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Kirin Kumar
Kirin Kumar begins her fourth year as the head coach of Miami softball.
In just three years, Kumar has transformed Miami softball, not just into a MAC power, but a program feared on the national stage. Over the past three seasons, the RedHawks are 125-47-1 overall and 81-15 in Mid-American Conference play. In non-conference action, the RedHawks have picked up wins over Tennessee, Georgia Tech (x2), South Carolina, Louisville (x2), Kentucky and California (x3).
In just a short amount of time, Kumar has amassed three MAC regular season championships, two MAC Tournament Championship (there was no MAC Tournament in 2021), three trips to the NCAA Tournament, 24 All-MAC honorees, 15 all-region awards, a pair of MAC Freshman of the Year award winners and one MAC Player of the Year and one MAC Pitcher of the Year. Her teams have also dominated in the classroom, capturing 25 Academic All-MAC accolades in the past three years.
Miami went 46-10 overall and 36-2 in MAC play in Kumar's first year, both conference records. For her efforts, she was named MAC Coach of the Year and her and her staff were named Mideast Region Staff of the Year in 2021.
In 2022, Miami finished the year 40-17-1 overall and 24-5 in conference play. Karli Spaid, who destroyed the Miami and MAC record books, was named one of the top-50 college softball players of the year in 2022 by D1Softball.com. The RedHawks also picked up a win in the NCAA Tournament over Saint Francis and dropped a heart-breaker to Virginia Tech, 5-4.
Miami advanced to the Regional Final in 2023, picking up NCAA Tournament wins over Eastern Illinois and Kentucky before falling to No. 12 Northwestern.
Prior to her time at Miami, Kumar spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech. Her first season in Blacksburg in 2019 was a highly successful one, helping VT earn an ACC regular-season title and Coastal Division crown. Specifically working with the infielders defensively, Kumar tutored two all-conference players and an ACC Freshman of the Year honoree and three NFCA all-region (Mid-Atlantic) selections.
Under her tutelage, the Hokies had the fourth-best fielding percentage (.969) and committed only 47 errors, the fewest in school history.
Kumar came to Blacksburg following a two-year stint at NC State, helping with hitting with the head coach and being in charge of the team’s defense.
She previously served as an assistant at Tulsa from 2014-16. She helped lead the Golden Hurricane to their first American Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2016, defeating a pair of ranked opponents to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Under her guidance, three Tulsa players were named to the 2016 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Central Region Team, four to the American Athletic All-Conference first-team, one player on the second-team and two on the all-rookie team. The Golden Hurricane posted the second-best batting average in the conference with a .289 clip and had the fewest strikeouts her final year in the Sooner State.
In 2015, Kumar helped Tulsa finish the year atop the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored and home runs in addition to several other categories. With her assistance, Julie Kernen set the single-season record for runs batted in with 59 and a total of six players hit .300 or better during the year.
Prior to rejoining the Tulsa softball program, she was an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech for a season, guiding the squad to a 13-3 record in its last 16 contests. From 2012-13, Kumar was the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at WKU.
She helped the Hilltoppers earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2013, highlighted by winning the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title. With her leadership, the Tops tallied the No. 1 defense in the league, improving the team fielding percentage from .940 to .985.
Kumar began her coaching career at Tulsa in 2005 and remained with the Golden Hurricane until 2010 before accepting a position at North Carolina. She led Tulsa to its first NCAA Regional in 2006 and to the program's first NCAA at-large bid in 2008.
Under her instruction, Lauren Lindsay became Tulsa's first All-American in 2010, compiling a batting average of .377 with 18 home runs, the most in a single season for the program.
The Santa Ana, California native played collegiately at Georgia Tech and was a four-year letterwinner for the Yellow Jackets. Kumar saw action in 251 games, which was the second most in program history when she graduated.
She compiled a batting average of .322 during her senior season and was selected to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 2005. Kumar was a part of Georgia Tech's first two ACC championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years.
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