Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons’ First Pitch Dinner to be Held on Friday, January 30
December 02, 2025 | Softball, Falcon Club
Coaching great Jacquie Joseph is keynote speaker for this year's event
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team will hold its annual First Pitch Dinner on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. This year's event will feature former Falcon head coach Jacquie Joseph.
The First Pitch Dinner will be held at the Lenhart Grand Ballroom inside the Bowen-Thompson Student Union on the BGSU campus. Doors open for the evening's events at 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the program beginning at 7:00 p.m. Single registration costs just $100, while a table (which seats eight) is $750 and the cost to sponsor a table is $1, 200. A table sponsor includes eight individual tickets and recognition in the program.
A member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame, Joseph amassed 889Â victories in her 34-year head coaching career, including 753 at Michigan State. She retired in May of 2022 after 29 years at the helm of the Spartans, and is the winningest coach in that program's history.
She went to East Lansing after five seasons (1989-93) at the BGSU helm. Joseph posted an overall record of 136-123 (.525) with the Orange and Brown, including a combined record of 71-34 (.676) over her final two seasons. The 1992 team finished with an overall record of 37-16, setting a school record for wins that still stands (the 2006 team also won 37 games). That '92 squad finished second in the MAC regular-season standings with a 19-10 league record.
The following season (1993), Joseph guided the Falcons to a 34-18 overall mark and a 26-9 league ledger. That club won the MAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
A former NFCA president, a former member of the NCAA Softball Committee, a well-respected clinician and an author of two books and five videos dedicated to teaching and coaching the game, Joseph was inducted into the NFCA's Hall of Fame in 2016.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Joseph's coaching career also included stints as an assistant at Indiana and Central Michigan.
As a player, Joseph helped lead Central Michigan to three MAC titles and three national-tournament appearances. She was inducted into that school's Hall of Fame in the fall of 2013 as a member of the school's 1982 team which advanced to the AIAW World Series. She was twice enshrined in the Carman-Ainsworth High School Hall of Fame, first as a member of the 1980 state championship team (in 2002), and as an individual (in 2005).
A leader in the sport, Joseph served a four-year term as a member of the NCAA softball committee from 2002-06, and was president of the NFCA from 1994-98. She has authored two books, Defensive Softball Drills and The Baffled Parent's Guide To Coaching Youth Softball, as well as five videos: Drills For Successful Catching, Hitting Mechanics and Drills, Complete Defense for All Positions, Strength & Conditioning and Defensive Softball Drills.
Joseph graduated from Central Michigan in 1985 with a degree in business administration and earned her master's degree from CMU in business in 1987.
The First Pitch Dinner will allow attendees the chance to connect with and support the 2026 BGSU softball team while previewing the upcoming season. In addition to Joseph, attendees will hear from BGSU Head Coach Michelle Gardner, Director of Athletics Derek van der Merwe and current BGSU softball student-athletes. Individuals interested in attending the event can CLICK HERE to register, or click the link near the top of this page.
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The First Pitch Dinner will be held at the Lenhart Grand Ballroom inside the Bowen-Thompson Student Union on the BGSU campus. Doors open for the evening's events at 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the program beginning at 7:00 p.m. Single registration costs just $100, while a table (which seats eight) is $750 and the cost to sponsor a table is $1, 200. A table sponsor includes eight individual tickets and recognition in the program.
A member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame, Joseph amassed 889Â victories in her 34-year head coaching career, including 753 at Michigan State. She retired in May of 2022 after 29 years at the helm of the Spartans, and is the winningest coach in that program's history.
She went to East Lansing after five seasons (1989-93) at the BGSU helm. Joseph posted an overall record of 136-123 (.525) with the Orange and Brown, including a combined record of 71-34 (.676) over her final two seasons. The 1992 team finished with an overall record of 37-16, setting a school record for wins that still stands (the 2006 team also won 37 games). That '92 squad finished second in the MAC regular-season standings with a 19-10 league record.
The following season (1993), Joseph guided the Falcons to a 34-18 overall mark and a 26-9 league ledger. That club won the MAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
A former NFCA president, a former member of the NCAA Softball Committee, a well-respected clinician and an author of two books and five videos dedicated to teaching and coaching the game, Joseph was inducted into the NFCA's Hall of Fame in 2016.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Joseph's coaching career also included stints as an assistant at Indiana and Central Michigan.
As a player, Joseph helped lead Central Michigan to three MAC titles and three national-tournament appearances. She was inducted into that school's Hall of Fame in the fall of 2013 as a member of the school's 1982 team which advanced to the AIAW World Series. She was twice enshrined in the Carman-Ainsworth High School Hall of Fame, first as a member of the 1980 state championship team (in 2002), and as an individual (in 2005).
A leader in the sport, Joseph served a four-year term as a member of the NCAA softball committee from 2002-06, and was president of the NFCA from 1994-98. She has authored two books, Defensive Softball Drills and The Baffled Parent's Guide To Coaching Youth Softball, as well as five videos: Drills For Successful Catching, Hitting Mechanics and Drills, Complete Defense for All Positions, Strength & Conditioning and Defensive Softball Drills.
Joseph graduated from Central Michigan in 1985 with a degree in business administration and earned her master's degree from CMU in business in 1987.
The First Pitch Dinner will allow attendees the chance to connect with and support the 2026 BGSU softball team while previewing the upcoming season. In addition to Joseph, attendees will hear from BGSU Head Coach Michelle Gardner, Director of Athletics Derek van der Merwe and current BGSU softball student-athletes. Individuals interested in attending the event can CLICK HERE to register, or click the link near the top of this page.
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