Kelly Roberts returns for her second season as the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs pitching coach in 2020-2021.
This past year Kelly Roberts compeleted her first season as the pitching coach for the 2019-20 season.
Previously, Roberts spent the 2019 campaign as an assistant coach at Wingate University to current GWU associate coach Lani Ries with previous coaching stops at the University of Rio Grande (2014) and Upper Iowa University (2015-2017). She will work with Gardner-Webb’s pitchers.
In addition to three collegiate coaching positions, Roberts also spent time as a camp advisor and team coach for USA Preps Softball Camp in Palmdale, Calif.
During her time at Upper Iowa University, she worked with the team’s pitchers while also heading up fundraising, community engagement, recruiting, field maintenance and academic progress reports. She helped Upper Iowa take Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament crown in 2016, and off the field, the team won the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Academic Award in 2016 and 2017 with team GPAs of 3.76 and 3.80 respectively.
A four-year student-athlete, Roberts began her college career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and led the team to back-to-back Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles and NCAA Division II tournament appearances. With Roberts in the circle, the Crimson Hawks advanced to the 2011 NCAA Division II World Series, and Roberts earned All-PSAC honors as a sophomore.
For her final two seasons, Roberts transferred Tusculum University. She led the Pioneers to a SAC title in 2013 and was named to the All-SAC Tournament Team. In 2014, Roberts broke the Pioneers’ single-season and career shutout record and was named Honorable Mention All-South Atlantic Conference.
Roberts earned her B.S. in Sport Management from Tusculum in 2014 and received her M.A. in Athletic Coaching Leadership from the University of Rio Grande in 2016.
