Tina Plew-Whitlock Named Lander Head Softball Coach

GREENWOOD – The Lander Athletic Department announced today that Christina Plew-Whitlock will be the next Bearcats head softball coach.

Plew-Whitlock, a two-time All-American at the University of South Carolina, has served as the head softball coach at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. for the past four years. She graduated from South Carolina in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. In 2000, she earned her Master of Arts teaching degree from Converse College.

In making the announcement after a national search, Lander Athletic Director Jeff May said, "We are very pleased that Coach Whitlock will be in charge of Bearcat Softball. We are confident that, in time, she will elevate our program to be a Peach Belt Conference title contender."

"Having the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of (Lander Hall of Fame) Coach Doug Spears is an honor," said Plew-Whitlock. I look forward to achieving many goals with the Lander Bearcats in the Jeff May Complex. What a superior resource to utilize.

"I believe that in all areas of the game, the facility alone will lift the level of Lander softball. I am blessed to have the confidence of Lander Athletics and the Lander Community."

In Plew-Whitlock's first three years at Le Moyne, the Dolphins posted an 86-64-1 overall record. In 2009, Le Moyne won the Northeast-10 Conference tournament championship, the Northeast Regional Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Plew-Whitlock, a native of San Diego, Calif., began her coaching career as an assistant softball coach at USC Spartanburg (now USC Upstate) and later served as an assistant coach at Division I UT-Chattanooga and Mercer University.

At USC, Plew-Whitlock was a four-year member of the Gamecock softball team and was named a second-team NFCA All-American as a utility player in 1997 and third-team All-American as a catcher in 1995. A four-time All-Region Player, Plew-Whitlock also made the All-SEC, All-SEC Tournament and SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Plew-Whitlock is the all-time leader in at-bats (838) and doubles (57) at USC and ranks in the top-four in batting average (4th, .350), hits (3rd, 293), runs (2nd, 193), triples (2nd, 37), RBI (2nd, 172), and stolen bases (4th, 54). Her 37 career triples places her third all-time in NCAA Division I history and sixth among all Divisions.

Upon graduation from USC, Plew-Whitlock spent three years as a utility player with the USA Women's Softball Team and was a member of the gold medal Pan-Am qualifying team in Columbia. She later played one season for the Durham Dragons of the Women's Professional Softball League.