Courtesy of Jeff Febus, sports information director at Calvin College.
Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Becky Hilgert has been named head softball coach at Calvin College.
Hilgert takes over the reins of the Calvin softball program after serving as assistant coach the past three years.
A native of Bloomington, Minnesota, Hilgert takes over a Calvin softball team that finished 23-13 last year winning 10 of its final 11 games.
"I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead the Calvin Knights softball program," said Hilgert. "Calvin College epitomizes what the NCAA Division III experience is all about—the four pillars: faith, family, academics and athletics. The school's intentionally Christian mission and competitive academic environment make it a highly desirable place for top-tier athletes. Additionally, Calvin softball has a storied history and I believe we have a foundation in place to compete for championships."
Hilgert is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. At St. Thomas she was a four-year starter in the infield for the Tommie softball team that won three MIAC Championships and made four consecutive NCAA III Tournament appearances. As a senior in 2002, she served as a team captain on a team that won the program's first NCAA III Regional Championship and advanced to the NCAA III Softball World Series and placed fifth in the nation. She was subsequently named to the NCAA III World Series All-Tournament team. As a player, she was named a NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete in 2000. At St. Thomas, Hilgert played for three coaches in four years, including John Tschida, who recently became the winningest Division III softball coach, active or retired.
She graduated from St. Thomas with a bachelor's degree in political science while holding a minor in communications. As a St. Thomas student, she spent a semester with the St. Thomas exchange program with American University, studying in Washington D.C. during the fall semester of 2000. She is currently working on her Masters of Science degree in Recreation and Sport Sciences with an emphasis in coaching education at Ohio University. She anticipates fulfilling her degree requirements later this summer.
In 2004, Hilgert began a four-year run as chief of staff in the Michigan State House of Representatives. Prior to her appointment, she was a part of four separate national political campaigns.
In 2008, she co-founded Traditions Communications, a multimedia communication consulting firm with her mother Jackie Hilgert.
Hilgert later served as an assistant women's varsity softball coach at Allegan High School from 2011-2013 while also serving as the school's assistant varsity women's basketball coach from 2012-2014. After departing Allegan High School, she was awarded the Bob Terry Distinguished Service Award for her work with the softball and basketball programs. She came to Calvin as an assistant softball coach in 2014, holding that position through this spring. During the past three seasons she served as both outfield and infield coach, assisted in recruiting, and developed and managed the team's strength and conditioning program.
Calvin co-director of athletics Jim Timmer believes that Hilgert has a bright future ahead of her. "Becky is a fine young coach and we are very excited to have her on our head coaching staff," said Timmer. "We are confident that she will continue the positive momentum that was generated with the team this spring. We feel that the future with Becky Hilgert as our head coach is a bright one."
Calvin co-director of athletics Nancy Meyer also had words of praise for Hilgert.
"We are really pleased that Becky will be our next head coach," said Meyer. "We conducted a national search and concluded that we had the best asset right on our own staff. Becky brings a wealth of experience as a former player and has served as our assistant for three years. She knows Calvin College and its mission. She knows our team, and she has a great passion to take the Calvin softball program to the next level. Becky brings some very unique skills to our team and our department. She has terrific communication and organizational skills that will be a great asset as a head coach."
Hilgert now looks forward to assuming her duties as Calvin's head coach.
"As a former Division III student-athlete, I can relate to the challenges young women face each day as they compete at a high level athletically," said Hilgert. "Being a Division III student-athlete is a rewarding yet sometimes challenging experience; some days, the demands are great. I am excited to mentor our players along their journey, helping them achieve balance as they work toward achieving their own goals."
"Calvin is truly a family community that has a high passion for athletics. I look forward to becoming part of this family as head softball coach. I place my confidence in God's providence that this is a role that will bring me, our players, and college, success for many years to come."
