Kerri Blaylock

Hometown: Herrin, Ill. Position: Head Coach Experience: 13th Year

Alma Mater: Evansville (1988)

E-mail Coach Blaylock

Updated Jan. 13, 2012

Since taking over as the head coach in 2000, she has made winning and achieving academic excellence an expectation. In Valley play, the Salukis finished sixth, fourth, third, and second, respectively, in Blaylock's first four years at SIU.

In a short amount of time, Blaylock has amassed over 450 career wins and three Missouri Valley Conference Championships through the 2011 season while producing 61 All-Conference selections, 66 Scholar-Athletes, and 10 Academic All-Americans. Currently, Blaylock ranks first among active head coaches in the MVC in winning percentage with an .687 overall percentage (452-206) and .719 mark in against conference opponents (202-79).

As a first-year head coach in 2000, she led SIU to a 41-22 record, the first 40-win season since 1997 (41-16), which came under her mentor, Kay Brechtelsbauer, who coached SIU for 32 years. Blaylock served as pitching coach for five years and an assistant coach for nine total years under Brechtelsbauer.

Blaylock's specialty is pitching. Her staff led the MVC in overall ERA from 1997 to 2003, falling to second in 2004, but reclaiming the top spot in the conference in 2005 with a 1.16 team ERA. The team finished first overall in the Valley in 2004 and 2005. In light of the program's ongoing success, the SIU coaching staff earned MVC Staff of the Year for four-straight years from 2002-05 and again in 2010. In 2006, her pitching staff continued excellence as the squad led the Valley with a 1.67 ERA, which was the 21st best ERA in the country.

In 2007, SIU spent a school-record 13-straight weeks ranked in the top 25 in the nation. Twice during that 13-week stretch, they earned their highest-ever national ranking, coming in at No. 18. The Salukis finished the season with a 41-16 record (17-7 MVC) and took a historic step as they earned an at-large bid to advance to its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament. Southern Illinois went 1-2 in the Carbondale Regional, beating Mississippi Valley State 7-0 and hanging with Missouri before falling to the Tigers, 7-4.

In 2008, SIU ranked in the top five for team GPA among NFCA All-Academic teams for the fifth time in the last eight years. Blaylock displayed another successful season in 2009 leading the team to a 33-13 overall record with a second-place finish in the Valley (15-7). During her 10th season as head coach, Blaylock coached several Salukis into the record books, and the team ranked in the top 20 for team GPA among NFCA All-Academic teams.

The Salukis earned another winning season in 2009, starting the season 11-0, and program best 13-1. Blaylock earned her 350th win in 2009, coaching the Salukis to a No. 18 national ranking, which tied the program's highest-ever ranking. The Salukis spent nine-straight weeks ranked in the top-25. Under the direction of Blaylock, the team earned four MVC Pitcher of the Week awards and went on a seven-game Valley win streak.

The 2010 season proved to be another successful season for the Salukis as they picked up their third MVC championship title and 14th consecutive season of 30 wins or more with an impressive 38-20 record. The Salukis returned to the championship game of the MVC tournament for the first time since 2007. As she begins her 23nd overall season at SIU, it's no secret that Blaylock has made some history of her own.

In 13 years as head coach, she has compiled a 452-206 record overall, ranking her in the top-20 nationally in winning percentage (.687) among all Division I coaches with five years service or more. Blaylock's 185-73 MVC record (.717) is impressive as well. She reached the 100-win plateau in just 153 games over three seasons, the fastest to reach the 100-win mark in SIU history. She reached the 200-win mark after beating Kansas, 4-2, on March 6, 2005, and in 2007, Blaylock earned her 300th career win in the second game of the series with Indiana State. She made it to 300 wins in only 422 games and became only the fourth active coach, and eighth coach all-time in the MVC to reach 300 wins. On April 2, 2010, Blaylock recorded her 400th career victory in a 12-0 decision against Bradley.

AWARDS AND HONORS
Blaylock has coached both of SIU's All-American pitchers, starting with Jamie Schuttek in 1997. She was named a third-team All-American as well as the MVC Player of the Year in 1997. She led the Valley with a 28-2 record, a 0.87 ERA and nine shutouts in 210 innings pitched. Schuttek was inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame on January 30, 2004.

Blaylock also coached Erin Stremsterfer, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Stremsterfer was one of the top pitchers in MVC history, named a third-team All-American in 2001, and the MVC Pitcher of the Year that same season. Blaylock also mentored Amy Harre through her four years as a Saluki. Harre, a two-time Academic All-American, was a four-time first-team All-MVC selection and a three-time All-Great Lakes Region selection. In 2011, Harre was inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame.

