March 18, 2024
Mallory Chapman Selected Head Softball Coach
Wheeling, W. Va., March 18 – During her time on the field with the Cardinals, Mallory Chapman helped bring the Wheeling Softball team back to prominence, leading them to a Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship game appearance back in 2018. After spending the past four seasons as an assistant, Chapman is back in a leadership role for the team in 2024. The Wheeling University Athletics Department announced Chapman as the new Head Softball Coach as she looks to bring the program back to championship caliber.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to lead these young women,” said Chapman. “I especially want to thank Carrie Hanna for believing in my abilities to be the leader of this program. I am so honored to give back to the same program that shaped me as a player and a woman. I want our team to continue to embody the mission of our university as men and women for others both in the classroom and on the field. And as always, Go Cards!”
After graduating in 2018, Chapman had a professional tryout with the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fast Pitch but did not accept a position, instead heading into the workforce. She works full time at Wheeling Hospital, where she serves as a Respiratory Therapist, and has been serving as the Wheeling Softball team’s pitching coach for the past four seasons. During that time, she has helped a young rotation grow and excel in the circle. The Cardinals best season under Chapman came during the 2021 season when they had a team ERA of 5.07 and a 1.92 WHIP.
She will continue to help the pitchers grow and Athletic Director Carrie Hanna is excited to see her excel in this new role.
“There is no better coach and mission fit person to lead our Wheeling University Softball Program than Mallory Chapman,” said Hanna. “Her dedication, loyalty, commitment, and pursuit of excellence on the field, in the classroom, and in our Wheeling, community has been unwavering and proven since she joined our Cardinal Family nearly a decade ago. Mal Chapman, has been a pillar of excellence and stability for Wheeling University’s Women’s Softball program and is more than ready to fulfill the role of Head Coach.”
In her four seasons in a Cardinal’s uniform, Chapman led the Cardinals to the MEC Tournament in each of those four seasons. She made an impact right from her freshman season, when she went 15-8 with a 1.36 ERA over 27 games, 21 starts. She won 15 or more games in each of her four seasons in a Cardinal’s uniform and helped lead them to their first ever MEC Championship game during the 2018 season. Chapman still holds the program record with 682 strikeouts and held the MEC record for career strikeouts until the 2022 season when Glenville State pitcher Holly Brehm broke her record.
Her best season came during that 2018 campaign, where she led the team to the MEC Championship game. She went 19-15 during the season with a 1.74 ERA while striking out 202 batters. She pitched in every game throughout the MEC Tournament that’s season and allowed just four earned runs across the five games. Her best performance came in the championship game, where she pitched into extra innings. She went 8.2 innings of work, allowing one unearned run on five hits while striking out seven batters. She struck out 17 batters over 36.2 innings of work in the tournament and cemented herself as one of the top pitchers in the program’s history.