Jen Sewell

Hometown: Tulsa, Okla. Position: Associate Head Coach Experience: 4th Year

Alma Mater: Ohio University

E-mail Coach Sewell

Updated October 24, 2011

Jen Sewell enters her fourth year at Southern Illinois University and second as the associate head coach. Sewell serves as the team's hitting coach while also working with infield and catchers.

In just four seasons, Sewell has proven successful including leading the Salukis to the second-highest overall hitting percentage in the Missouri Valley Conference (.284) and a conference hitting percentage of .320 in 2011. Sewell also took over as third base coach and helped lead Mallory Duran-Sellers to the fifth-best single season hitting percentage as she hit a .398 last season. Of the top 15 hitters in the MVC, the Salukis held five of those spots and also held the least amount of strikeouts in conference play and drew the most walks in 2011. The Salukis were also second in the conference in hits, doubles, and home runs.

The 2010 season was also an award winning year for Sewell, who served as an assistant coach for the team that won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title and finished second at the conference tournament. Along with head coach Kerri Blaylock and coaches Christy Connoyer and Skip Cosgrove, Sewell helped earn the 2010 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year award. She also assists with pitching, including pitch calling, and helped guide Danielle Glosson to the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year award in 2010. Sewell also worked with catcher Cristina Trapani, who earned MVC All-Conference second team honors as well as a spot on the MVC All-Tournament team in 2010. In addition, Sewell works SIU camps and clinics, assists in recruiting with Blaylock, and opponent scouting.

Prior to SIU, Sewell spent five seasons at Kansas (2004-2008), as a hitting and infield coach. Sewell helped coach KU to its first-ever Big 12 postseason championship and second straight NCAA Regional appearance in 2006. She also guided the Jayhawk defense to a program-best .973 fielding percentage, which ranked 14th in the nation in 2005. That same year Sewell coached the team to a single-season home run record and single-season fielding percentage record of .973 which ranked No. 14 in the nation. Sewell coached Big 12 Player of the Year and Second Team All-American Serena Settlemier to single-season marks for home runs and slugging percentage while becoming the fastest assistant coach to reach 100 wins.

Sewell got her start as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Princeton for four seasons. During her four seasons at Princeton, Sewell coached seven All-Ivy League selections, an Ivy League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, as well as a two-time Ivy Pitcher of the Year. During the 2002 season, the Tigers set a program record for single season wins earning Speedline/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Coaching Staff of the Year (Northeast Region). Under Sewell's direction, Princeton won back-to-back Ivy League championships, and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003.

Sewell was a four-year letterwinner in softball as an infielder and catcher at Ohio University from 1996-2000, and earned her master's degree in sports management at SIU in 2011.