) and at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a fledgling NCAA Div. I program that qualified for postseason play in each of the school's first three intercollegiate seasons (2000-02).

"Coach Binney has done a fantastic job, and I'm privileged for the opportunity to succeed him," Fritts said. "SOU has built a strong foundation, and my goal is to help take the program to the next level."

The Riverside, Calif. native began her coaching career in 1998 as an assistant at Miami University (Ohio), where she obtained a bachelor's degree in sport organization. The sought-after softball camp clinician coached a Nevada state championship youth ASA team, and she was the co-owner of Desert Storm Softball Academy in Las Vegas, which produced several eventual NCAA standouts, including UCLA's Crissy Buck and Oregon State's Heather Valenty.

As a player, Fritts garnered first-team All-American honors at Fullerton (Calif.) Junior College in 1992 before transferring to UNLV, where she earned Big West Conference and all-region accolades as a catcher. She helped the Rebels rank third nationally by batting .357, driving in 30 runs and gaining team MVP honors in 1993. She went on to play professionally on a traveling team that was the precursor for the Women's Professional Fastpitch League.

Fritts inherits a Raider program that entered the 2006 season seeking the school's fourth consecutive Cascade Conference championship.

"Recruiting is one of my strong suits, and SOU is the type of place that can attract top student-athletes and win championships," Fritts said. "I absolutely love Ashland, and I hope to call it home for a long time to come."

Fritts plans to relocate to the Rogue Valley once College of Charleston completes its season. The Cougars are currently undefeated in league play (3-0).

"We (C of C) fully expect to make the playoffs again," she said, "so it might be late May or early June (before I arrive), but I'm really looking forward to getting started (at SOU)."