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Virginia Tech Hires Kennesaw State's Pete D'Amour as Head Softball Coach

Pete D Amour Kennesaw
Whit Babcock and Virginia Tech announced today that Kennesaw State head coach Pete D'Amour will be hired as the next head coach of Virginia Tech softball. D'Amour is only the second head coach in program history after longtime head coach Scot Thomas was relieved of his duties last week. D'Amour had an impressive two-year stint at Kennesaw State going 79-37 while leading the Owls to back-to-back postseason appearances including a trip to the NCAA Championship this past year as a 3 seed in the Tallahassee Regional. In addition to that, D'Amour was named the Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year this past season. Before then, Pete D'Amour was an assistant at Missouri for a decade working his way up the staff with the Tigers. During his time in Columbia, Missouri made three Women's College World Series appearances, eight total NCAA Super Regional appearances, and earned a berth to an NCAA regional each season. Whit Babcock was at Missouri for five of D'Amour's seasons with the Tigers and had this to say on the hiring of D'Amour.

“We are excited to welcome Pete to our talented group of head coaches at Virginia Tech,” Babcock said. “After watching Pete firsthand for five seasons as an assistant at the University of Missouri, it came as no surprise to me the immediate impact he made as a head coach at Kennesaw State. Pete understands the tradition and high standards for softball at Virginia Tech that were set by Scot Thomas and the many student-athletes, coaches and staff who built this program since its inception.

“I’m confident that Pete has the values, skills and talent to lead our softball program into the future. His demonstrated commitment to academic success and on-field performance, as well as his proven ability as a recruiter and leader were all attributes that appealed to us as our search process evolved.”

Pete D'Amour knows that Scot Thomas built a great winning tradition at Virginia Tech and has given D'Amour a strong foundation to turn Virginia Tech into a national contender once again.

“I am honored and humbled to accept this tremendous opportunity to lead the softball program at Virginia Tech,” D’Amour said. “Scot Thomas built this program from the ground up, and I admired the tradition he established at Tech from afar. Our objective will be to uphold the foundation of consistent success and the winning culture that Scot instilled in the program, while bringing some new concepts to the team, as we start this new chapter for Tech softball.

“I’m also excited to return to a region where I grew up and a number of members of my family still call home. In addition to inheriting a program that has been to the Women’s College World Series, the chance to lead a team that boasts fabulous facilities – including a new indoor facility – that also happens to be located in a region full of talent was very appealing to me. I’m eager to meet the team and get to work in Blacksburg.”

Whit Babcock has made some fantastic hires during his tenure and D'Amour looks like another great one as someone who has proven himself as a head coach at Kennesaw State and has an impressive track record as an assistant at a major conference program like Missouri.

Photo Credit: Virginia Tech Athletics

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