Kingery Resigns as NWU Softball Coach

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March 28, 2012

Lance Kingery has announced his decision to resign as the head softball coach at Nebraska Wesleyan University due to personal reasons. His resignation will be effective immediately.Lance Kingery

Kingery, the NWU all-time leader in career softball victories, was in his 11th season as the head softball coach for the Prairie Wolves. In his 11 seasons he compiled a 213-172 (.553) record and went over the 200-career victories mark last season. He led the Prairie Wolves to six-straight 20-win seasons from 2006-2011.

“Lance has raised the NWU softball program to unprecedented heights,” Nebraska Wesleyan Athletic Director Ira Zeff said. “He has recruited student-athletes who have represented Nebraska Wesleyan very well on the field, in the classroom and as members of our community.”

Last season, Kingery tied the school record with 28 victories as he coached the Prairie Wolves to a 28-9 overall record, the highest winning percentage in school history. For the second consecutive season he coached the team to a No. 2 seed in the GPAC Tournament and had the Prairie Wolves receiving votes in the NAIA National Top 25 poll. NWU finished second in the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings each of the past two seasons and in each year had a player earn GPAC Player-of-the-Year honors.

He coached NWU’s first ever 1st-Team All-GPAC players, had a player earn NFCA All-Region honors for the first time in school history and moved NWU up to their highest ever regional ranking.

This season the Prairie Wolves opened the season with a 2-8 record. NWU went 1-7 on their spring trip to Florida, with three losses to nationally-ranked NAIA opponents. The Prairie Wolves split their GPAC opening doubleheader on Tuesday (Mar. 27) at Hastings.

“I know Lance wanted to finish the season but circumstances out of his control have forced him to come to this decision,” Zeff added. “I want to thank Lance for his contributions to the athletic tradition of excellence and wish him well.”

Butch McLaren, a 10-year assistant under Coach Kingery, will serve as the interim coach for NWU softball the rest of the 2012 season.

Nebraska Wesleyan will have their home opener this Saturday (Mar. 31) when they host Briar Cliff in a GPAC doubleheader at University Place Park.