HEAD COACH JEFF SAVAGE (Eighth Year)

Jeff Savage has led the Hornets to significant achievements in each of his seven years at Delaware State. Savage was hired in the summer of 1999 by then Director of Athletics Bill Collick to resurrect a program that had not enjoyed a winning season since 1995, and had only won eight games the year before.

Savage had an immediate impact on the program by winning seventeen games in his first season and posting a winning record in the MEAC for the first time in four years. From there Coach Savage has continued to lead the softball program to heights never achieved by Delaware State Softball. The success of the softball program ranks as the most significant turnaround in any athletic program at Delaware State . With 166 wins Savage is the most successful softball coach in school history.

In the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Savage's teams have consistently won, going into 2007 with an 98-28 record. They have dominated the MEAC northern division by winning five straight north titles. Savage led the team to a place in the MEAC finals in 2006 losing 4-3 to eventual MEAC Champion Florida A&M. Quality wins over teams such as Harvard, Penn, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington ,  Appalachian State, Eastern Illinois, George Mason, and Pittsburgh of the prestigious Big East have been the norm and not the exception. In 2004 a victory over in state rival University of Delaware ranks as one of the most impressive wins in the program's history. To that date, DSU had never beaten the Blue Hens. Hornet softball is consistently ranked nationally in a number of statistical categories. Players have won All Conference, Rookie of the Year, All Region, and ECAC All Star awards. In 2005, DSU Softball boasted the first female athlete at DSU to sign a professional sports contract.

Organizing a trip to Hawaii to play national powers California, Alabama, and Hawaii was one of the softball highlights since Savage took over. The 2007 season will include a trip to Las Vegas, to play UNLV, Cal-Berkley, Nebraska, and Utah Valley State. Savage organized the Bash at the Beach softball tournament as well. This event has grown to twenty teams and has become the largest in season Division I collegiate softball tournament in the East. In 2005 Delaware State played a televised softball game against University of Delaware . The game was broadcast state wide and was a huge success in Delaware . Prior to this, no sport other than football and basketball had ever been televised at DSU.

 

Assistant Coach Janice Savage (Second Year)

Janice Savage is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Hornets softball program. Janice is no stranger to the program, having been a star softball player at DSU for the last two seasons. During Savages years as a Hornet the softball program has had its most success. A 72-44 overall record and a 35-5 record in the MEAC is proof of the impact Savage made as a player at DSU.

A National Fast pitch Coaches Association All Region selection in 2004, as well as an All Conference performer, Janice led the Hornets to the final of the MEAC tournament, losing to Bethune Cook man 4-3 in the final game. She set numerous school records that year including an ERA of .98, and the single season strike out record (195), shutouts (8), and strikeouts in a game (17).

In 2005 she was an All MEAC selection again, as well as an East Coast Athletic Conference first team pick. At the conclusion of the season, she became the first female athlete in Delaware State University history to sign a professional sports contract when she inked a one year deal with New Bologna Softball of the Italian League.

Savage excelled in the classroom as well as the field. She was named National Fast pitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete in 2004 and 2005 with a GPA of 3.73. She was inducted into the DSU chapter of the Chi Alpha Athletic National Honor Society.

Savage is no stranger to the coaching field as she has run successful pitching clinics and individual lessons in the Delaware area. She has worked softball camps at the University of Maryland , Penn  State, and Delaware State , and was invited to be a part of an International pitching camp in Canada to be held in the summer of 2006 in Toronto, Canada .
Her coaching duties at Delaware State include working with the pitching staff, recruiting, and team conditioning.

Janice currently resides in Dover , and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Sport Administration.