Shannon Salsburg Position: Head Coach Experience: Third Season

Shannon Salsburg enters her third season as the head coach of the BGSU softball team. In just two seasons at the helm of the Falcons, Salsburg has an overall record of 52-36 (.591) and a 28-11 (.718) record in the MAC, the highest career overall and MAC winning percentage of any head coach in program history. Salsburg has also recorded the second most overall wins and MAC wins, fewest losses and highest overall and MAC winning percentage of any BG head coach in their first two seasons. Salsburg is the only head coach in BG history to coach her team to 30-plus home runs in a season, as the 2007 team hit 47 and the only coach to have her team hit consecutive seasons of 30-plus homers (47 in 2008 and 35 in 2007).

In her two years at the helm of the Falcons Salsburg has coached her players to three NFCA Louisville Slugger Great Lake All-Region nods, nine All-MAC selections, two ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americans, five ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selections, five Academic All-MAC selections, five MAC All-Tournament Team honorees, eight MAC East Player/Pitcher of the Week honorees, and seven MAC Scholar Athlete of Week honorees.

In Salsburg's second season as the Falcons' head coach she led the team to a 19-24 overall record and 14-5 record in the MAC. Salsburg and the '08 Falcons finished the regular season second in the MAC East division and third at the MAC Tournament. As a team the Falcons were ranked in top 100 in nation in four statistical categories, home runs per game (36th), doubles per game (69th), slugging percentage (97th) and earned run average (100th).

In 2007, her first season at the helm of the Falcons, she posted a 33-12 season record good for a .733 winning percentage, the best winning percentage and the fourth most wins in BGSU softball history. She is the only coach to have her team hit more than 40 home runs in a single season, as the 2007 Falcons set a new team single season home run record blasting 47 homers also recording a program best .449 slugging percentage. Salsburg also had two players set new single season home run records as Hayley Wiemer hit 11 balls out of the park and Susan Sontag set a new rookie record with nine homers in her freshman season.

Salsburg's 33-12 record was the most wins and fewest losses of any BGSU softball head coach in their first year. Her .733 overall winning percentage and .700 MAC winning percentage made her the most efficient first year head coach in the BGSU softball program.

Among the 33 wins, Salsburg debuted as the head coach of the Falcons at the Panera Bread Challenge in Chattanooga, Tennessee recording her first win as the Falcons head coach against Maine (Feb. 23, 2007). Salsburg became the first BGSU head coach to post a winning record her first opening weekend, with a 4-1 record and bringing home the Falcons second consecutive championship at Chattanooga followed by another championship crown at the Charleston Southern Tournament and a second place finish at the USF Speedline Tournament.

Salsburg continues to take the program to the next level pushing the squad to play tougher competition and become a dominating force in the Mid-American Conference as well as the region. Salsburg was named the seventh head coach in the history of the program on Sept. 25, 2006, and began her duties two days later.

Salsburg spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons on the staff at Kent State University, helping the Golden Flashes to the Mid-American Conference East Division (one-half game ahead of BGSU) and MAC Tournament titles in 2006. Salsburg helped KSU shatter the school and MAC record for homeruns, with 54 homers in 2006, ranking 13th in the nation in that category.

KSU had an overall record of 33-24 and a league mark of 16-5 in 2006. The Golden Flashes qualified for the MAC Tournament in each of Salsburg's two seasons in Kent.

"Shannon is a terrific fit and has all the ingredients to be successful and move our program forward," said BGSU Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher. "She competed at the highest level, has gained a variety of coaching experiences to develop her own style and she also understands the softball landscape in the Midwest."

"Shannon set herself apart from the other candidates, and we are thrilled to have her join Bowling Green Athletics. Any of our finalists could handle the coaching aspects, but Shannon's passion for the game, desire to take a program to the next level and commitment to building our student-athletes as well-rounded people won us over."

Prior to her two seasons at KSU, Salsburg served three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks post two of the top three batting averages in school history during her time in Fayetteville. Arkansas advanced to the Southeastern Conference tournament as well as to NCAA Regional play in 2002. UA set school single-season records in batting average, homers, slugging percentage and on-base pct. during Salsburg's tenure.

"I am truly excited to welcome Shannon to our staff," said BGSU Associate A.D./Senior Woman Administrator Janna Blais. "Her familiarity with our conference and her contacts in our region will allow her to make an immediate impact on the recruiting front."

"I am confident that under Shannon's leadership our softball program will continue to compete for MAC championships and will not miss a beat."

In addition to KSU, Salsburg has worked at two other MAC institutions. She spent one season (2001) as an assistant coach at the University at Buffalo, and began her coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Akron, helping the Zips advance to the MAC Tournament in both years there (1999 and 2000).

A native of Navarre, Ohio, Salsburg is a 1998 graduate of Penn State University, where she was a four-year starter at first base. She captained the Nittany Lions in three of those seasons, and still holds the school career records for homeruns (34), runs batted in (118) and walks (99). A two-time All-Big Ten selection, she earned All-Great Lakes Region First-Team honors in 1995.

Salsburg received her bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1998, and earned her master's degree from Akron in 2000. She is a graduate of Tuslaw High School.