Recently Blaylock helped Cassidy Scoggins to the MVC Pitcher of the Year award in 2006 and Danielle Glosson in 2010. Scoggins was a three-time All-MVC First Team selection and two-time All-Great Lakes Region First Team pick. Glosson finished up a stellar career at SIU in 2011 where she led the team in each of her four seasons in strikeouts and ranks second all-time in appearances, fifth in wins, and fourth in strikeouts.

In all, Blaylock has coached two All-American pitchers, a MVC Player of the Year, 17 All-MVC First Team performers, 12 All-Great Lakes Region selections and four MVC Pitchers of the Year (Erin Stremsterfer, Amy Harre, Cassidy Scoggins, and Danielle Glosson). Among these four pitchers of the year, all came to SIU as the No. 1 starting pitcher.

Blaylock and her staff havealso taken home the highest coaching honors in the conference. five out of the 12 seasons she has been at the helm. The staff has been recognized as Staff of the Year by the MVC including 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010.

In 2012, Blaylock was appointed to the NCAA Division I Softball Committee. As a member of the committee, Blaylock will serve on the regional advisory committee and conducts regularly scheduled conference calls to review and rank teams regionally and nationally. She will participate in the selection of 64-team bracket for the NCAA Tournament and attend the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Members also serve as a NCAA representative at preliminary sites, like regional or super sectional competition during the NCAA Tournament. Blaylock is the only representative from the Missouri Valley Conference on the committee.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Blaylock's teams and athletes have continued a tradition of success in the classroom on a conference and national level. Under Blaylock's tenure, the Salukis have finished in the top 35 teams in the NFCA in overall team GPA. The Salukis earned the NFCA Academic Top 15 Award among Division I schools for the eight straight years from 2001-2008. Since 2001, the Salukis have held the second highest team GPA twice (2007 & 2011). In 2011, the Salukis held a 3.611 team GPA, finishing just eight one-hundreth points behind Tennesse Tech. Other finishes included fourth (2001, 2002, 2008), fifth (2004), sixth (2003), 10th (2005), 13th (2006), 18th (2009), and 31st (2010).

Since 2000, Blaylock has placed 66 student-athletes on MVC Scholar Athlete teams, including 41 first team honorees. She has also coached 10 Academic All-Americans, most recently in 2011 as Cristina Trapani and Mallory Duran-Sellers both earned the award with perfect 4.0 GPAs.

In program history, the Salukis have earned 22 Academic All-American awards which ranks second-most all time in the country among Division I programs.

ABOUT COACH BLAYLOCK
Blaylock had a stellar playing career in addition to her coaching successes. She was considered one of the top three pitchers in the state as a prep, according to the Chicago Tribune, compiling a record of 65-7 from 1980-84. She set marks for wins and strikeouts for Herrin High School and, in 1992, became the first female athlete ever selected to the Herrin High School Hall of Fame.

Following her successful prep career, Blaylock attended the University of Evansville, where she developed into one of the Aces' all-time leading hurlers. During her career, she put together a dazzling record of 77-48 with a 1.54 ERA and struck out 365 hitters in 857.2 innings of work. To this day, Blaylock still holds virtually all of Evansville's pitching records. In February of 1995, Evansville recognized Blaylock's success on the diamond by inducting her into the school's Hall of Fame. Both on and off the field, Blaylock excelled as a student-athlete. As a junior, she was named a GTE Academic All-American, and in 1988, she was named the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year.

After graduating from Evansville in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Blaylock attended Southeast Missouri State University where she began her coaching career as a graduate assistant. She later received a master's degree in 1991 in business administration.

Blaylock, a native of nearby Herrin, lives in Carbondale, Ill.

Blaylock Year-By-Year Record

Year
Overall
Conference
Finish


2000
41-22
9-9
6th
2001
36-19
17-9
4th
2002
31-17
17-7
3rd
2003
39-14
18-6
2nd
2004
45-17
18-6
1st
2005
47-14
24-3
1st
2006
35-13
15-6
3rd
2007
41-16
17-7
3rd
2008
30-24
15-8
3rd
2009
33-13
15-7
2nd
2010
38-20
20-5
1st
2011
36-17
17-6
3rd
Total: 12 Years
452-206 (.686)
202-79 (.719)
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