June 16, 2004
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University softball head coach Marcy Crouch announced she will resign her position after five seasons to pursue other opportunities, Director of Athletics and Recreation Cheryl L. Levick announced recently.
A 1999 graduate of Stanford, Crouch has served as the Broncos' coach since the fall of 1999. She has transformed the program since that time, and has won two league championships, including the 2004 Pacific Coast Softball Conference crown last month. Crouch has been named the PCSC Coach of the Year the past two seasons.
"My time at Santa Clara has been a great learning and growing experience for me," Crouch said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with such quality student-athletes and coaches, and in such a great University atmosphere. I am grateful to Santa Clara University for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to coach and complete my Masters in Business Administration and I will leave here a Bronco fan for life."
While coaching, Crouch took classes at Santa Clara's Leavey School of Business and graduated this past weekend with an MBA. She has been accepted to Boston University's Sports Psychology Doctoral program but will return to her hometown of Huntington Beach to evaluate all future opportunities.
Crouch's last day on the mission campus will be June 30. The department will begin a national search immediately for a replacement.
Crouch guided the Broncos through a milestone season in 2003, as the team set a new single-season mark for wins, and placed second in the inaugural year of the PCSC. She followed with her second-straight 30-win season in 2004.
In 2002, Crouch led the Broncos to the Western Independent Softball League Championship. That team posted 25 wins and recorded new marks in triples and shutouts. During the previous season, the Broncos placed second in that tournament and notched 17 wins, including a victory over nationally-ranked Arizona State in Tempe. In 2000, Crouch's first season, the team finished 11-40, but 16 of those losses were by one run, showing the competitiveness of future Bronco squads.
"Marcy has done an outstanding job in leading our softball program the last five seasons," Levick said. "She guided the program to a level of success in softball that Santa Clara had not previously achieved and we will certainly miss her."
Crouch was the ninth head coach in the program's 25-year history, and leaves with the most wins of her peers, notching 113 victories. She coached two-time PCSC Pitcher of the Year Jaime Forman-Lau as well as eight All-Conference selections over the past two years.
As a player, Crouch played an integral part in the building of the Cardinal program. The former pitcher was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection, as well as a three-year captain. She was named the team's Most Valuable Player in her sophomore campaign, and as a junior, led the Cardinal to a third-place finish in the Pac-10. The team also made its first-ever postseason appearance as a No. 1 seed in NCAA Regional play, where Crouch was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was selected as a third-team All-American, hitting. 307 and recording a 1.35 ERA. The Cardinal earned its highest national ranking during Crouch's senior year, at No. 7. She capped her career by throwing three perfect games.
