The McNutt File. Gay McNutt. Biographical Information. Playing Experience. Coaching Experience. Honors/Postseason Appearances

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2 Gay McNutt HEAD COACH SIXTH SEASON Gay McNutt has been successful in every aspect of the sport of softball, and throughout her experiences on the diamond, she has been a part of many victorious programs. She learned, as a player, how to win national championships. She learned, as a coach, how to develop teams and make them winners. Now, entering her sixth season as head coach, she continues to lead the Lady Head Coach Gay McNutt Eagle program that is respected for its yearly competitiveness not only regionally, but nationally as well. McNutt has an overall coaching record of in 11 seasons as a head coach, including a (.532) mark in her five years at Southern Miss. She is the school s all-time leader in coaching wins, surpassing Lu Harris total of 115 with a 6-5 victory over Louisiana Tech on March 18, As Southern Miss head coach, she has guided the program to a national ranking for three weeks, while receiving votes in nine weeks. In 2005, McNutt reached an important milestone in her coaching career, earning the 300th victory of her head coaching career with a 5-4 victory over Ball State on Feb. 13. She led Southern Miss to 29 wins in 2005, and has won at least 28 games in each of her five years as Lady Eagles head coach. She has led teams to at least 28 victories in the past eight seasons, and has guided teams to winning seasons in five of the past eight years. In her coaching career, McNutt has coached two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, six CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, one All-American, three NFCA All- South Region selections, one Conference USA MVP, one Conference USA Pitcher, 10 All-Conference USA selections, six Conference USA All-Freshmen, one Southland Conference Pitcher, one Southland Conference Hitter, one Southland Conference Freshman, 25 All-Southland Conference selections, two Southland Conference Tournament MVP selections and 15 Southland The McNutt File Hometown: Alvin, Texas Education: Bachelor s degree, behavioral science: Louisiana-Lafayette, 1987 Playing Experience : Texas A&M: Catcher : Louisiana-Lafayette: Assistant Basketball and Softball Coach : Houston: Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach 1994: Alvin Community College: Assistant Softball Coach : Northwestern State: Head Coach 2001-present: Southern Miss: Head Coach Overall Record: (11 years) Record At Southern Miss: (Five years) Honors/Postseason Appearances 1982: Texas A&M: All-Region 1982: Texas A&M: AIAW Champions 1983: Texas A&M: All-Region 1983: Texas A&M: NCAA Champions, Team Captain 1984: Texas A&M: All-Region, Team Captain 1984: Texas A&M: Second-place finish at Women s College World Series, Team Captain 1985: Texas A&M: All-Region, All-American 1988: Louisiana-Lafayette: Assistant Coach 1998: Northwestern State: South Region Coaching Staff 1998: Northwestern State: Louisiana Coach 1998: Northwestern State: Southland Conference Coach 1998: Northwestern State: Southland Conference Champions, NCAA Regional Appearance 1999: Northwestern State: Southland Conference Coach 1999: Northwestern State: Southland Conference Champions 2000: Northwestern State: Southland Conference Coach 2000: Northwestern State: Southland Conference Champions, NCAA Regional Appearance 2001: Southern Miss: Conference USA Champions, NCAA Regional Appearance 2002: Southern Miss: Conference USA Tournament 2003: Southern Miss: Conference USA Tournament 2004: Southern Miss: Conference USA Coach, Conference USA Regular Season Champions, NCAA Regional Appearance 2005: Southern Miss: Conference USA Tournament Southern Miss Softball Media Guide

3 Conference All-Tournament team selections. She has also coached three teams to over 40 wins and four teams to NCAA Regionals. In 2004, McNutt led the Lady Eagles to a 19-4 Conference USA record, as the team won the regularseason title. McNutt also was named Conference USA Coach in 2004, the first time she has received the honor. McNutt s 2004 Southern Miss team also returned to the NCAA Tournament, following a two-year absence, ending the season with a overall mark. She guided Southern Miss to back-to-back 28-win seasons in 2003 and 2002, including a second-place finish in Conference USA in In 2001, McNutt, in her first year as the Lady Eagles head coach, inherited a squad that lost seven starters, including the National Player in Courtney Blades and two All-Americans, yet guided a group of 12 youthful players to a remarkable record, a secondstraight Conference USA Tournament championship and third-straight NCAA Regional appearance. The team s record was the third best record in school history. McNutt came to Southern Miss in 2001 after spending the previous six seasons at Northwestern State University, in Natchitoches, La. While there, she led the Demons