Bowling Green State University Athletics
Lena Richards Named Softball Assistant Coach
December 05, 2001 | Softball
Dec. 5, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Lena Richards has been named assistant softball coach at Bowling Green State University, BGSU head softball coach Leigh Ross-Shaw has announced.
"I am proud and thankful to be part of such a great program," said Richards. "I look forward to adding to the success of the BGSU program, and to the Falcons having another successful season in 2002."
A native of East Lansing, Mich., Richards is no stranger to BGSU or the Mid-American Conference. She played two years of softball at the University of Toledo, earning All-MAC First-Team honors in both 1995 and 1996.
"I am very pleased with the addition of Lena to our coaching staff," said Ross-Shaw. "She is knowledgeable in the game and possesses a great amount of energy. She is a perfect fit for the BGSU softball family."
Most recently, Richards coached the Suburban Girls Softball Magic 16 & Under team in Toledo. She was the pitching and defensive coach for the summer program, and also held recruiting duties for the team.
Richards' background also includes coaching stints at a pair of Toledo area high schools, Anthony Wayne (Waterville, Ohio) and Whitmer. She was the head coach of the junior varsity squad at the former school, during the 2000 season, and was the varsity assistant at the latter (1997 and 1998).
Away from the diamond, Richards also has held several positions in sales and marketing. Just prior to joining the BGSU program, she spent six months as a territory account manager for Carpe Diem Sales & Marketing in Maumee. Previously, Richards was an account specialist at Boise Marketing Services, Inc., also in Maumee.
Richards, a 1992 graduate of East Lansing High School, spent two years at Grand Rapids Community College prior to going to UT. She was a two-time all-state and all-region selection for Grand Rapids CC, being named a second-team All-American as a sophomore. That year, she hit .397 with 23 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases. She had a slugging percentage of .531 and an on-base pct. of .540.
At Toledo, she was a two-year starter at third base. In 1995, her first season, she led the Rockets in nine categories en route to all-league and All-Mideast Region honors. Richards set school single-season records in both games played (67) and at-bats (212), and also paced the team in hits (69), total bases (93), slugging pct. (.439), runs (40), homers (three), stolen bases (12) and sacrifices (18). She hit .325 on the year as the Rockets finished 37-30 overall and placed fourth in the MAC with a 19-16 league record.
In 1996, Richards capped off her career by hitting a team-best .369, as UT finished second in the MAC with a 21-8 league mark. She also led the team in runs (25), hits (58), doubles (10), RBI (18), total bases (71) and stolen bases (16).
Richards still holds the school seasonal records for games played and at-bats. She ranks third in school history in batting average, with a .344 mark (Ross-Shaw holds the school record of .398).
Richards earned a Bachelor of Education degree from Toledo in 1997, with a grade point average of 3.3.
The Falcons finished the 2001 season with an overall record of 35-19, tying for the second-highest win total in school history. BGSU won the MAC's East Division with a league record of 19-5. Ross-Shaw was named the MAC Coach of the Year, and BGSU also boasted the league's player of the year (Nikki Rouhana) and four all-league first-team selections.
