Natalie Poole bio
9/17/2007 4:28:00 AM | General
Since her appointment in June, 2001, Natalie Poole has established Georgia Southern as one of the top and most consistent programs in the Southern Conference.
The 2002 SoCon Coach of the Year has a 175-185 overall record in her six seasons in Statesboro but has excelled in Southern Conference play, posting a 71-53 mark.
The Baton Rouge, La. native has had just one losing conference season and has finished outside the top four only once. She led the Eagles to second place in the SoCon standings in her first season and three straight third-place finishes from 2004-06.
Poole's influence on the program can be seen in the school's record book. The annals are littered with players recruited by Poole, with 11 career and 12 single-season leaders arriving on campus since 2002.
Her teams currently hold 15 of Georgia Southern's single-season records. The top five home run seasons of all-time have come under Poole's watch.
She has coached the 2006 SoCon Player of the Year (Shanita Black) and three SoCon Freshmen of the Year (Crystal Crews, 2002; Maria Laurato, 2004; and Robyne Siliga, 2005). Crews was named all-conference at two positions (designated player and pitcher) and was an All-Southeast Region selection, the first by a GSU player in school history.
Seventeen times Poole has had a player earn all-conference honors, including a school-record five in 2006, and 10 times had a player tabbed to the all-tournament team.
The 2006 season was one to remember as Poole guided Georgia Southern to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the SoCon Tournament with six straight wins. The SoCon title was just the second in the school's history.
Poole rallied the team from a 1-7 start to post a 35-35 overall record. The 35 wins are second-most in school history.
The Eagles received several record-breaking performances under her guidance in 2006, specifically Black, who was named the league's Player of the Year, as well as the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and All-Southeast Region.
Black broke 12 school records by herself and was part of an offense that set six more as a team including batting average (.277), slugging percentage (.393), runs (274), hits (508), home runs (38) and walks (182).
The pitching staff held their own and finished the season second in earned run average at 2.72, first in batting average against (.229) and tied for first in shutouts (12), led by Melissa Laliberte's school-record eight.
The tournament run was remarkable seeing that GSU became the first team to lose its first game and come back to win the tournament. The Eagles were just the second school to win three games on the final day.
GSU came close to repeating that magic in 2007 in what was almost was a carbon copy of the year before. The Eagles dropped their first game before reeling off five straight wins and pushed Furman to a deciding championship game. But a return trip to the NCAA Tournament was not in the cards as the Paladins rallied in extra innings to win 4-3.
Her 2007 team was the best fielding team in history posting a .971 fielding percentage, besting the previous record by nine percentage points. All-Conference pitcher Laliberte led a staff that topped the league in batting average against.
The 2005 schedule featured games against five ranked opponents, including Alabama, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia, each of whom advanced to the NCAA Regionals. The Eagles split a doubleheader with Florida State, ranked 10th in the nation.
Her 2005 team set several school records, most notably the new home run record of 34, besting the previous mark of 26 set in 2002. GSU also set new school highs in slugging percentage (.368) and tied the walk record of 144.
Georgia Southern hasn't just excelled at the plate in Poole's tenure. In 2004 the Eagles led the Southern Conference with a 1.80 earned run average, fourth-best in the school record books, and posted 14 shutouts, equaling GSU's high mark set twice previously.
Poole made an immediate impact on the program in her first year, guiding the Eagles to a 25-29 overall record, but more significantly, a 15-6 mark in the Southern Conference, setting a new school record for league victories in a season. The 25 wins were also the most by a first-year coach in school history.
That season began with nine straight losses and a 5-18 record before turning it around and winning 18 of 24. A second-place finish in the SoCon earned her Coach of the Year honors.
Poole became the third head coach in GSU fastpitch history when she was named to the position on June 7, 2001, ending a three-year stint as an assistant coach at McNeese State (La.) University. Poole starred for the Cowgirls softball team from 1994-97.
Poole joined the NcNeese State softball staff as a graduate assistant in 1998 and moved into the assistant coach's role the very next year. Prior to her time at her alma mater, Poole assisted the under-18 Baton Rouge Bandits summer team from 1995-96. She then spent a year as the head coach for the under-18 Lake Charles Gamblers and in 1998, assumed the duties as assistant softball coach at Barbe (La.) High School.
In her playing days, Poole was the starting catcher for the Cowgirls all four years. She was a three-time member of the All-Southland Conference team (1995-97), a two-time All-South Region honoree (1996-97) and earned All-Louisiana laurels in 1996. As a freshman, she helped the Cowgirls to a Southland Conference title as well as the school's first-ever South Region appearance. In 1997 she recorded the team's highest batting average of .331 while registering five home runs and 10 doubles. Her successful senior campaign led her being named McNeese State's Most Valuable Player. Poole closed out her career with a .296 batting average.
