Softball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Stephen F. Austin head softball coach Gay McNutt announced the addition of Kendra Cullum to the Ladyjack coaching staff on June 17 prior to the 2015-16 academic year. Cullum joins Peter Suarez as an assistant coach under McNutt after serving as the assistant at Southeastern Louisiana for one season.
“Kendra is going to be a tremendous addition to our staff and our program,” said McNutt. “She’s going to bring a lot of energy and a great amount of knowledge with regard to our offense as well as our defense. I expect her to work alongside Coach Suarez with our infielders and our hitters.
“What I’m really excited about is the fact that Kendra has played the game at a very high level. She’s really done some great things and brings a tremendous amount of excitement to our program.”
In just one season as the assistant with the Lady Lions, Cullum helped the squad go from 10th to fourth in the Southland Conference standings. She primarily worked with the outfielders while serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator.
Southeastern Louisiana had one of the best seasons in program history during Cullum's lone season in Hammond. She helped lead SLU to its best Southland Conference record in the history of the program while taking its highest seed (4) into the SLC Tournament.
A record breaking season offensively, Cullum’s squad broke the school's single season hits, runs, triples, batting average and walks records in 2015. The Lady Lions maintained the top batting average in the league until the final week, finishing second as a team. Several SLU hitters made names for themselves on a national level as well, as four of Cullum’s players ranked among the top of the NCAA leaders in batting average, walks and triples (two players).
Cullum also helped coach one of the brightest young stars in the Southland Conference in SLU's Sydney Booker – a top 25 finalist for the 2015 NFCA Freshman of the Year Award.
Cullum had a successful collegiate career, playing in 43 games and making 30 starts at the University of Kansas as a freshman before transferring to the University of Houston to finish her playing days. Known for crowding the plate, she currently ranks second in NCAA history after getting hit by a pitch 89 times during her collegiate career. Only Mariah Gearhart of Oklahoma State has been hit more (92).
An on base machine at Houston, Cullum ended her time as a Cougar with the second highest career on base percentage (.444) in UH history. In three years, Cullum appeared in 169 games, making 166 starts, while compiling a career .244 batting average (95-for-390). She started at shortstop as a sophomore and junior before making the move to left field as a senior.
As a junior in 2013, Cullum ranked number one in the NCAA in hit by pitches per game (0.64), which ranks as the third-highest total in NCAA history. Her 38 hit-by-pitch total is the second-highest amount all-time in the NCAA. Cullum also set the school record with 52 runs scored during the season and ranked third in the country in sacrifice hits per game (0.36).
Cullum was a standout academically as well, being selected to the Conference USA’s Commissioner’s Honor Roll three times and being named a CoSIDA Academic All-American as a sophomore.
Cullum graduated from Houston in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration and a minor in health. Prior to college, she was a standout athlete at Conroe High School.
