North Carolina State University Athletics
Two New Assistant Softball Coaches Named to Staff
6/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
June 5, 2003
RALEIGH, N.C. - Tanya Spishak, a former softball player at both North Carolina and Virginia, and Pat Conlan, a former All-American pitcher at Connecticut, both enter their first season as assistant coaches with the Wolfpack softball program, head coach Lisa Navas announced.
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Spishak arrives at NC State after spending two seasons as head coach at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. She recently guided her top catcher to both an all-region and Atlantic-Sun All-Conference honor. Prior to her appointment at Belmont, Spishak gained five years of coaching experience at the Division I level, beginning with Northeast Louisiana University. After spending one season as agraduate assistant, she moved on to Furman University for the next three years before assisting one season at Mercer University.
"I am excited to be a part of the new program and the competition in the ACC," said Spishak. "I have been afforded the opportunity to coach with a person who has a proven track record of building and being involved in successful programs."
Spishak started her collegiate career as a player at North Carolina from 1992-93 and then transferred to ACC foe, Virginia. It was as a Cavalier that Spishak made her mark in the conference. In 1994, she was named to the All-ACC team after helping her squad to an ACC Tournament Championship. She then went on to become a member of the ACC All-Tournament team. Spishak also garnered All-ACC Academic honors both seasons. The ACC standout earned her bachelor of arts in history at Virginia and then went on to receive a masters of education at Furman while serving as an assistant coach.
"Tanya's knowledge of the game and experience in coaching will assist with teaching our young team what it takes to win," said Navas. "I have known her for over seven years, she has been a great friend and a sounding block for me. I am excited to have her on our staff."
Pat Conlan comes to the Wolfpack after six seasons as an assistant coach with the Connecticut Huskies. In 2001, she was a member of the National Fastpitch Coaching Association Northeast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year after directing the team to a BIG EAST Championship title. Conlan's Division I experience extends beyond her alma mater. She was the head softball coach at Fairfield University for three seasons, a position which she gained after assisting for two years.
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As the head coach at Fairfield, Conlan earned Metro Atlantic Coach of the Year honors in 1997 after leading the Stags to a school record 29 wins, a runner-up finish in the MAAC Tournament and the program's first winning season since 1988. As a player at UConn, the pitcher led the Huskies to a fifth place finish in the 1993 Women's College World Series. In that year, Conlan earned her All-American status, was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, first team All-BIG EAST, All-New England, All-ECAC and All-Northeast. During her four years as a player, her teams captured four BIG EAST Tournament titles, while she collected a 55-17 career record. She also set school records for wins in a season (26), shutous in a season (14), complete games (26) and consecutive innings without allowing an earned run (73.2). Her 1993 ERA of 0.33 ranked nationally as she allowed just 11 earned runs in 231.1 innings.
Conlan earned a bachelor of science in human development and family studies at the University of Connecticut and is working towards her masters of education.
"Pat is one of the top pitching coaches in the country," said Navas. "She is great with players and has a wonderful personality which blends well with our staff. She has proven herself as a Divison I coach and as a player, obvisously demonstrated in her successful history. And, anyone who has ever met Pat knows she is a wonderful person."
Both coaches have spent a considerable amount of time working at various instructional camps throughout the country. Spishak was the coordinator of the North Carolina catcher camp and has worked camps at Furman, East Carolina and the American Softball Association's 18-U Shamrock camps. Conlan owned and ran the Huskies Homerun Softball camp for three years and has been involved with camps at Furman, Hofstra and Rutgers among several others.
The newly instated softball program will begin competition in the 2003-04 season.
