Marshall University Athletics
Softball
Holub, Maddie
Maddie Holub
- Title:
- Pitching Coach
- Email:
- holubm@marshall.edu
- Phone:
- 3979
Maddie Holub concluded her fifth season in 2022-23 as the pitching coach, for the Marshall softball team after being hired Aug. 22, 2018.
Holub has done wonders over her five seasons working with the Herd pitching staff. Marshall has won 165 games out of 234 (.705 winning percentage), including 45 by shutout. She has worked with a staff mentality, being able to pull on several different arms to work their magic in the circle.
The 2023 Herd led the Sun Belt with a 1.62 ERA with 10 shutouts. Nester was the league's pitching triple crown winner with her 1.62 ERA, 27 wins, and 234 strikeouts. In addition to Nester, Holub oversaw the staff of Savannah Rice, Cailey Joyce, Bri Godfrey, and Bub Feringa. The trio of Rice, Godfrey, and Feringa were a combined 18-2 in the circle, with 120 strikeouts.
In 2022, Nester transferred to Marshall after three years at North Carolina State and was an absolute star in the circle under Coach Holub. Nester broke records in her first season with the Green & White that culminated in being named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week six times, C-USA Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, and selected First Team All-Region. Nester started the year off with a bang as she became the first pitcher in team history to record double-digit strikeout performances, and back-to-back shutouts in the first two outings of the year. The right-hander recorded 30 complete games (tied for fourth-most at MU) out of 35 starts. She tallied 11 shutouts (tied for second-most at MU) and tossed 294 strikeouts (tied for third-most at MU) in 228 innings. Nester set the program record for the most strikeouts per seven innings at 9.03 and tied the record for the most double-digit strikeout games in a year with 12. In just one season, Nester already ranks in the Top 10 in eight categories on the career charts, and still has one more year of eligibility in 2023. She ranked in the Top 50 in the NCAA in six categories and was in the Top 10 in four: fifth in shutouts, seventh in strikeouts, eighth in innings pitched and ninth in wins (26). The pitching staff combined to tally 12 shutouts, including four-straight in early March at home, and set the program single-season record for most team strikeouts per seven innings with 7.81.
In 2021, Holub oversaw a staff that saw six different pitchers earn at least one victory in the abbreviated season due to COVID-19, and all six had great moments during the year. Senior Laney Jones was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week twice. Fellow senior Megan Stauffer was excellent in relief, in many cases shutting down a team that was beginning to gain momentum. Sophomore Ashley Blessin came out strong to begin the year with seven strikeouts against Akron to open the year. Newcomer Cailey Joyce tied for the team lead with five wins and pitched a gem for a shutout against Florida Atlantic at home. Fellow newcomer Madi Garay earned a win and a save in her first two collegiate outings, and freshman hurler Brianna McCown began to develop into a starter and shows promise leading into her future.
In the fall of Holub’s second season at Marshall, she was named to the Fort Hays State Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019.
In 2020, Marshall was off to a great start to the season with an 18-7 record before the remainder of the year was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Herd entered the year with just one returning pitcher and four newcomers with two transfers and two freshmen. Holub’s pitching staff turned out three shutouts in the early part of the year and 117 strikeouts. Freshman Ashley Blessin developed into a reliable starter after missing the entire fall ball season while recovering from an injury. Blessin finished the year with a 7-0 record, two shutouts and 34 strikeouts. Junior Laney Jones, a transfer from Division II Ashland University, also developed into a reliable starter with an 8-2 record, 61 strikeouts and tied the program single-season record with four saves. Jones was sixth in the NCAA in saves.
Holub stepped right in and helped direct the Herd to one its biggest win-turnarounds in program history with 17 more victories in 2019 for an overall record of 42-22, a return to the Conference USA Championship game and a postseason invitation to the National Invitational Softball Championship.
Holub’s staff broke a 22-year old team record delivering 16 shutouts in 2019. Senior Abigail Tolbert pitched 11 shutouts and junior Kailee Williamson tallied five. Tolbert continued to develop and became a star ace in senior year under Holub’s coaching as Tolbert set career highs across the board and was tied for eighth in the nation in shutouts, tied for 11th in wins (28) and tied for 49th in strikeouts (187). Tolbert was named second team All-Conference USA, and was a member of the Conference USA All-Tournament team and the NISC Lynchburg Regional All-Tournament Team. Williamson was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team. During the C-USA Tournament, Tolbert shut out the No. 1 overall seed North Texas Mean Green twice, and tossed a third shutout over No. 8 UTSA, in helping push Marshall back to championship game.
