Former four-time Division III All-American Molly Rathbun is the new head softball coach at Muhlenberg College.
 
"I am beyond excited to lead the Mules softball program and I am so thankful to [Director of Athletics] Corey Goff, and the search committee, for giving me this amazing opportunity," said Rathbun. "Softball is one of my greatest passions and I am looking forward to bringing my love for this game to Muhlenberg College.
 
"Muhlenberg is a special place to be. I could feel it immediately upon my arrival to campus, and I am so thrilled to be a part of the Muhlenberg community!"
 
Rathbun enjoyed a tremendous career at Eastern Connecticut State University, leading the Warriors to three Little East Conference championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and two national finishes in the top five (third in 2010 and fifth in 2011). She was named to the All-America second team as a freshman and the first team each of the next three years.
 
Rathbun compiled a four-year record of 103-14 with a 0.88 ERA as a pitcher while hitting .390 with 28 home runs. She pitched nine no-hitters and finished her career holding school records for appearances, innings, starts, wins, winning percentage, strikeouts, saves, complete games, shutouts, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage and runs batted in. Through the 2015 season, Rathbun ranked in the top 20 in Division III history in appearances (10th), wins (10th), saves (tied for ninth), winning percentage (12th), strikeouts (sixth) and shutouts (seventh).
 
Following her graduation in 2012, Rathbun spent two years as an assistant coach at her alma mater. For the last two seasons, she was a graduate assistant at Springfield College while earning her master's degree in sport and exercise psychology. Her thesis, "Mental Skills, Anxiety, and Field Position in Softball," looked at pre-competitive anxiety level differences and mental skill usage differences between positions in Division III collegiate softball athletes.
 
Rathbun spent two years apiece as head coach of the 16U Lady Knights and 18U Eliminators in her home state of Connecticut. She has served as a private pitching and hitting instructor since 2007 and was the head instructor at a three-week clinic with the Liaoning Chinese National Team at Springfield in the summer of 2015.
 
Rathbun also played internationally on trips to Curacao (June 2010) and Prague (June 2013).

The ninth head coach in program history, Rathbun inherits a Mule squad that won the Centennial Conference regular-season or tournament championship three times in the last six years and set a College record for all sports by winning 31 games in 2013. Muhlenberg is tied for second in the 23-year history of the league with five championships.