to three consecutive Southland Conference Championships (1998, 1999, 2000) and two appearances in the NCAA Regional Tournament (1998 and 2000), earning Southland Conference Coach honors three times, 1998, 1999, and In addition, McNutt was named the Louisiana Coach in 1998, and her whole staff received significant honors, as they were named the 1998 South Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Her first team at NSU finished with a record and a ninth-place finish in the conference. By her fourth year, the Demons were established as a dominant force on the field, ending that season with a record. In her last three years at NSU, she compiled a record of McNutt has been recognized for her efforts in converting Northwestern State from dwelling in the cellar of the Southland Conference into perennial league champions. Before taking the head position at Northwestern State, McNutt spent one year as an assistant coach at Alvin Community College in her hometown of Alvin, Texas. She played a key role in leading the team to a record in its inaugural season. McNutt also was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the University of Houston from 1990 to She began her coaching career at Louisiana- Lafayette in While there, she earned her bachelor s degree in behavior science, and was the assistant coach for both the women s basketball and softball teams from 1985 to McNutt played her collegiate ball at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, where she was a catcher for the Aggies from During her career as an Aggie, the team won one AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) National Championship and one NCAA Championship. She was named to the all-region team all four years and earned All-American honors in Head Coach Gay McNutt McNutt s Record vs. All Opponents Alabama Alabama State Alcorn State Arkansas Arizona Austin Peay Ball State Baylor Belmont Birmingham-Southern Butler Centenary Central Michigan Charlotte Coastal Carolina Colorado State DePaul Drake East Carolina Eastern Michigan Elon Evansville Florida Florida Atlantic Florida State Furman Georgia Tech Hawaii Hofstra Houston Illinois Illinois-Chicago Illinois State Indiana Jackson State Jacksonville State Kent State Long Beach State Long Island Louisiana-Monroe Louisiana-Lafayette Louisiana Tech Louisville Loyola-Chicago LSU Marist Massachusetts McNeese State Mercer Michigan St Middle Tennessee State McNutt s Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record Year School Record Conference Finish/Post-Season Appearance 2005 Southern Miss Sixth 2004 Southern Miss First/NCAA Regional Tournament 2003 Southern Miss Fifth 2002 Southern Miss Second 2001 Southern Miss First/NCAA Regional Tournament 2000 Northwestern State First/NCAA Regional Tournament 1999 Northwestern State First 1998 Northwestern State First/NCAA Regional Tournament 1997 Northwestern State Third 1996 Northwestern State Eighth 1995 Northwestern State Ninth Mississippi State Mississippi Valley State Missouri Mobile Nebraska New Mexico Nicholls State North Carolina Northern Iowa Northern Illinois Northwestern Northwestern State Notre Dame Oakland Oklahoma Oklahoma City Ole Miss Oklahoma State Oregon Oregon State Pacific Penn State Pittsburgh Saint Louis Samford Sam Houston State San Jose State South Carolina Southeastern La Southern Illinois Southern Miss Southwest Texas Stanford Stephen F. Austin St. Peters Tennessee Tennessee Chattanooga Tennessee-Martin Tennessee Tech Texas Texas A&M Texas Arlington Texas San-Antonio Tulsa UAB Utah USF Virginia Tech Washington Winthrop SouthernMiss.com 13

4 Cindy Wille ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH SIXTH SEASON Cindy Wille enters her sixth season as a member of Head Coach Gay McNutt s coaching staff, serving as the Lady Eagles hitting and infield coach. She followed McNutt to Southern Miss from Northwestern State in 2001, where she coached for five years. In 2005, she again guided the team to impressive offensive numbers, as the team finished with a.271 batting average, the fourth-best total in school history, the second-highest total in her tenure at Southern Miss. The Lady Eagles finished with a.354 on-base percentage, the third-highest mark in school history and best in her six seasons. She also helped the team slug.387, the fourth-best in school history, and second-highest in her tenure. Also in 2005, the Lady Eagles had 408 hits, the fourth-best mark in school history, and second-highest under Wille. The team also hit 31 home runs and 71 doubles, the fifth and fourth-best totals in school history, also ending the year with 224 RBI, the fourth-best total in school history and second-best in her tenure. Southern Miss stole 90 bases in 2005, the third-best in school history, and second most in her six seasons. The Lady Eagles also showed the ability to get on base in 2005, as the team posted 168 walks, the secondhighest total in school history The Wille File Hometown: