Bowling Green State University Athletics
Savage Named Pitching Coach at BGSU
August 18, 2008 | Softball
Aug. 18, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University head softball coach Shannon Salsburg announced the addition of Janice Savage as an assistant coach to the Falcons' coaching staff. Savage began her duties with the BGSU softball program on Thursday (Aug. 14). Savage will primarily be the pitching coach for the Orange and Brown but will help with all aspects of the team.
"I am very excited to add someone of Janice's caliber to our coaching staff," said Salsburg. "She will not only help elevate our pitchers and get the most out of them, but she will be able to help us in all aspects of the game as she was a great hitter and fielder."
Savage joins the Falcons after three years as an assistant coach at Delaware State University where she coached the pitching staff and hitters along with managing the program's recruiting, team conditioning, strength training and other daily operations. In 2008 she helped lead the Hornets to the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship title and trip to the NCAA regionals in program history, where the Hornets nearly upset Texas. Savage and the Hornets were five outs away from defeating the Longhorns, 2-1 and picking up their first NCAA Tournament win, until the Longhorns rallied to score two runs in the sixth inning defeating Delaware State. The Hornets finished the season ranked in the top ten in nation in two offensive categories; third in doubles per game (1.94 per game) and sixth in scoring (6.11 runs per game).
"Janice has already in a very short time helped elevate one school to regional status and we look forward to her helping us continue to take our program to the next step and move forward to being a regional team year in and year out," said Salsburg.
Prior to joining the Delaware State coaching staff Savage finished the last two seasons of her collegiate career as a Hornet. In two seasons for the Hornets, Savage was a dominant force on the mound ranking in the top 25 of the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (20th in 2004, 8.6 strikeouts per seven innings) and ERA (24th in 2004, 0.98). She still holds the DSU records for strikeouts in a career (323), season (185) and in a single game (17), along with MEAC records. While at Delaware State she was named to the All-MEAC first team, All-ECAC first team, a two-time NFCA Academic All-American and earned the MEAC Commissioners academic award twice. Savage also played two seasons at Georgia Southern University where she was named to the All-Southern Conference.
Savage also played one season professionally overseas in 2005 for New Bologna, an upper division team in the Italian Federation League, becoming the first Delaware State female to sign a professional sports contract.
Savage received her bachelor's degree in Sport Management and a master's in Sport Administration from Delaware State University.
Some information courtesy of the Delaware State University Athletic Communications office.
