Indiana University Hoosiers Softball Camps

Indiana University Softball Camps

Coaching Staff

Assistant Coach Amanda Rivera

Indiana softball head coach Michelle Gardner announced the hiring of Amanda Rivera as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2009 season. Rivera, a standout at the University of Illinois at Chicago, spent the 2008 season as an assistant coach at North Carolina State University, helping the Wolfpack to 31 wins and an appearance in the finals of the ACC Tournament.

"I am absolutely thrilled that Amanda is going to be joining me on my staff here at Indiana," said Gardner. "She is a great hitting instructor and has worked with a number of great programs and is going to be a big part of the success of this program as we move forward."

At N.C. State, Rivera concentrated on hitting and fielding instruction, in particular the outfielders. She was also a key component in the day-to-day operations of the Wolfpack program and directed all of the softball camps and clinics that the team put on.

Before joining the Wolfpack, the native of Redondo Beach, Calif., was a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern University for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In 2006, the Wildcats advanced all the way to the College World Series and came away with a second place finish. They were back in the College World series in 2007 and finished third behind three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, Garland Cooper. Rivera helped Cooper set single-season and career home run records at Northwestern en route to being named the league's only three-time player of the year.

As a whole, the Northwestern bats came alive under the watchful eye of Rivera, setting team records for hits and doubles. She also helped Tammy Williams and Nicole Pauly receive Big Ten Rookie of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

"I am very excited to be back in the Big Ten," said Rivera. "It was a very difficult decision to leave N.C. State, but I love the Big Ten and the Midwest and I am eager to help bring Indiana back to the top of the Big Ten."

Upon her graduation from UIC with a degree in Movement Science in 2005, she immediately moved into the role of volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater while also continuing her duties as a private hitting instructor in Chicago. In addition, she was the head coach for the Oak Park Windmills from 2002-2007 and an assistant coach for the Southern California Blazers Gold in 2001.

While playing for the UIC Flames from 2001-04, Rivera left a lasting impression on the softball record books. She is the career leader in home runs (52) and hit by pitch (35); and ranks second in RBI (193) and walks (125).

She also holds many single-season marks for the Flames as well, led by her 2004 campaign. That year, Rivera crushed a school-record 20 home runs and drove in 64 runs, the second most in a single season, on her way to receiving All-America accolades. She was also named Horizon League Player of the Year and earned Horizon League Tournament MVP for the second time, claiming the award in 2002 as well. She was named to the All-Great Lakes Region team each of her four seasons at UIC and received the Horizon League Rookie of the Year award following her freshman campaign.

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Assistant Coach Christy Hebert

Indiana head softball coach Michelle Gardner rounded out her coaching staff on Tuesday, announcing the hiring of Christy Hebert as an assistant coach. Hebert has Big Ten ties, as she was a two-time All-American shortstop at Iowa and an assistant coach at Northwestern for two seasons.

"I am extremely excited to add Christy to my staff here at Indiana," Gardner said. "She was a two-time All-American at Iowa and was an assistant at Northwestern so she has some tremendous connections to the Big Ten. And her head coaching experience at Northern Iowa will also be an asset not just to the coaching staff but to the entire program."

Hebert (pronounced HEE-bert) was an assistant coach for the 2007 season with the New England Riptide of the National Pro Fastpitch league before moving on to be an instructor for Perfect Game USA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she helped with developing hitting mechanics and defensive skills for players ranging from 10 to 17.

"I am really excited to be back in the Big Ten Conference and to coach at such a successful and wonderful school like Indiana University," Hebert said. "I'm looking forward to working with Coach Gardner and Coach Rivera to bring success to the IU softball program."

With the Riptide, she coached the league's player of the year and pitcher of the year while also getting involved in the community through numerous camps and clinics.

Prior to moving on to the Riptide, Hebert coached at the University of Northern Iowa for seven seasons, the last five as the head coach. With the Panthers, Hebert coached the school's only first team All-American as well as 15 All-Missouri Valley Conference selections and five Academic All-Conference selections.

Before joining Northern Iowa, Hebert was an assistant coach at Northwestern for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, helping the Wildcats collect three All-Big Ten selections and three NFCA All-Mideast Region selections in addition to an NFCA Academic All-American and a handful of Academic All-Big Ten honorees.

Upon the completion of her collegiate career at Iowa, Hebert played three summers, from 1998-2000, as a shortstop with the North Carolina Diamonds of the Women's Professional Softball League and was named to the WPSL All-Star team.

During her career at the University of Iowa, she played shortstop for NFCA Hall of Fame head coach Gayle Blevins where she was an All-American in 1996 and 1997 and All-Big Ten from 1995-97. She was named team MVP in 1996 and a member of the Women's College World Series All-Tournament team in 1997 while the Hawkeyes participated in the World Series in each of her final three seasons in Iowa City.