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Dayton has reached unprecedented success under Jodi Eickemeyer. After just one season with 20 wins in its history, UD has reached the 20-win plateau five times in Eickemeyer's tenure. Eickemeyer proved quickly that her team is on the right track as UD improved its win total in each of her first three seasons. In 1998, UD tallied a then school record 23 wins en route to a .500 (23-23) winning percentage and a trip to the four-team conference tournament. For her efforts, Eickemeyer was honored by her conference peers with her first Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Award. Eickemeyer led the Flyers to their winningest season in school history in 2001, setting the school record for wins with a 35-23-1 record, and making the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The team's achievements earned Eickemeyer her second Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year award. The Flyers have placed in the top five in the Atlantic 10 in the past seven out of nine seasons, including 2005. Her tenure as UD head coach coincided with the Flyers joining the Atlantic 10 Conference and among active members; the Flyers own the third-best win percentage in conference history. As an Alum, Eickemeyer excelled as a Flyer player, graduating in 1991, she returned to her alma mater in 1996 to become UD's leader and has led the Flyers to a berth in the Atlantic 10 tournament in 1998, 1999 and 2000. While attending UD, she played four years of softball and received the team MVP Award both her junior and senior seasons. She was also named All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference First Team her junior year. Her earned run average of 0.76 in 1991 ties for first place as UD's single-season record. A pitcher by trade, Eickemeyer has helped the Flyers pitching staff finish near the top of the league consistently in ERA and strikeouts. Seven of the top 10 pitchers in UD's history, by ERA, were recruited and coached by Eickemeyer, and eight of the Top 10 on UD's all-time strikeout list. A native of Urbana, Ohio, Eickemeyer's coaching career began at Urbana University where she turned the program around and was District 22 and Mid-Ohio Conference Coach of the Year in 1993. She also coached volleyball at Urbana. In addition to her college coaching duties, Eickemeyer is also the instructor for the athletic department's NCAA Champs LifeSkills class, a mandatory class for UD's first-year student- athletes. She has given private pitching and hitting lessons at "Let's Play Ball" in West Carrollton since 1997. She was the coach of the Miami Valley Express, a 16-and-under summer team that finished as high as sixth at the NSA Nationals in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She is a representative on the Miami Valley Sports Organization Board and holds many clinics in the area to help raise the level of softball in the Miami Valley. Twice (1991, 1998) she has been chosen to pitch against "the King and His Court." Eickemeyer organizes UD's annual celebration of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day. She has also been the voice of UD volleyball as a public address announcer. Recently, she was awarded the distinction of Four-Star Master Coach by the National Fast Pitch Association. Eickemeyer resides in Dayton, Ohio. |
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