Cameron out as Penguins’ softball coach

By Pete Mollica

She was 164-271-1 in nine seasons at Youngstown State.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University will begin searching for a new softball coach after Christy Cameron’s contract was not renewed by YSU athletic director Ron Strollo.

Cameron, who was coach of the Penguins for nine seasons, compiled a 164-271-1 record, including a 12-37 record this season.

“Christy is a great person and off the field her kids have done an unbelievable job in the classroom and within our community,” Strollo said. “But as we continue to invest funds into our programs the competition levels have changed and we are searching for a higher level of consistency on the competitive side.”

Cameron, a native of Johnstown, Pa., took over the YSU reins in 2000, inheriting a team that won just 11 games in 1999. She quickly turned the program around and in 2003 set a school record for victories (36) and went from 1-13 in the Horizon League in 2002 to 13-5-1 in 2003, which earned Cameron coach of the year honors.

The Penguins won 29 games in 2004 and set a school record with 10 consecutive victories, but the team has not been above .500 the last four seasons.

In 2006, the Penguins, playing host to the Horizon League tournament for the first time, swept through the field as the No. 6 seed to win the championship and earn the program’s first conference title and first trip to the NCAA tournament.

Cameron has coached a Horizon player of the year (Amanda Berry, 2003); a pitcher of the year (Kelly Murphy, 2003); two newcomers of the year (Liz Holt, 2003 and Autumn Grove, 2007), and 13 all-conference selections.

But one drawback has been a lack of local players. The Penguins had just one player from the Valley on their roster this season.

“When you are not having great success on the field and playing with kids that are not from this area you are more so under the microscope,” said Strollo. “When you are winning you can have players from anywhere and when you are losing with a roster full of local talent the pressure is not so great.

“Christy came here and turned this program around, but recently it has been going in the opposite direction,” Strollo added.

Strollo said plans for hiring a new coach will follow university policy.

“We will move very quickly on this,” he said. “We’ve been on the phones already and things should move very smoothly and quickly.”

mollica@vindy.com