The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball
- Title:
- Assistant coach
The 2018 season marks Jennifer McFalls’ eighth year as an assistant on head coach Connie Clark’s staff. A former USA Softball standout and Olympic gold medalist, McFalls serves as the Longhorns’ defensive coach.
Last season, Texas continued its strong defensive work under her tutelage, registering a .968 fielding mark with 19 double plays to tie for the fifth-most twin killings in one season. The Burnt Orange & White won 33 games, advanced to the championship round of the NCAA College Station Regional and boasted two NFCA All-Region selections (freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth and senior shortstop Devon Tunning) and four All-Big 12 Conference recipients (Ellsworth, Tunning, senior pitcher Tiarra Davis and freshman outfielder Kaitlyn Washington).
During a 38-16 campaign in 2016 that resulted in a bid to the NCAA Lafayette Regional, McFalls’ defensive charges managed 24 double plays, marking the second-most in a single season in program history behind only the 2009 squad (25), while registering a .967 fielding percentage and boasting an All-American (Lindsey Stephens) and three NFCA All-Central Region honorees (Stephens. Celina Felix, Kelli Hanzel).
During the 2015 campaign, the Longhorns had a pair of players, junior centerfielder Stephens and freshman pitcher Erica Wright earn All-Big 12 Defensive Team accolades on the way to 38 wins, a second-place league finish and the program’s 11th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance.
Under McFalls’ tutelage in 2014, three players were selected to the first All-Big 12 Defensive team. Over the course of the season, Longhorn defense turned 21 double plays, marking the second-most in school history.
| JENNIFER McFALLS | ||||
| Hometown | Grand Prairie, Texas | |||
| High School | South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) | |||
| College | Texas A&M, 1990-94 | |||
| Degree | B. S. in kinesiology, 1997 | |||
| Year on Texas staff | Eighth | |||
| COACHING CAREER | ||||
| Assistant Coach, The University of Texas | 2010-present | |||
| Head Coach/Assistant Athletics Director, Midlothian High School | 2006-10 | |||
| Head Coach/Assistant Athletics Director, Hockaday School | 2003-05 | |||
| Assistant Coach, University of Oklahoma | 1998 | |||
| Assistant Coach, Texas A&M University | 1995-97 | |||
| TEXAS COACHING HIGHLIGHTS -- TEAM | ||||
| Year(s) | Highlight | |||
| 2013 | NCAA Women's College World Series appearance | |||
| 2011-17 Seven NCAA Regional appearances | ||||
| TEXAS COACHING HIGHLIGHTS -- INDIVIDUALS | ||||
| Year(s) | Highlight | |||
| 2011-17 | Nine All-America selections and 31 NFCA All-Region selections | |||
| 2011, 2014 | Big 12 Player of the Year (Amy Hooks/2011, Taylor Thom/2014) | |||
| 2011, 2014 | Big 12 Freshman of the Year (Taylor Thom/2011, Tiarra Davis/2014) | |||
| 2010-2017 | 36 All-Big 12 Conference selections | |||
| 2012 | Academic All-America honoree (Lexy Bennett) | |||
| 2012 | Academic All-District selection (Lexy Bennett) | |||
| 2010-2017 | 44 Big 12 All-Academic Team honorees | |||
| USA SOFTBALL | ||||
| Year(s) | Highlight | |||
| 2005-10 | USA Softball selection committee | |||
| 2000 | Olympic gold medal winner | |||
| 1994-2000 | U.S. National Team member | |||
| 1996 | Olympic team alternate | |||
| 1999 | Pan American Games winner | |||
| 1998 | World Championships gold medal winner | |||
| PLAYING CAREER | ||||
| Year(s) | Highlight | |||
| 1991-94 | Four-year starting shortstop at Texas A&M University; led Aggies in batting average, hits, total bases and slugging percentage all four years | |||
| 1993 | First-Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America selection | |||
| 1993-94 | All-South Region First-Team honoree | |||
| 1994 | Texas A&M Female Athlete of the Year | |||
| 2001 | Texas A&M Hall of Fame member | |||
In 2013, McFalls helped the program to the second-most wins in a year with 51 and a return trip to the Women’s College World Series. The Longhorns made the semifinals of the event for just the third time in program history, and first since 2005. The defense posted a .971 fielding percentage, the second highest in the last seven years. Six student-athletes finished the campaign without committing an error. The squad’s 1,219 putouts were the most since 1,316 in 2006.
During the 2012 season, McFalls helped the Longhorns to their third NCAA Super Regional appearance and to within one game of the Women’s College World Series. McFalls shaped a defense that posted a .968 fielding percentage. The 1,199 putouts during the campaign were the second most by the team since the start of the 2007 season.
In her first season on the Forty Acres, McFalls guided UT to a 46-10 record and a trip to its seventh-straight NCAA Regional appearance. She helped Texas to a school-record .980 fielding percentage, a mark that was the best in the Big 12 Conference and third in the NCAA.
McFalls joined the Texas staff after spending the previous five seasons as the head coach and assistant athletics director at Midlothian High School in Midlothian, Texas. During her tenure at MHS she posted a 139-48 record and led her team to five-straight playoff appearances.
In addition to her duties at Midlothian, McFalls has been active with USA Softball, serving on the USA Softball selection committee from 2005-10. She recently served as assistant coach for Team USA at the 2010 Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship where she coached 2013 Texas graduate Blaire Luna.
Prior to her time at Midlothian, McFalls was head softball coach and assistant athletics director at the Hockaday School in Dallas from 2003-05. In 2002 and 2003, she was the fastpitch softball academy director at Power Alley in Grand Prairie, Texas.
McFalls has had two previous stints as a collegiate assistant coach, serving one season at the University of Oklahoma in 1998 and three seasons at Texas A&M University from 1995-97. Following her tenure at OU, she spent five years working in softball clinics, television, personal training and motivational speaking.
On Jan. 20, 2015, McFalls was named as the first head coach for the Dallas Charge, a new affiliate of National Pro Fastpitch beginning play in 2015.
As a player, McFalls won a gold medal as a member of Team USA at the 2000 Olympics, when she scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning in USA’s 2-1 victory over Japan in the gold medal game. She also scored the only run in USA’s 1-0 win against Australia to send the Americans to the gold medal game. McFalls was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1994-2000, helping her teams to a gold medal in the 1999 Pan American Games and a gold medal at the 1998 World Championships.
McFalls played collegiately for Texas A&M where she earned first-team All-America honors as a shortstop in 1993 and led the Aggies in batting average, hits, total bases and slugging percentage in all four seasons of her career. In 1994 she was named the school’s Female Athlete of the Year and in 2001 she was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame. McFalls graduated from A&M in 1997 with a degree in kinesiology.
