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In 2008, Aimee DeVos (Drake, 1993) completed her 14th season as head coach and 15th with the 49ers softball program. After serving as the interim head coach in 1995, DeVos was named head coach for the 1996 season.
In her tenure, DeVos has made great strides with the program on and off the field. She has recorded Charlotte's largest, third-largest and fourth-largest win totals, while also putting together eight 20-win seasons. She is the first 49er head coach to surpass both the 200 and 300 career-win marks, the latter achieved in a 4-2 conference decision against George Washington at the 2007 Atlantic 10 Tournament. Just as important as her success on the field, DeVos has also graduated 100 percent of her players since taking over as head coach.
She recorded her most successful season in 2006, leading the 49ers to numerous school records, including the most wins in a season (42), as well as the program's first-ever conference championship when Charlotte went 17-3 in their first season in the A-10, capturing the regular season title. In addition to setting the single-season records for hits, batting average, homers and RBI, her 2006 team included a record six all-conference selections, including four first-team honorees. Three of those players repeated in 2007 to claim conference nods.
Last season, DeVos put together a 35-win season--the third highest win total in program history--which included a trip to the championship game of the A-10 Tournament, hosted at Charlotte's own D.L. Phillips Sports Complex, to take on No. 20 Massachusetts and a home win over then-No. 15 North Carolina. In the circle, Katy Hackett set the single-season record with 176 strikeouts, while Emily Jeffery put up 146 strikeouts in her 18 wins. On the offensive end, all-conference selection Sarah Malene shattered her 2006 single-season record with 46 runs, while Serena Smith re-wrote the record books with 71 hits. Four 49ers were named to the all-tournament team, while Malene and freshman Whitney Williams earned all-conference nods.
A testament to her coaching ability and strength of the program, several of DeVos' players have continued to play after their collegiate careers. In 1999, Janine Repole became the first member of the 49ers drafted by the Women's Professional Fastpitch League. More recently, both Kristin White (2002) and Melanie Thevenote (2003) played internationally.
A four-year letterwinner at Drake, the Yorkville, Ill., native boasts a healthy softball resume from a successful program. DeVos graduated from Drake in 1993 with a degree in business marketing. She was a 1993 All-Missouri Valley Conference player after leading the Bulldogs to the MVC regular season and tournament championships and a spot in the 1993 National Invitational Championships. A shortstop and outfielder, DeVos still ranks among Drake's all-time leaders in home runs.
In addition to her head coaching duties, DeVos conducts several summer and winter softball camps and clinics. In the summer of 2004, she coached a select group of players to play the U.S. Olympic team in Charlotte.
DeVos and her husband, Dan, have two sons, Nolan and J.J. Her husband is the Director of the Annual Fund for the Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation.