"I am very excited to welcome Maddie to the Herd," coach Smith said. "She is a talented young coach who has proven that she can lead a pitching staff to high levels of success. Her work ethic and commitment to excellence will be a great addition to our program."
"I am humbled and excited to be joining coach Smith and coach Lyon at Marshall," Holub said. "The tradition and culture of the softball program, and the university as a whole, is something I cannot wait to be a part of. I want to thank coach Smith and Marshall University for welcoming me into the Herd family."
Holub will be the pitching coach for the Thundering Herd and brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the team. She spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla. While working with the Lions, Holub helped the squad to back-to-back NCAA Division II postseason appearances including reaching the World Series in 2018. She was named NFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year for Division II in 2015.
The Lions never won fewer than 37 games during her tenure, and saw Stephanie Adkins win back-to-back Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Saint Leo also had five pitchers in a three-year span named all-conference. Her pitching staffs' ERAs stayed below 2.04, highlighted by a 0.93 staff ERA in 2016 that garnered the National Statistical Championship, and averaged 16 shutouts per season.
Prior to coaching at Saint Leo, Holub assisted at her alma mater Fort Hays State. The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 13 in the country during her time on staff. Holub also coached overseas in Collecchio, Italy, with the Collecchio Softball 17U and 10U squads. While in Italy, Holub focused on pitcher development and conditioning while assisting with game management.
During her playing days at Fort Hays State, Holub was a dominant performer in the circle and at the plate. She is still her team's all-time record holder in career hits (255), runs scored (183), RBI (160), home runs (46), wins (77) and strikeouts (974). Her name appears in the top-10 in many other categories. She tossed seven no-hitters and shared in an eighth, and also contributed two perfect games. The four-time all-conference performer was honored as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Player and Pitcher of the Year in her senior season of 2013.
The health and human performance major earned her bachelor's degree from Fort Hays State University in 2013.
Holub has done wonders over her five seasons working with the Herd pitching staff. Marshall has won 165 games out of 234 (.705 winning percentage), including 45 by shutout. She has worked with a staff mentality, being able to pull on several different arms to work their magic in the circle.
The 2023 Herd led the Sun Belt with a 1.62 ERA with 10 shutouts. Nester was the league's pitching triple crown winner with her 1.62 ERA, 27 wins, and 234 strikeouts. In addition to Nester, Holub oversaw the staff of Savannah Rice, Cailey Joyce, Bri Godfrey, and Bub Feringa. The trio of Rice, Godfrey, and Feringa were a combined 18-2 in the circle, with 120 strikeouts.
In 2022, Nester transferred to Marshall after three years at North Carolina State and was an absolute star in the circle under Coach Holub. Nester broke records in her first season with the Green & White that culminated in being named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week six times, C-USA Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, and selected First Team All-Region. Nester started the year off with a bang as she became the first pitcher in team history to record double-digit strikeout performances, and back-to-back shutouts in the first two outings of the year. The right-hander recorded 30 complete games (tied for fourth-most at MU) out of 35 starts. She tallied 11 shutouts (tied for second-most at MU) and tossed 294 strikeouts (tied for third-most at MU) in 228 innings. Nester set the program record for the most strikeouts per seven innings at 9.03 and tied the record for the most double-digit strikeout games in a year with 12. In just one season, Nester already ranks in the Top 10 in eight categories on the career charts, and still has one more year of eligibility in 2023. She ranked in the Top 50 in the NCAA in six categories and was in the Top 10 in four: fifth in shutouts, seventh in strikeouts, eighth in innings pitched and ninth in wins (26). The pitching staff combined to tally 12 shutouts, including four-straight in early March at home, and set the program single-season record for most team strikeouts per seven innings with 7.81.
In 2021, Holub oversaw a staff that saw six different pitchers earn at least one victory in the abbreviated season due to COVID-19, and all six had great moments during the year. Senior Laney Jones was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week twice. Fellow senior Megan Stauffer was excellent in relief, in many cases shutting down a team that was beginning to gain momentum. Sophomore Ashley Blessin came out strong to begin the year with seven strikeouts against Akron to open the year. Newcomer Cailey Joyce tied for the team lead with five wins and pitched a gem for a shutout against Florida Atlantic at home. Fellow newcomer Madi Garay earned a win and a save in her first two collegiate outings, and freshman hurler Brianna McCown began to develop into a starter and shows promise leading into her future.
In the fall of Holub’s second season at Marshall, she was named to the Fort Hays State Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019.
In 2020, Marshall was off to a great start to the season with an 18-7 record before the remainder of the year was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Herd entered the year with just one returning pitcher and four newcomers with two transfers and two freshmen. Holub’s pitching staff turned out three shutouts in the early part of the year and 117 strikeouts. Freshman Ashley Blessin developed into a reliable starter after missing the entire fall ball season while recovering from an injury. Blessin finished the year with a 7-0 record, two shutouts and 34 strikeouts. Junior Laney Jones, a transfer from Division II Ashland University, also developed into a reliable starter with an 8-2 record, 61 strikeouts and tied the program single-season record with four saves. Jones was sixth in the NCAA in saves.
Holub stepped right in and helped direct the Herd to one its biggest win-turnarounds in program history with 17 more victories in 2019 for an overall record of 42-22, a return to the Conference USA Championship game and a postseason invitation to the National Invitational Softball Championship.
Holub’s staff broke a 22-year old team record delivering 16 shutouts in 2019. Senior Abigail Tolbert pitched 11 shutouts and junior Kailee Williamson tallied five. Tolbert continued to develop and became a star ace in senior year under Holub’s coaching as Tolbert set career highs across the board and was tied for eighth in the nation in shutouts, tied for 11th in wins (28) and tied for 49th in strikeouts (187). Tolbert was named second team All-Conference USA, and was a member of the Conference USA All-Tournament team and the NISC Lynchburg Regional All-Tournament Team. Williamson was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team. During the C-USA Tournament, Tolbert shut out the No. 1 overall seed North Texas Mean Green twice, and tossed a third shutout over No. 8 UTSA, in helping push Marshall back to championship game.
"I am very excited to welcome Maddie to the Herd," coach Smith said. "She is a talented young coach who has proven that she can lead a pitching staff to high levels of success. Her work ethic and commitment to excellence will be a great addition to our program."
"I am humbled and excited to be joining coach Smith and coach Lyon at Marshall," Holub said. "The tradition and culture of the softball program, and the university as a whole, is something I cannot wait to be a part of. I want to thank coach Smith and Marshall University for welcoming me into the Herd family."
Holub will be the pitching coach for the Thundering Herd and brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the team. She spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla. While working with the Lions, Holub helped the squad to back-to-back NCAA Division II postseason appearances including reaching the World Series in 2018. She was named NFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year for Division II in 2015.
The Lions never won fewer than 37 games during her tenure, and saw Stephanie Adkins win back-to-back Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Saint Leo also had five pitchers in a three-year span named all-conference. Her pitching staffs' ERAs stayed below 2.04, highlighted by a 0.93 staff ERA in 2016 that garnered the National Statistical Championship, and averaged 16 shutouts per season.
Prior to coaching at Saint Leo, Holub assisted at her alma mater Fort Hays State. The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 13 in the country during her time on staff. Holub also coached overseas in Collecchio, Italy, with the Collecchio Softball 17U and 10U squads. While in Italy, Holub focused on pitcher development and conditioning while assisting with game management.
During her playing days at Fort Hays State, Holub was a dominant performer in the circle and at the plate. She is still her team's all-time record holder in career hits (255), runs scored (183), RBI (160), home runs (46), wins (77) and strikeouts (974). Her name appears in the top-10 in many other categories. She tossed seven no-hitters and shared in an eighth, and also contributed two perfect games. The four-time all-conference performer was honored as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Player and Pitcher of the Year in her senior season of 2013.
The health and human performance major earned her bachelor's degree from Fort Hays State University in 2013.
Marshall Softball Class of 2025 Graduates
Friday, May 02
Marshall Softball: Kaleea Washington & Brooklyn Ulrich (Post-Radford)
Tuesday, April 22
Marshall Softball: HC Morgan Zerkle, Haleigh Adkins, Paige Maynard (Post-Coastal)
Friday, April 18
Hype and Harmony: the Team Personality Fuels Success #softball
Thursday, April 17
