New Chapter for ISU Softball

NORMAL Ill.- On Sunday August 28, 2022 Illinois State softball head coach Melinda Fischer announced her retirement after 37 years of coaching the Redbirds.

Upon her retirement, Senior Associate Head Coach Tina Kramos was named the new head coach for the Redbirds. Coach Kramos has been a part of the Redbirds staff for the last 23 years and has served as the program’s Senior Associate Head Coach since 2017.

Through her tenure of 37 years of head coach for ISU Softball Fischer amassed a win total well over 1,000 games. 

“I can’t tell you how extremely proud I am to have been the coach here for 37 years in Softball and the 5 years that I was able to spend with Jill Hutchinson in basketball as a co-head coach,” said Fischer. “Amazing absolutely do it no place else and so proud to have represented as best as I could.” 

Being an assistant coach can be a very difficult task. The tasks can range from helping in the recruiting to helping making tough game time decisions. 

“Your in a support role when your an assistant coach and you can influence decisions but you don’t make that final decision,” said Kramos. “So that will be a little different than what I’m use to but I think the importance of being in the support role, being someone who has to be loyal, those are the things I learned in that role.” 

For Illinois State this has been the fourth head coach the school has announced in the past few months, with men’s basketball, volleyball, and soccer all welcoming new head coaches. 

“Tina has worked and waited for a long time for this opportunity and more than earned the right to take over this historic program,” said Illinois State Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan.