Troy University Athletics
Assistant Coach Kelly Zeilstra
10/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Assistant coach Kelly Zeilstra is beginning her first season as an assistant coach for the Trojans.
Before coming to Troy, Zeilstra was a softball instructor and travel team coach with the West Coast Softball Academy while teaching French immersion in elementary school with the Surrey School Board and finishing her playing career with the Canadian National Team Program.
Prior to that, she was the assistant softball coach at Georgia College and State University from 2001-2003. While there, the softball team advanced to the finals of the College World Series in 2003. As Regional Champions, the coaching staff was awarded the South Atlantic Conference Coaching Staff of the Year. At Georgia College and State University Kelly coached two All-Americans, including a first-team All-America pitcher.
Zeilstra lettered two years at the University of Iowa as a pitcher, and while there she was selected All-Big Ten, Regional All-Star, World Series Regional All-Star, and Most Valuable Player for Gayle Blevins' Hawkeyes. Her career E.R.A at Iowa was 1.17, including in 1999, a Big Ten best ERA of 1.03 and in 2000, when she pitched in 216.2 innings and was 24-7 on the season.
In addition to playing collegiate softball, Zeilstra has also been an integral part of the Canadian National Softball Team since 1997. She has represented Canada in more than 100 international games including the Pan American Games and the World Championships, traveling world wide in international competition. During her career Kelly Zeilstra was selected an Olympic Team alternate in 2000 and in 2004. It was during this time that she played with Troy softball player and current graduate assistant coach, Tamra Howren the past three years.
In 2000, Zeilstra received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa before completing her Master's Degree as an assistant coach at Georgia College and State University in 2003.
She is the daughter of Bob and Janice Zeilstra. She also has two brothers, Jeff (25) and Scott (23). Zeilstra's brother, Jeff, coached at the 2005 Blue Jays spring training and is currently in France coaching the French National Baseball Team.
