Adrienne L. Clark, one of the top pitchers in Hofstra University history and a member of Pride teams that won four straight Colonial Athletic Association titles, was named to the University of Delaware coaching staff Nov. 22, 2005. As head coach B.J. Ferguson's top assistant, she wil begin her fourth season with the team in 2009.
“Adrienne brings a wealth of knowledge to our program from her various experiences, both on and off the field," said Delaware head coach B.J. Ferguson in making the announcement. "She is a very talented softball player who understands what hard work and dedication mean to a collegiate program and she demonstrated that over the last four years at a nationally-ranked program.”
Clark, 25, who earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Hofstra in May, 2005, works primarily with the Blue Hen pitching staff and outfielders and runs individual hitting sessions. She also oversees Delaware’s recruiting process and serves as the team's first base coach.
Clark helped lead the Pride to four straight CAA regular season and post-season championships and four NCAA Regional appearances during her career and helped the team win 148 games during those seasons, including a school-record 43 victories in 2005 for veteran head coach Bill Edwards. Hofstra went 8-4 in the NCAA Tournament over her final three seasons and was one was one of only 12 teams in the nation to win at least two NCAA Tournament games in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
A native of Gibsonton, FL (Riverview High School), Clark was a two-time first team All-CAA selection, a three-time CAA All-Tournament selection, and was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Mid Atlantic Region team as a junior in 2004. She began her career as a utility player at Hofstra but became a pitcher her freshman year due to injuries to the staff. She then developed into one of the best big-game pitchers anywhere in the country, tallying a 5-1 record with one save in NCAA Division I Tournament play over her final three seasons, with four of those wins coming in 1-0 decisions.
She appeared in 83 career games with 37starts and posted a career record of 39-23 with four saves. She pitched 407.2 innings, struck out 260 batters, and had an earned run average of 1.77. She went 12-2 with a 1.90 ERA as a sophomore in 2003, went 13-13 with a 1.52 ERA and batted .304 as a junior in 2004, and was 13-8 with a 2.11 ERA as a senior in 2005.
In 2004, she led the Pride to within one win of the Women’s College World Series. She came on in relief to get a 1-0 win over No. 12 ranked Auburn in the first round, while adding the game-winning RBI double in the ninth inning. She then threw a 12-inning shutout in a 1-0 win over Southern Illinois in the winner's bracket and added a 1-0 shutout over No. 7 Stanford in the regional final round, before Stanford bounced back to defeat her 3-1 in the second and deciding game. Clark had a streak of 31 straight shutout innings as a starter in the NCAA Tournament at one point. She was named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team twice 2003 and 2004.
While an undergraduate, Clark worked as a softball camp counselor at both the University of South Florida and Hofstra summer camps and was active as a pitching instructor at the youth level. She also worked as a sports facilities assistant and athletics tour guide at Hofstra and was active with the Hofstra Student Athlete Advisory Council.
As a member of SAAC, she was involved with activities such as a 9/11 T-Shirt Drive, was a Special Olympics volunteer, was as a reader for Head Start child care, was involved with the CAA Blood Challenge, and took part in holiday food drives and adopt-a-family programs.
Assistant Coach Adrienne Clark