NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State softball head coach
James Inzana announced on Friday that
Carrie Hoeft has been named assistant coach for the Spartan program. She most recently served as a volunteer assistant with NSU during the 2021 season.
"I have known Carrie for more than 20 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to NSU, as a player, coach and an athletics director," said Inzana, this year's MEAC Coach of the Year. "She has a great ability to work well with anyone, and she is really good with the coach-player relationship. We are excited to have her join our program."
Hoeft volunteered with Norfolk State softball during this past season, serving as the third base coach while assisting with all facets of on-field coaching. With Inzana missing time due to illness, Hoeft joined assistant coaches
Mike Johnson and Shannon Buffington in guiding the program during the early part of the season.
The Spartans went 12-7 in the MEAC in 2021 and 20-19 overall. They finished second in the Northern Division to qualify for the MEAC Tournament. A total of six players were named All-MEAC as the program posted a winning overall record for the fifth time in its Division I history. Norfolk State also finished above .500 in the league for the eighth time in the last nine full seasons.
"I love coaching the game of softball and am very grateful for this opportunity at NSU with Coach Inzana," said Hoeft. "He holds his players and coaching staff to the highest of expectations, and I look forward to growing as a coach and contributing to the culture and overall success of the program."
Hoeft spent a pair of seasons as head coach at Paul D. Camp Community College in 2019 and 2020 in the first two years of the school's softball program. She coached five all-region players during her two seasons there, including Region X Player of the Year and All-American Morgan Owens. Hoeft also served as athletics director for the 2019-20 athletics season.
She was an assistant coach at Stratford University during the 2018 season before joining Camp CC. Hoeft ran the Grand Slam 2 Baseball and Softball Academy for 15 years until the summer of 2018, giving private instruction and conducting camps and clinics with local teams and organizations. She started up the Tidewater Bomber AAU softball program and spent nearly nine years as the head coach.
A member of the softball team at Virginia State, Hoeft earned a degree in physical education from VSU in December 2007. She also received her master's in sport management from Liberty in May of 2020.
