Aumend Accepts Charleston Southern Post (July 28, 2005)

BILLINGS, MT - Montana State-Billings head softball coach Jeff Aumend announced this week that he has accepted the head coaching position at Charleston Southern University, an NCAA Division I university in Charleston, S.C.

Aumend was the Jackets' head coach since 2000 when MSU Billings became the first four year university in the state to sponsor intercollegiate softball. This season—Aumend’s fifth--the Yellowjackets were 36-14 and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA West Regional, eliminating second-ranked Humboldt State and 10th-ranked Cal State-Chico along the way.

MSU Billings athletics Director Dr. Gary Gray said he hoped to name an interim head coach within the next few weeks.  "Jeff turned our program into a championship caliber program by attracting outstanding student-athletes to our university," said Gray.

Before starting the program at Montana State-Billings, Aumend served for seven seasons as the head coach at Queens College in Charlotte, also starting that program from scratch in 1994.  He posted a 155-132 record at Queens, including a 32-13 mark in his fourth season.  At MSU Billings, Aumend was 89-106 overall.  The Yellowjackets improved from 2-27 in the program’s inaugural season to 36-14 last year.

Aumend's teams at MSU Billings were known for explosive offense.  In 2005 the Yellowjackets ranked 17th nationally with a .324 team batting average and 9th in the country with 52 home runs in 50 games.

Aumend said his move back to the Carolinas provides "professional advancement to NCAA Division I, a return to the East and family and coaching a spring sport in the Southeast.  I’m excited to return to the Southeast where the seafood is good and the softball is even better.  Having coached in Charlotte for seven years and competed with several Big South schools, I’m confident we can build a competitive program with quality student-athletes.  The mission of the school is in line with my personal mission of trusting and serving God and making a positive impact on young adults’ lives."

“I’ll miss the great-student athletes at Montana State-Billings, but I expect to develop the same caliber of student-athlete at CSU.  We will have college softball players that succeed athletically, academically and socially. It’s an exciting opportunity. I’m eager to get started.”