Seton Hall picks Angie Churchill to rebuild softball program

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (AP) — Angie Churchill has been chosen to rebuild the Seton Hall softball program.

Pirates athletic direction Bryan Felt announced the hiring Monday.

Churchill had turned Hartford from a team that won 21 games in the four seasons before she took over into one that won 20 games in 2019, her second season.

Churchill replaces Paige Smith, who resigned last month after nine seasons. The Pirates were 9-23 this past season, with a 5-13 record in the Big East Conference. Smith’s best season was in 2015, when she guided the Pirates to 25 wins, including 10 in the Big East.

Prior to her four-year stint at Hartford, Churchill spent two seasons at Wagner, where she won 20 games in her first season. She also coached at D’Youville College and Georgian Court.

Churchill spent six seasons as a Division I assistant at Ohio and Buffalo before becoming a head coach in 2011. She played for Michigan, helping the Wolverines to a 191-57-1 record, three Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships, four trips to the NCAA Tournament and three Women’s College World Series appearances.

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