Kathy Stewart is in her 12th season as the head softball coach at NKU. Stewart is 370-200 in 11 years as the NKU softball coach and is the program’s all-time winningest coach.
Last season, Stewart engineered a dramatic turnaround for the Norse, as the team won 12 of its final 15 games on the season to finish with a 32-23 record and claim the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship for the second time in team history.
Four seasons ago, Stewart led her team to a 41-21 record and a fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament berth. NKU advanced to the championship round of the Great Lakes Region Tournament at Edwardsville, Ill., and finished as regional runner-up.
In 2005, Stewart guided NKU to 55 consecutive victories - a collegiate softball record - en route to the NCAA Division II national finals at Salem, Va. The Norse finished with a 55-2 record, won the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament and regular-season titles, and also captured the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship for the second straight year.
NKU also vaulted to No. 1 nationally in the Division II poll for the first time in history and remained atop those rankings much of the spring. The Norse featured three All-Americans, including Division II National Player of the Year Krystal Lewallen.
Stewart was named GLVC Coach of the Year for the third time in her career.
In 2004, Stewart led the Norse to 54 victories and the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional championship. NKU posted a 54-7 record, finished 19-1 in the GLVC and advanced to the NCAA Division II national finals at Altamonte Springs, Fla.
In addition, Stewart was named GLVC Coach of the Year. The Norse were ranked as high as No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll and hosted the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional at Highland Heights, Ky.
During the 2003 season, Stewart guided NKU to a 36-17 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Norse defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 11-2, in the first round for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.
In 2002, Stewart led the Norse to 36 wins and guided NKU to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in history. The Norse also finished second in the GLVC regular-season standings with a 16-3 record.
Prior to accepting the NKU job, Stewart was the head softball coach at Fairfield (Ohio) High School from 1992-96 where she compiled a 77-23 record. A 1988 graduate of NKU, Stewart led Fairfield to three Greater Miami Conference championships and was named GMC Coach of the Year in 1994 and ’96.
