Amanda Lehotak

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Seasons

• 2010-11 - Head Coach

Last season, the Dolphins finished with the second-highest win total (33) in school history by enjoying the best start in program history with a 21-7 record, which included a two wins over Virginia Tech and a winning record at all of their non-conference tournaments. The squad went 1-5 in their first six games in conference, but bounced back with a 9-5 record to secure their second straight A-Sun Tournament berth. JU finished with more than 30 wins for the first time since 2005 and posted the second-best home record in the Lehotak era with a 19-7 mark.

The Dolphins set a new single season record in ERA (2.11) and fielding percentage (.964), while finishing second on the program list with 329 strikeouts and third in RBI with 175. They also placed a program best five players on the A-Sun all-conference teams.

Senior Ashley Iveson led the pitching staff with a career best 16 wins and 184 strikeouts in 157.2 innings to receive second team all-conference honors. Freshman Olivia Kline got all-freshman honors after recording a 0.81 ERA in A-Sun play. She also finished the year with a JU single-season record 1.73 ERA, while tallying a 10-7 record and 70 strikeouts.

Less than a year removed from a knee and shoulder injury, sophomore Kayla Ouellet earned first team all-conference honors after finishing the season with a team-best 66 hits, 32 runs and 16 stolen bases. She was named to the A-Sun all-tournament team by batting a team-best .417 (5-12) in three starts while driving in the game-winning run in JU’s extra-inning win against Campbell.

Senior Amber Moseley had a .353 (12-34) average in A-Sun action to get second team all-conference accolades, while freshman Sarah Simon tied for the team lead in home runs (6) and finished second with 25 RBI and 10 doubles to get all-freshman honors.

An assistant at JU for one year before taking over the program in 2007, Lehotak has guided the Dolphins through two of the most daunting schedules in school history in the last four seasons - playing teams like Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame, Florida State, Minnesota and North Carolina. Lehotak has also coached 11 all-conference performers (the most in school history) and oversaw improvements to the JU Softball Complex, including a new grandstand, to double the seating capacity from 500 to 1,000, along with a new press box. Prior to the 2009 season, she led the Dolphins to their first flawless fall campaign with an 8-0 mark. Lehotak has also doubled her coaching staff from one assistant in 2007 to three assistants in 2010.

On the field in 2009, JU enjoyed one of its strongest seasons under Lehotak’s guidance as the Dolphins battled through several injuries to produce the second-best win total in school history and reach the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament for the first time since 2005. The Dolphins also produced two five-game winning streaks, which are both tied for the second longest stretches in the program’s existence.

Katie Kelly led the Dolphins in hitting for the second straight season to be named first team all-conference. She also became the first JU player in program history to earn Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region first team honors

Sarah Sigrest finished in the top four in several of the JU single-season lists en route to earning all-freshman honors.

In 2008, the Dolphins had 15 underclassmen on their 19-player squad, but had a six-win improvement against another tough schedule.

JU downed ACC powerhouse Florida State and had two close games against nationally-ranked Florida, which set an NCAA record with 70 wins in 2008. They also opened the season with a win over Big 10 foe Minnesota, while also earning key sweeps over Georgia Southern and A-Sun rival East Tennessee State.

Kelly led the team in batting average (.317), hits (53), RBI (24) and on-base-percentage (.386) en route to earning A-Sun all-freshman honors. Senior outfielder Jillian Mirante posted 49 hits to become the program’s all-time leader with 184. She also set new career record for games played (242), runs scored (101) and stolen bases (57).

In 2007, Lehotak laid out a tough schedule for JU in her first season as the Dolphins took on six defending conference champions, nine 2006 NCAA Tournament participants and one national champion. Despite the tough schedule, the Dolphins managed to pull off some key wins including a 3-2 victory over South Florida and a 2-1 win over Memphis. Lehotak and the Dolphins also defeated cross-town rival North Florida for the first time in program history and took national powerhouse North Carolina to extra innings.

Under Lehotak’s tutelage, Mirante earned first team Atlantic Sun all-conference honors and the team saw an increase in productivity at the plate. The Dolphins improved on their 2006 totals in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage and stolen bases.

As an assistant in 2006, Lehotak was in charge of recruiting and defense. She helped center fielder Katie Pestrak to a career-best .987 fielding percentage, while senior catcher Janine Palumbo tallied a .986 fielding percentage en route to second team all-conference honors.

Prior to JU, Lehotak helped Missouri Western State College to a 48-20 overall record and a spot in the Division II North Central Regional as an assistant coach in 2005.

Lehotak, who handled the hitting instruction, infielders and recruiting, helped the Missouri Western offense rank first in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association in hits (534), home runs (72), doubles (92), RBI (295) and second in batting average (.289). The Griffons also set MIAA records for home runs in a game (7) and home runs in a season (72). Individually, first baseman Amy Beverly earned second team All-America honors after leading the MIAA with a .419 batting average, 93 hits, a .761 slugging percentage, 24 doubles and 67 RBI.

Prior to Missouri Western, Lehotak served as the interim assistant coach at the College of St. Mary (Neb.) where she helped lead the Flames to a No. 12 NAIA national ranking, a Region IV title and a Midland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament crown in 2004. Individually, first baseman Danielle Workman earned NAIA All-America honors.

Lehotak began her coaching career as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Daniel J. Gross High School (Neb.) in 2003, where she managed hitting and outfield instruction and was in charge of fundraising. Individually, eight of her players were selected to the all-state team.

Lehotak has coaching in her blood, as she is one of three family members to be head of a collegiate softball program.

Her father, Ed, was a 13th-year head coach at Bellevue University, an NAIA school in Bellevue, Neb., before stepping aside after the 2009 season to solely focus on being the school’s athletic director. While with the Bruins, he recorded more than 400 wins, won 12 regular season or conference tournament championships and qualified for the regional tournament on 11 occasions. He also earned three trips to the NAIA national tournament.

Her sister, Michala Cimino, was the top assistant at her alma mater, Nebraska-Omaha, for 12 seasons and took over for her father as head coach at Bellevue in 2010.

In her playing career, Lehotak was a two-year starter at Nebraska-Omaha from 2002-03 and led the Mavericks to an 84-22 overall record. As a senior, she earned third team National Fastpitch Collegiate Softball All-America, all-region and first team North Central Conference accolades after leading the squad with 49 runs scored and four triples. As a junior, she earned all-region and first team All-NCC honors after leading the Mavericks with 42 runs, 67 hits and 19 doubles. She also received NCC All-Academic accolades in 2003.

Prior to Nebraska-Omaha, Lehotak was a two-year starter as an infielder at the University of Mississippi from 2000-01. As a freshman, she led Ole Miss with a .286 batting average and a program-record 62 hits. As a sophomore, she finished the year with a .222 average, 35 hits and a team-high 21 runs scored.

Lehotak earned her bachelor's degree in family science with a minor in psychology at Nebraska-Omaha in 2003.