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North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina A&T Athletics
 1601 E Market St Greensboro, NC 27401
Division 1 North Carolina Southeast
Public Large National competitor
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Coaches

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Jose Gonzalez, Jr

Jose Gonzalez, Jr. became the eighth head coach in the history of North Carolina A&T fastpitch softball (which started in 1994) when Director of Athletics, Earl M. Hilton III announced his hiring on June 13, 2023.


A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Gonzalez brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to Aggieland on the Division I and Division II collegiate levels. He spent two seasons at Division II Claflin University after 14 successful seasons at Savannah State.


Gonzalez's first season coaching the Claflin Panthers program in 2022 was historic. Gonzalez led the Panthers to their first-ever Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championship. They used the momentum from that milestone to reach the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship Tournament, where they earned wins over Shippensburg and Bloomsburg before losing in the regional final to Seton Hill.


They posted a 23-15 record overall and a 15-1 mark in the CIAA. The following season, the Panthers posted a school-record 32 wins, going 32-12 overall and 14-2 in league play, losing in the championship game of the CIAA tournament to Bowie State.


Gonzalez spent most of his career as Savannah State University's (SSU) head softball coach. He coached 14 seasons at SSU starting in 2008 and became the program's all-time winningest coach with 190 victories. He led the Tigers to the MEAC Southern Division title in 2012, 2014 and 2015, earning MEAC coach of the year in 2012 and '15. Before the Tigers became members of the MEAC in 2012, Gonzalez was nominated for NCAA Division I Independent Coach of the Year.


While at SSU, Gonzalez recruited and coached three-time MEAC player of the year and 2013 rookie of the year Torrian Wright. While building the SSU program, Gonzalez also served as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator for the Tigers football program (2007-10). Gonzalez started coaching as the junior varsity head and assistant varsity baseball coach at Englewood High School in Jacksonville (1999-01).


He helped Englewood win the state championship while coaching future Major League Baseball players Brett Meyers and Daniel Murphy. Before beginning his coaching career, Gonzalez spent three years on Jacksonville's Post 88 club baseball team.


He played high school baseball, football, and boys' basketball and participated in track and field at Englewood. He received three offers to collegiate baseball from three different schools before deciding to play college football. Gonzalez spent two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before transferring to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was a two-year letterman at free safety.


Gonzalez earned a bachelor of arts degree in exercise science with a minor in coaching and sports administration from Southern Miss in 2000. He has an associate of arts degree from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

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Nyesha Arnold

North Carolina A&T head softball coach Jose Gonzalez announced the hiring of Nyesha Arnold to become an assistant coach for the softball program on December 7, 2023. Arnold brings experience from her alma mater, Claflin University. Arnold will be responsible for coaching the A&T pitchers, among other administrative duties.


She spent three seasons at the Orangeburg, S.C., Division II university, experiencing tremendous success during her tenure. Arnold coached the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) for two consecutive years. In 2022, Bre’Zhay Chambers won the honor, finishing with a 0.33 ERA against CIAA opponents. Jaelyn Jackson secured CIAA pitcher of the year accolades the following year after dominating nearly every statistical category this season. She finished 18-5 overall and 14-2 against CIAA opponents. Arnold also planned team travel, and she played a vital part in the recruiting efforts for the Panthers.


Arnold’s efforts helped the Panthers win their first-ever CIAA championship, as they claimed the trophy in 2022. In the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship Tournament, they defeated Shippensburg and Bloomsburg before losing in the regional final to Seton Hill.


The Panthers went 23-15 overall and 15-1 in conference playing during the season. The following year, the Panthers posted a school-record 32 wins, going 32-12 overall and 14-2 in league play, losing to Bowie State in the CIAA tournament championship game.


Arnold began her coaching career at the high school level as she served as the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach at nearby Edisto High School, where she was a part of the program from 2018-19.


During her time at Claflin as a player, she was a four-year letterwinner, earning the team’s freshman of the year award in 2014 and its defensive player of the year award in 2015. She helped the Panthers win the 2017 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) softball title two years later. The NCAA selected her as a student to take part in the 2017 NCAA Careers Sports Forum.


Her roots in the sport run deep. She starred at Barnwell High School, securing all-state honors three times from the High School Sports Report. During her high school career, she earned both offensive and defense player of the year honors, leading the team to the 2011 South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) Class AA championship.


Arnold is a 2017 graduate of Claflin University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human performance & recreation.

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