Softball Coaching Staff

NEWARK, N.J. (October 4, 2016) – Head Softball Coach Kristen Hunt announced the hiring of two assistant coaches, former Scarlet Raider Kelsey Lucas and former player Eileen Purcell.
 
The pair started working with the Scarlet Raiders during the beginning of the team's Fall season.
 
"I am incredibly lucky to have both Kelsey and Eileen on the staff this year," said Hunt. "They both bring a wealth of knowledge to our program, and will be huge assets for both Laura (Messina) and myself."
 
Lucas was the 2016 Scarlet Raiders team captain and helped Rutgers-Newark to the most successful season in program history. The Scarlet Raiders won 21 games, set a new New Jersey Athletic Conference program wins record and reached the Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Championship for the first time.
 
Lucas hit .284 as a senior, playing in and starting each and every one of the Scarlet Raiders' 42 games, slugging a lofty .504. Lucas blasted a team-best five home runs, got on base at a .323 clip, and played a very strong shortstop after never playing that position in her softball career.
 
For her Rutgers-Newark career, Lucas drove in 61 runs and totaled 115 hits. She also totaled 166 bases, 15 stolen bases, 93 runs scored and 31 extra-base hits.
 
A Criminal Justice major at Rutgers-Newark, Lucas was a part of 39 wins over the last two seasons which is the best two-year run the program has ever seen.
 
Eileen Purcell was the 2011 Newark Star Ledger Player of the Year and went on to star at Division I Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. She graduated with a career slash line of .292/.345/.423, slugging a career best .469 as a senior.
 
Purcell blasted 12 career homers, drove in 83 runs and racked up 158 career hits, ripping 47 as a senior. She appeared in 183 career games and had 606 plate appearances.
 
In addition to the impressive individual numbers, Purcell's team accomplishments stand out as well as the Blue Devils won 30-plus games in three of her four seasons, and she helped guide her teams to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Both Lucas and Purcell work for the NJ Heist club program out of Bloomfield, N.J., with Lucas working with the 14U team and Purcell coaching with the 18U Elite squad. Additionally, Lucas spent time with Top Gun Softball based in Edison, N.J. in 2015.