Release courtesy of Gettysburg College Athletic Communications
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Brooke Kalman has been named Gettysburg College's next head softball coach, announced by Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation Mike Mattia on Wednesday.
Kalman returns to her alma mater to take the reins from Annette Hunt-Shepherd, who stepped down last month to become the College's Director of Campus Recreation and Wellness and the department's Senior Woman Administrator after nine seasons as head softball coach.
"I am very excited to have Brooke join our staff," Mattia said. "She stood out from the very beginning of this search. She has had a unique path to get back home to Gettysburg and all that she has learned along the way will help in building upon the recent success of the softball team. She has a passion for Gettysburg coupled with gratitude for her experience from when she was a student-athlete here. Her understanding of what the current team is going through, along with her competitive spirit should translate to an excellent student-athlete experience for the team."
Kalman, a 2014 graduate, spent the last four seasons as the head coach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as well as serving as the head coach at Centennial Conference (CC)-foe Franklin & Marshall and Ripon.
"I am so excited to come home to Gettysburg College and be the next head softball coach of the Bullets," Kalman said. "I want to thank Mike Mattia and the entire search committee who worked with me throughout the entire process. My experience as a Gettysburg student-athlete was life changing and shaped me into the person and coach I am today."
Kalman's MIT squad did not compete during 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but returned to the NCAA tournament last season, guiding the Engineers to a 32-18 record and regional final appearance. She coached a program-record six National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) all-region honorees and a second-team All-America honoree in Katia Pendowski. MIT also had the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rookie of the Year (Mackenzie Bivin) and three NEWMAC all-conference honorees. For the season, the Engineers reset several single-season program records, including team batting average (.330), RBIs (226) and doubles (76). The squad also posted the seventh-highest GPA in Division III during the season with 13 student-athletes being named Scholar All-Americans while two players were named first-team CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
In her first season with the Engineers, Kalman guided the Engineers to a 30-12-1 overall record. MIT entered the NEWMAC playoffs as the second seed after going 15-2-1 in league play and reached the final game of the tournament before being selected to host an NCAA regional for the second straight season. She coached three NFCA all-region honorees, one CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-American and four NEWMAC all-conference student-athletes, including the league's Pitcher of the Year. Overall in two seasons on the diamond, Kalman posted .672 winning percentage at MIT, going 62-30-1,
Kaman coached the 2018 season at Franklin & Marshall, guiding the Diplomats toa 17-21 overall record that included an 8-8 mark in CC play. She coached four all-conference players, including a pair of first-team nods. Her squad finished the season 12th in Division III in fielding percentage (.971).
Prior to her time in Lancaster, she was the head coach at Ripon in Wisconsin for the 2017 season, leading the Red Hawks to the program's highest win total in the five years. She got her coaching start as an assistant coach at Ursinus in 2015 and 2016, where she was responsible for scheduling, practice planning, recruiting and fundraising.
During her playing days with the Bullets, she was a two-time captain and a four-year letterwinner while earning second-team all-conference honors as a senior. She was a member of the 2014 CC Sportsmanship Team and an Academic Honor Roll honoree in 2013. Kalman still ranks fourth in Gettysburg history for runners caught stealing and 17th in career fielding percentage at .977.
"To have the chance to now give back to the place that means so much to me is truly a full circle dream come true," Kalman added. "Anyone who knows Gettysburg College says what makes Gettysburg so special is the people – so thank you to Coach Campo (Abrams at the time), Coach Mowery, and Coach Shepherd, who were the people throughout my time at Gettysburg, who made my experience so special and have mentored me well beyond those years. Finally, a big thank you to both of my parents, without their support attending Gettysburg would not have been a possibility for me. I can't wait to get to work, and elevate this program to the next level."
Kalman earned her bachelor of arts in psychology with a minor in writing in 2014. She earned her master's in clinical mental health counseling from Villanova in 2016. At Villanova, she earned the Beverly B. Kahn Memorial Scholarship that was presented to the person who demonstrates a passion for assisting with the growth of underprivileged students.
Kalman officially assumes her duties at Gettysburg on Sept. 15.