St. Thomas University Bobcats

Melissa King has been named Head Softball Coach at St. Thomas University, announced Laura Courtley-Todd, Director of Athletics.

An alumna of St. Thomas University who played for the Bobcats for four seasons then served as assistant coach for the past two years, King succeeds Jeff Norman as Head Coach.  Norman is retiring after spending 15 years at STU and over 26 years in the South Florida softball community.

"Coach King is the ideal individual to succeed Coach Norman and guide the Bobcats for the years to come," said Courtley-Todd. "We thank Coach Norman for the tremendous impact he has made on so many student-athletes over the years and rest assured knowing that Coach King will continue that legacy."

"Melissa will be a tremendous addition to the program in this new role," added Norman.  "She is uniquely qualified with a genuine purpose at heart that fits perfectly at STU."

The 2017 St. Thomas softball team was recently named the Buffalo Funds Five-Star NAIA Champions of Character Award winner for its excellence as a character-driven intercollegiate athletics program.  Under King, who credits Norman as her mentor, the Bobcats are poised to continue their excellence in fulfilling the Champions of Character mission.  King comes from a background that has prepared her to mold student-athletes both on and off the field.

King first arrived at St. Thomas as a student-athlete under Norman after a successful high school career at Plantation American Heritage where she was part of a state championship team as a senior.  As a freshman first baseman for the Bobcats in 2008, she earned All-Conference honors. She was named All-Conference again in 2011 and was a key part of the St. Thomas team that won The Sun Conference Championship and advanced to the NAIA National Championships for the first time in school history.  King played catcher for the Bobcats as a senior before graduating in the Spring of 2012 from St. Thomas University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.

Following graduation, King became the Graduate Assistant for Spiritual Formation in Athletics to go along with assistant coaching duties at Southeastern University.  In that role, she mentored student-athletes from all sports by providing spiritual guidance while also orchestrating mission trips to Costa Rica and the Los Angeles Dream Center.

Following her tenure at Southeastern, King played professional softball in China before becoming a live-in staff member and counselor at Teen Challenge, a youth recovery center in Indiana.

In the Fall of 2015, King returned to her alma mater to serve as Assistant Coach for the Bobcats with responsibilities including defense and catchers.  She also served as Assistant Coach for the Florida Diamond Dusters 18-Gold team, a successful travel team out of West Pembroke Pines, Fla.

 

2018	9-24
2019	24-18
Career Record	33 - 42