Accomplishing as much in the classroom as she did on the field, Poole was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VI selection (1995-97) and was a 1997 Academic All-American®.
The 2002 SoCon Coach of the Year has a 175-185 overall record in her six seasons in Statesboro but has excelled in Southern Conference play, posting a 71-53 mark.
The Baton Rouge, La. native has had just one losing conference season and has finished outside the top four only once. She led the Eagles to second place in the SoCon standings in her first season and three straight third-place finishes from 2004-06.
Poole's influence on the program can be seen in the school's record book. The annals are littered with players recruited by Poole, with 11 career and 12 single-season leaders arriving on campus since 2002.
Her teams currently hold 15 of Georgia Southern's single-season records. The top five home run seasons of all-time have come under Poole's watch.
She has coached the 2006 SoCon Player of the Year (Shanita Black) and three SoCon Freshmen of the Year (Crystal Crews, 2002; Maria Laurato, 2004; and Robyne Siliga, 2005). Crews was named all-conference at two positions (designated player and pitcher) and was an All-Southeast Region selection, the first by a GSU player in school history.
Seventeen times Poole has had a player earn all-conference honors, including a school-record five in 2006, and 10 times had a player tabbed to the all-tournament team.
The 2006 season was one to remember as Poole guided Georgia Southern to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the SoCon Tournament with six straight wins. The SoCon title was just the second in the school's history.
Poole rallied the team from a 1-7 start to post a 35-35 overall record. The 35 wins are second-most in school history.
The Eagles received several record-breaking performances under her guidance in 2006, specifically Black, who was named the league's Player of the Year, as well as the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and All-Southeast Region.
Black broke 12 school records by herself and was part of an offense that set six more as a team including batting average (.277), slugging percentage (.393), runs (274), hits (508), home runs (38) and walks (182).
The pitching staff held their own and finished the season second in earned run average at 2.72, first in batting average against (.229) and tied for first in shutouts (12), led by Melissa Laliberte's school-record eight.
The tournament run was remarkable seeing that GSU became the first team to lose its first game and come back to win the tournament. The Eagles were just the second school to win three games on the final day.
GSU came close to repeating that magic in 2007 in what was almost was a carbon copy of the year before. The Eagles dropped their first game before reeling off five straight wins and pushed Furman to a deciding championship game. But a return trip to the NCAA Tournament was not in the cards as the Paladins rallied in extra innings to win 4-3.
Her 2007 team was the best fielding team in history posting a .971 fielding percentage, besting the previous record by nine percentage points. All-Conference pitcher Laliberte led a staff that topped the league in batting average against.
The 2005 schedule featured games against five ranked opponents, including Alabama, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia, each of whom advanced to the NCAA Regionals. The Eagles split a doubleheader with Florida State, ranked 10th in the nation.
Her 2005 team set several school records, most notably the new home run record of 34, besting the previous mark of 26 set in 2002. GSU also set new school highs in slugging percentage (.368) and tied the walk record of 144.
Georgia Southern hasn't just excelled at the plate in Poole's tenure. In 2004 the Eagles led the Southern Conference with a 1.80 earned run average, fourth-best in the school record books, and posted 14 shutouts, equaling GSU's high mark set twice previously.
Poole made an immediate impact on the program in her first year, guiding the Eagles to a 25-29 overall record, but more significantly, a 15-6 mark in the Southern Conference, setting a new school record for league victories in a season. The 25 wins were also the most by a first-year coach in school history.
That season began with nine straight losses and a 5-18 record before turning it around and winning 18 of 24. A second-place finish in the SoCon earned her Coach of the Year honors.
Poole became the third head coach in GSU fastpitch history when she was named to the position on June 7, 2001, ending a three-year stint as an assistant coach at McNeese State (La.) University. Poole starred for the Cowgirls softball team from 1994-97.
Poole joined the NcNeese State softball staff as a graduate assistant in 1998 and moved into the assistant coach's role the very next year. Prior to her time at her alma mater, Poole assisted the under-18 Baton Rouge Bandits summer team from 1995-96. She then spent a year as the head coach for the under-18 Lake Charles Gamblers and in 1998, assumed the duties as assistant softball coach at Barbe (La.) High School.
In her playing days, Poole was the starting catcher for the Cowgirls all four years. She was a three-time member of the All-Southland Conference team (1995-97), a two-time All-South Region honoree (1996-97) and earned All-Louisiana laurels in 1996. As a freshman, she helped the Cowgirls to a Southland Conference title as well as the school's first-ever South Region appearance. In 1997 she recorded the team's highest batting average of .331 while registering five home runs and 10 doubles. Her successful senior campaign led her being named McNeese State's Most Valuable Player. Poole closed out her career with a .296 batting average.
Accomplishing as much in the classroom as she did on the field, Poole was a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VI selection (1995-97) and was a 1997 Academic All-American®.
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