Nichols College Vice President and Director of Athletics Jack Hayes has announced the hiring of Caitlin Hitchcock as the 17th softball coach in program history.
Hitchcock spent 17 seasons as the head softball coach at Trinity (CT) College (2003-19), posting 10 winning seasons and making nine trips to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament, advancing to the semifinals in 2019 and the finals in 2007. A two-time NESCAC Coach of the Year (2016-17), she stands as the winningest coach in Trinity program history with a record of 279-267-1 (.511).
"I am honored to be named the next head softball coach at Nichols College," said Hitchcock, who spent the 2021 campaign as an assistant softball coach at nearby Woodstock Academy. "I want to thank Jack Hayes, Kristan Mallet, and the search committee for this amazing opportunity. I'm looking forward to joining the extraordinary coaches and staff at Nichols and hope to continue to build upon the foundation that Kristan has laid for the program. I'm so excited for this opportunity."
Under the guidance of Hitchcock, Trinity student-athletes received 14 NESCAC All-Conference First Team honors and 22 Second Team nods. Eleven were named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-New England Region, six garnered All-New England accolades and three took home All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors.
Hitchcock coached a pair of major NESCAC award winners in Sara Doherty (2007 NESCAC Player & Pitcher of the Year) and Caroline Blanchard (2011 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year), as well as 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-America selection Laura Heath. In 2017, the Bantams ended Tufts University's 65-game conference winning streak and became the first NESCAC program to sweep a DH from the Jumbos.
Off the field, Hitchcock – who spent two years as a graduate assistant with the Trinity softball program (2002-03) before being elevated to head coach – saw 43 student-athletes named to the NESCAC Academic Team. In her final season in Hartford in 2019, a total of 11 student-athletes were Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar- Athletes, which requires a grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher. The team, meanwhile, placed 11th in all of NCAA Division III with a 3.650 cumulative team GPA.
"Caitlin Hitchcock brings a passion for softball and the Division III student-athlete experience to Nichols and we are incredibly excited to have her come aboard as our next softball coach," said Hayes. "She was one of the best coaches in the NESCAC for nearly two decades. Her ability to recruit and develop successful student-athletes both on and off the field makes this a tremendous hire for us."
While at Trinity, Hitchcock was an assistant coach with both the women's basketball (2000-03) and women's volleyball (2002-11) programs, assisting with practice and gameday planning, recruiting, and contest management. She was also a physical education teacher in the athletic department.
Hitchcock earned her bachelor's degree from Trinity in educational studies and her master's degree from the college in American Studies. She was a four-year member of both the Bantams softball and women's basketball programs (1996-2000), earning NESCAC Softball Second Team honors in 1999 before serving as team captain of both programs the following season. Hitchcock currently ranks No. 6 in runners caught stealing and No. 9 in career fielding pct. (.978).
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