Jayhawk Spotlight: Meet New Softball Assistant Coach Abbie Sims
June 21, 2012
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The newest member of the Jayhawk softball coaching staff, pitching coach and former All-American pitcher Abbie Sims, sat down to discuss her transition to Lawrence, her reasons behind choosing Kansas, her coaching style and more.
After completing her playing career as an All-American pitcher at NC State, followed by a season with the Rockford Thunder of the National Pro Fastpitch league, Sims spent the last five seasons as the top assistant at the University of Houston.
Sims shined at the Conference USA perennial program, training the 2008 C-USA Pitcher of the Year in Angel Shamblin, the 2011 C-USA Newcomer of the Year in Donna Bourgeois and the 2011 NCAA leader in strikeouts per seven innings in Amanda Crabtree. Houston finished the 2011 campaign nationally ranked and only one win shy of a Women’s College World Series berth using a 1.35 team ERA – the best in the nation.
In 2012, Sims helped lead the Cougars to their second-straight NCAA Regional appearance. In her five years in Houston, UH advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals twice in three total postseason appearances.
At Kansas, Sims has already turned her focus toward the upcoming 2013 season. She will prepare and manage the Jayhawk pitching staff, lead the KU Softball pitching and catching camps as well as assist head coach Megan Smith and fellow assistant coach Adam Roorbach with recruiting.