Grosse Tete, La. Education: Bachelor s degree, education, West Alabama, present: Southern Miss: Associate Head Coach : Southern Miss: Assistant Head Coach Northwestern State: Assistant Coach : Alvin Community College: Head Coach : McNeese State: Graduate Assistant Associate Head Coach Cindy Wille Wille led the team to a batting average of.291 in 2004, the highest total under her tutelage at Southern Miss. The.291 average tied for the second-highest team total, matching the same mark set in the 2000 season. The Lady Eagles hit 50 home runs in 2004, the second-highest total in school history. They also finished with the second-highest total in doubles (78) and third-highest in RBIs (228), hits (444) and runs scored (263). The Lady Eagles also finished with a.959 fielding percentage, the highest total since the 2002 season. In her first year at Southern Miss in 2001, the defense led Conference USA with a.970 fielding percentage, while breaking the school record for most assists in a season with 538. The Lady Eagles also led the league in home runs (42) and in stolen bases (138). During her tenure at Northwestern State, the Demons posted the best offensive season in the program s history. Single season records were broken in batting average (.309), runs scored (281), hits (477), doubles (88), home runs (38), total bases (705), and stolen bases (103) during the 2000 season. Wille joined the NSU staff after coaching at Alvin Community College, where the softball program was established under her leading. The program quickly rose to become a serious contender, finishing in the first year. Prior to coaching at Alvin, Wille was a graduate assistant for two years at McNeese State, earning her master s degree in education in The Cowgirls steadily improved during her tenure, from an record in 1991 to in The Grosse Tete, La., native was a two-sport athlete at West Alabama (formerly Livingston College), excelling in both basketball and softball. Wille played third base at West Alabama, starting every game for three years and recording a.314 career batting average. She also stole 44 bases on 54 attempts. The Lady Tigers won the Gulf Coast Conference title for three-consecutive years Southern Miss Softball Media Guide

5 Coaching Staff Jessica Holaway ASSISTANT COACH Jessica Holaway enters her first year as a member of the Lady Eagle coaching staff. She will serve as the team s pitching coach. Holaway was a three-year letterwinner at Southern Miss from A native of Baker, La., she played at Northwestern State in 2000, earning Freshman of the Year honors, before transferring to Southern Miss in After redshirting in 2001, she opened her career in 2002, finishing the year with a record, including four shutouts, 22 complete games, a 2.23 ERA and a career-high 136 strikeouts. In 2003, she finished with a record of 15-16, but set the school single-season record with three saves, a feat she matched as a senior in As a senior in 2004, Holaway helped Southern Miss to a record, including a 19-4 league mark, as the team won the Conference USA regular-season title, its first since the 2000 season. The Lady Eagles also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2001 season, appearing in the NCAA Region 7 Tournament. She had her best season in 2004, finishing with an 18-7 mark. She appeared in 40 games, made 25 starts, tossed six shutouts and 22 complete games, as she earned second-team All-Conference USA honors. In her career, Holaway was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week three times, one time each in 2002, 2003 and Holaway, ended her career with a record, 2.28 ERA, 69 complete games, 18 shutouts and six saves. She ranks second in school history in innings pitched with 576.1, third in school history with 48 wins, 18 shutouts and 363 strikeouts, fourth in complete games with 69 and seventh in ERA with Holaway, a 2004 graduate of Southern Miss, is the daughter of Mike and Joni Holaway. The Holaway File Hometown: Baker, La. Education: Bachelor s degree, human performance, Southern Miss, : Southern Miss: Assistant Coach Laurie Neelis VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT Laurie Neelis is in her third season as a volunteer assistant with the Southern Miss softball program. Neelis is also an instructor with Southern Miss School of Heath Performance and Recreation. Before coming to Southern Miss, Neelis served as the head softball coach at Pearl River Community College from At PRCC, Neelis helped move the program from slow-pitch style to the fast-pitch game prior to the 2001 season. As the fast-pitch coach, she compiled a record in three seasons. Neelis also guided her 2002 team to runner-up finishes in both the MACJC State Tournament and the NJCAA Regional Tournament. She coached the slow-pitch team from In 2001 and 2002, Neelis also served as the president of the Softball Association for the MACJC. Prior to heading the Lady Wildcats program, Neelis was an assistant coach with Jones County Junior College for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. Neelis earned two letters in softball playing for Alpena College in Alpena, Michigan. Prior to that, Neelis was a four-year letterwinner at Cheboygan Catholic High School, where she earned letters every year in volleyball, basketball and softball. As a softball player, Neelis was honored as an all-state and an allregional player. From Alpena, Neelis went on the earn her bachelor s degree from Southern Miss in 1994 and then advanced her education with a master s of science in 1995, also from Southern Miss. The Cheboygan, Mich., native is the daughter of Eddie and Carol Neelis. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in sports administration at Southern Miss. The Neelis File Hometown: Cheboygan, Mich. Education: Bachelor s degree, physical education, Southern Miss, present: Southern Miss: Volunteer Assistant : Pearl River Community College: Head Coach Jones County Junior College: Assistant Coach Auriel Jenkins GRADUATE ASSISTANT Auriel Jenkins enters her second year with the Lady Eagle softball team, her second as a graduate assistant. She served as an administrative assistant last season. Jenkins, a 2004 graduate of Southern Miss, was a three-year letterwinner at Southern Miss from She ended her career with a.314 batting average, 74 runs, 108 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 52 RBI and 33 stolen bases. She ranks fifth all-time in batting average, seventh in runs scored and seventh in home runs. Her best season came in 2004, as she hit.373, the fifth-best single-season total in school history. She finished with 57 hits, scored 41 runs, hit eight doubles, nine home runs, 29 RBI and 11 stolen bases, in earning Conference USA MVP honors, along with first-team all-league honors. She also was named third-team All-American by Easton and second-team NFCA All-South. Jenkins was also an CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2004, and a National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American. SouthernMiss.com 15

6 Jenkins transferred to Southern Miss from Meridian Community College in At MCC, she batted.318 as a freshman, earning Region 23 Co-MVP honors. She helped the team earn Region 23 and district titles, advancing to the junior college national tournament. Jenkins is currently working on her master s degree in sport administration at Southern Miss. She is the daughter of Henry and Shelia Jenkins. Support Staff The Jenkins File Hometown: Pearl, Miss. Education: Bachelor s degree, human performance, Southern Miss, present: Southern Miss: Graduate Assistant Richie Valdes CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER Richie Valdes is in his second year as the Certified Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Southern Miss softball and football teams. His duties with softball include the care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the program. Valdes, a native of Lawrenceville, Ga., received his bachelor s degree in exercise and sport science in athletic training from the University of Georgia in the spring of While at Georgia, Valdes worked with the track and field team, the women s soccer team, the football team (2004 Capital One Bowl Champs), and the women s softball team (2003 SEC Champions). The son of Rick and Sandy Valdes, he is currently working on his master s degree in sport administration at Southern Miss. Support Staff Marty Windham EQUIPMENT MANAGER Marty Windham is in his eighth year as assistant equipment manager at Southern Miss. He assists with the football equipment operations, as well as overseeing the needs for the sports of baseball, men s and women s basketball, men s and women s track, women s cross country, softball and soccer. The Bay Springs, Miss., native is no stranger to the Southern Miss family, having served as a graduate assistant in the equipment office and as an undergraduate assistant for three seasons prior to that. Windham got an early start on his vocation when he served as manager for the Bay Springs High School football team, while also competing in baseball for three seasons. He continued to serve as a football manager at Jones County Community College before arriving at Southern Miss. The Southern Miss alum earned his bachelor s degree in coaching in 1997, before adding a master s of science in sport administration in He is a member of the Athletic Equipment Manager s Association and received his certification in June The Southern Miss Equipment Department was honored as the best equipment operation in Conference USA for and , as voted on by the other equipment managers in the conference. Windham married the former Brandy Mixon of Sumrall, Miss., in June Will Gardner Manager Billy Harrington Assistant Director of Facilities and Event Operations Greg Herring Director of Marketing Shane Coghlan Assistant Director of Athletics/ Ticket Operations Southern Miss Softball Media Guide