GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman has removed the interim designation from Paladin softball head coach Stacey Johnson-Whitfield’s title, it was announced this week by director of athletics Jason Donnelly.
“Over the past year, interim head softball coach Stacey Johnson Whitfield has demonstrated that she is a strong leader, an excellent coach, an effective recruiter, a builder of team chemistry and culture, and a tremendous role model for our student-athletes, having been a former star player herself,” said Donnelly. “Throughout the course of a rebuilding year, Stacey laid the foundation for our future success and gave us all reason to be optimistic for Furman softball. We look forward to continuing to support Stacey, her staff and our student-athletes in the years to come."
After being named the program’s interim head coach this past summer, Johnson-Whitfield guided the Paladins to a 22-33 overall record, including an 8-10 league mark, fourth-place finish in the Southern Conference standings during the regular season and a top-four finish in the SoCon Softball Championship this past week. Furman exceeded preseason expectations that saw the Paladins predicted to finish sixth in the seven-team SoCon race.
“This is a very exciting time for Furman softball,” said Johnson-Whitfield. “I am so very grateful to be given the opportunity to lead this program into a new era. The team has helped lay a foundation here that we hope to build upon for years to come.”
Johnson-Whitfield, who joined the program as pitching coach during the 2021 season, helped the 2022 Paladins claim a victory over SEC foe Mississippi State and navigate a nonconference slate that included seven games against nationally ranked opponents. She developed a young Furman squad that earned four postseason citations as junior Riley Ludlam garnered first team All-SoCon honors, sophomores Sierra Tufts and Ashlee Lykins captured second-team All-SoCon accolades and Caitlin Goldwait was selected to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Prior to joining the Furman program, Johnson-Whitfield served as a private pitching instructor and assistant high school coach since 2005. Despite Furman being picked sixth in preseason polling of the Southern Conference’s head coaches in 2021, the first-year assistant helped Furman (19-28 overall, 8-9 SoCon) finish just a half game out of third place in the league standings. Her pitching staff, which included two freshmen, improved its ERA by more than a run during SoCon play in the second half of the season.
A four-year standout at the University of South Carolina from 2001-04, the Pennsylvania native helped the Gamecocks to four consecutive NCAA regional appearances and a pair of SEC East titles. She ranks among the school’s all-time leaders with 485 strikeouts and 63 career victories, while earning two SEC Pitcher of the Week citations during her career in Columbia, South Carolina. Through her business, SJWFastpitch, Johnson-Whitfield has mentored pitchers who have gone on successful careers at Arkansas, Penn State, South Carolina, Louisville, Clemson, Rutgers, Tennessee, Furman and many more.
A 2004 graduate of South Carolina, Johnson-Whitfield is married to former Gamecock football standout Travis Whitfield. The couple has two daughters, Vivian and Lilly.