Victoria Rumph

WOOSTER, Ohio – Victoria Rumph, an international caliber catcher, and currently an alternate for Softball Canada's Women's National Team, will be the next head softball coach at The College of Wooster, announced the College's director of athletics, Keith Beckett, on Thursday. Rumph's official start date is June 13.

"I am excited to welcome Victoria Rumph as our next head softball coach," said Beckett. "Her passion and enthusiasm for the sport of softball and the development of student-athletes on and off the field is undeniable. The search committee and I were truly impressed with her appreciation and understanding of the NCAA Div. III model, especially at a quality academic institution like The College of Wooster. I am confident that she will continue to build upon the fine traditions of the softball program, and move the program quickly to a higher level of achievement within the conference, region, and at the national level."

"I am very honored to have been given this head coaching opportunity at The College of Wooster as a young coach early in my career," stated Rumph. "I am excited to have the chance to grow with a program that has already tasted success, and continue to create a culture where student-athletes push themselves to their limits on a daily basis."

Rumph has spent the last two years associated with Muskingum University's softball program, and most recently helped guide the Fighting Muskies to an appearance in the championship round of the 2016 Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. With her as an assistant coach, Muskingum's batting average improved 61 percentage points to a .347 clip for the 2015 season.

Among her responsibilities, Rumph planned all of the hitting and offensive drills for Muskingum's practices. Defensively, she worked closely with the Muskies' catchers, outfielders, and corner infielders.  She also played a key role in recruiting and identifying student-athletes at tournaments, making phone calls, and scheduling on-campus visits.

Prior to her time with Muskingum, Rumph spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater, Youngstown State University. There, she helped develop defensive skills and pitch calling strategies for the catchers.

Said Rumph, "My experience as the volunteer assistant coach at Youngstown State allowed me to see the college game from a coach's perspective for the first time in my career, and it inspired me to pursue a lifetime of coaching.

"At Muskingum, I learned the importance of a strong team culture and tradition," continued Rumph. "At Wooster, we will aim to create a winning culture with standards of constant competition and strong work ethics. My vision for these student-athletes is for them to be proud of everything they have put into the program after their four years, and for them to know that they have built a culture and tradition that will stand strong long after they graduate."

As a player, Rumph has been a part of Softball Canada's Women's National Team since 2013. In her initial year on the national squad, Canada won the silver medal at the Pan American Softball Championship. Additionally, Rumph was a part of the team when it competed at the World Cup of Softball. Canada went on to earn the gold medal at the most recent Pan American Games, a team on which Rumph was an alternate for.

"Playing softball internationally for Team Canada has allowed me to come in contact with the best softball players and coaches in the world," added Rumph. "I have the opportunity to constantly learn from highly skilled athletes and coaches around me, and pass this knowledge on to others."

As a collegiate student-athlete, the Drayton, Ontario native was a four-year starter for the Penguins, spending most of her career as a catcher. The standout capped her career as the all-time leader in RBIs (123), and was the first player in program history to have a career batting average above .300, over 20 home runs, and over 100 RBIs. An exceptional student-athlete both on and off of the field, Rumph earned a pair of all-Horizon League second-team certificates, and was a third-team Capital One Academic All-America®, as selected by CoSIDA honoree as a junior.

Rumph, who just earned her master's degree in adult education from Muskingum, also holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Youngstown State.