University of Tennessee at Chattanooga assistant softball coach Brad Irwin will be leaving the Lady Mocs to take over as the head softball coach at East Tennessee State University.
The hiring was announced Wednesday by ETSU athletic director Dave Mullins. Irvin replaces Andrea Mangrum, who was fired in May with a 126-161 career record.
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to be a Division I head coach," Irwin said Wednesday. "This has always been a goal of mine. I'm a competitve person, and naturally I was drawn by a opportunity at the highest level. My wife, Rachel, and I felt it was the right time to branch out."
The Lady Bucs were 21-35 this past season, 5-15 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
"I don't know a whole lot about the team other than looking at stats," Irwin said. "They struggled last season, but there's a good nucleus of players to build from."
Pitcher Jessica Duncan from Ooltewah High School and Chattanooga State and third baseman Amy Campbell from GPS were among the top players on the Lady Bucs' 2010 team, and GPS catcher Jackie Baird is an incoming freshman. Baird was a three-time Best of Preps all-city first-teamer and batted .488 with seven home runs, 21 doubles and 60 RBIs as a senior.
Irwin, who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from UTC, began his career with the Lady Mocs under former coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly before leaving to help at Lee University. He returned to UTC under coach Frank Reed in 2007 and has worked with hitters and assisted with recruiting.
During Irwin's time at UTC under both Reed and the Weeklys, the Lady Mocs won seven regular-season Southern Conference championships and four SoCon tournaments.
Irwin said that working under Reed was a huge help in him getting the ETSU job.
"Frank has been very supportive in this process," Irwin said. "He taught me how to run a program the right way, and my time with him was invaluable.
"(UTC) softball gets noticed anywhere in the South, and working for this program definitely got my foot in the door. From my time at UTC, I know what it takes to build a winning program at the mid-major level."