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Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly promoted Aubrey Leach-Gartner from director of player development to an assistant coach, Weekly announced June 15.
Before Leach-Gartner's promotion to director of player development in 2024, she spent the previous three seasons as a graduate assistant while attending law school.
Leach-Gartner fills the other opening on Weekly's staff after Craig Snider and Stephanie Snider left to coach the new professional team, the Knoxville Miracle.
"Aubrey is one of the brightest young minds in the game," Weekly said in a school release. "We are blessed that she chose to make Tennessee her home in 2016 as a freshman in our Lady Vol program. It has been such a joy to watch her career progress from college player to professional player and now a college coach.
"Our young women have benefited greatly from her expertise and mentorship through the years, and our student-athletes are ecstatic about continuing to work with Aubrey."
Weekly's other new hire is associate head coach Ehren Earleywine, who will taking over as hitting coach. Weekly also promoted pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith to associate head coach, although she'll still oversee Tennessee's pitching staff.
Leach has been on Tennessee's staff during one of its most successful five-year runs in program history. The Lady Vols have been to the Women's College World Series semifinals in three of the last four years and won three SEC championships.
Leach was a two-time NFCA All-American while playing at Tennessee from 2016-19, which included a first-team nod as a junior in 2018. Leach has played professionally since graduating, first with Scrap Yard Fast Pitch and then Athletes Unlimited, and she's a key player in the U.S. national team pool as the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics approach. Leach has won gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 Pan American Games.
Leach plays for the Carolina Blaze in AUSL, which is where Tennessee star pitcher Karlyn Pickens was drafted with the No. 1 pick this year.
"Tennessee softball is home, and there is no place I would rather be," Leach-Gartner said in a school release. "I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue pushing the Lady Vol legacy into the future. I cannot thank Karen enough for believing in me as a player and now as an assistant coach."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee softball promotes Aubrey Leach to assistant coach
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Before Leach-Gartner's promotion to director of player development in 2024, she spent the previous three seasons as a graduate assistant while attending law school.
Leach-Gartner fills the other opening on Weekly's staff after Craig Snider and Stephanie Snider left to coach the new professional team, the Knoxville Miracle.
"Aubrey is one of the brightest young minds in the game," Weekly said in a school release. "We are blessed that she chose to make Tennessee her home in 2016 as a freshman in our Lady Vol program. It has been such a joy to watch her career progress from college player to professional player and now a college coach.
"Our young women have benefited greatly from her expertise and mentorship through the years, and our student-athletes are ecstatic about continuing to work with Aubrey."
Weekly's other new hire is associate head coach Ehren Earleywine, who will taking over as hitting coach. Weekly also promoted pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith to associate head coach, although she'll still oversee Tennessee's pitching staff.
Leach has been on Tennessee's staff during one of its most successful five-year runs in program history. The Lady Vols have been to the Women's College World Series semifinals in three of the last four years and won three SEC championships.
Leach was a two-time NFCA All-American while playing at Tennessee from 2016-19, which included a first-team nod as a junior in 2018. Leach has played professionally since graduating, first with Scrap Yard Fast Pitch and then Athletes Unlimited, and she's a key player in the U.S. national team pool as the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics approach. Leach has won gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 Pan American Games.
Leach plays for the Carolina Blaze in AUSL, which is where Tennessee star pitcher Karlyn Pickens was drafted with the No. 1 pick this year.
"Tennessee softball is home, and there is no place I would rather be," Leach-Gartner said in a school release. "I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue pushing the Lady Vol legacy into the future. I cannot thank Karen enough for believing in me as a player and now as an assistant coach."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee softball promotes Aubrey Leach to assistant coach
Continue reading...
