Georgia Tech’s new softball coach isn’t a knock-you-over hire. But athletic department officials believe they’ve gotten in on an undervalued investment in Shelly Hoerner.
“She’ll probably have good-enough success here that somebody else is going to want to pursue her,” associate athletic director Theresa Wenzel said. “It’s part of what we do.”
Hoerner was hired from the College of Charleston, where she coached the past eight seasons. She had an overall record of 254-206, including 105-72 in Southern Conference play. She once was the league’s coach of the year and twice coached the conference player of the year. She didn’t lead the Cougars to a league championship, though her teams finished second in the regular season four times.
Wenzel, who led the search process, described her as a “very good recruiter, hard worker, very disciplined, dynamic, but again, is going to hold people accountable. She sounded like a good fit for Georgia Tech and somebody that’s reflective of what (athletic director) Mike (Bobinski) is looking to bring in.”
Hoerner replaces Sharon Perkins, who was not retained after a seven-year run in which she led the Yellow Jackets to three ACC titles and six NCAA tournament appearances. Wenzel said the department wanted to go in a different direction in changing coaches. Hoerner stressed the importance of building a family atmosphere within the team.
“I want to get to know my players. I want to see what we have and what we need to build on,” Hoerner said. “That’s the first thing I’m going to do and find out.”
Tech received a meaningful endorsement from a past employee of note — beloved former basketball coach Bobby Cremins, who coached with Hoerner in the same athletic department in Charleston for six academic years. Hoerner described him as a great mentor who shared numerous conversations with her and attended Cougars softball games.
On top of Cremins’ recommendation to Tech officials of Hoerner, he likewise lauded Tech to Hoerner.
“He couldn’t speak high enough of Georgia Tech,” Hoerner said.
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