Softball Names Nationally Renowned Emily Carosone Associate Head Coach, Tompkins Promoted to Assistant Coach

TROY, Ala. – Troy Softball head coach Eric Newell bolstered his coaching staff on Friday by announcing one of the nation's top assistants, Emily Carosone, as the Trojans' new associate head coach. Additionally, Newell promoted Nate Tompkins to an assistant coach.

Carosone, an Olympian and three-time All-American as a player, joins the Troy program following four seasons at Auburn, including serving as the associate head coach in 2024. The Tigers faced the nation's 11^thtoughest schedule in 2024, with nine of their 29 victories coming over Quad 1 opponents, the program's most since 2018, including series wins over Alabama and LSU (Auburn's first series win in Baton Rouge in almost a decade).

"Troy Softball is getting a great addition with the hire of Emily Carosone," Newell said. "I am very excited about how she will complement our coaching staff and assist in several key areas of player development. I spoke with (former Auburn head) Coach (Mickey) Dean, and he was very complimentary of Emily's work ethic, loyalty and recruiting ability.

"Emily will be involved in many areas, but her main focus will be working with our hitters," Newell said. "I was excited to learn that we share a passion for timely hitting, smart baserunning and great defense. We are both looking forward to working with one another and maintaining the momentum that Troy Softball has had over the last couple of years."

Maddie Penta earned a pair of All-America honors during Carosone's tenure with the Tigers, including the 2024 season, where Auburn advanced to its 10^th consecutive NCAA Regional and competed in the Regional Final.

In 2023, the Tigers posted a 43-19 record and garnered a 15-9 mark in SEC play to register its first winning season in league play since 2017. The season also featured the Tigers' first series win over LSU since 2017 and an appearance in the NCAA Clemson Regional Final.

Nelia Peralta and Denver Bryant claimed All-SEC honors during the 2023 campaign. Peralta paced the Tigers in hits (54), runs scored (39), walks (43) and batting average (.329), becoming the first Auburn player with 50 or more hits in a season since 2019. Bryant, meanwhile, turned in a .322 batting average against league opponents.

During Carosone's second year on the Plains, the Tigers finished with a 40-17 record and secured victories over No. 8 Kentucky and No. 7 Florida. She worked with the Auburn infielders, including SEC Freshman of the Year Bri Ellis.

Auburn navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in Carosone's first year as a full-time assistant, earning a berth in an NCAA Regional. Playing the seventh-toughest schedule in the nation, the Tigers won at Missouri, Texas A&M and LSU in addition to an upset series victory over Kentucky.

Carosone first joined Dean's staff as a graduate assistant in the fall of 2017 and was promoted to volunteer assistant coach that spring before departing to train for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a member of the Italian National Team. Carosone, who holds dual citizenship in Italy and the United States, was a starter in all five games for Team Italy during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

As a player at Auburn, Carosone guided the Tigers to a pair of SEC Tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA Women's College World Series appearances. She stands as the program's all-time leader in batting average (.406), hits (285), runs scored (267), on-base percentage (.534) and hit by pitch (85).

She earned NFCA All-America laurels three times, including first team honors as a junior. She was also a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2015 and claimed All-SEC honors as a sophomore and junior.

Carosone played four seasons professionally after being taken with the No. 22 overall selection by the Chicago Bandits in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch Draft. A .273 career hitter in her professional career, Carosone earned a share of the home run title during the 2018 NPF season after belting 12 homers. She helped the Bandits win the Cowles Cup during her rookie season.

She earned her bachelor's degree from Auburn in psychology with a minor in business.

Tompkins joined the Troy staff last season as the director of player development and analytics following four years as a private softball instructor at D-Bat Chattanooga for four years. Additionally, he provided development data, technology-driven feedback, and performance metrics to several DI softball programs across the country. During his tenure at D-Bat, more than 80 of the athletes he worked with went on to play collegiate softball.

"We are excited to announce the expansion of Nate's position," Newell said. "He was a valuable asset to the team last season as director of player development and analytics. This promotion will not only allow us to use him in his previous role but will also allow us to use him as a coach and recruiter. We look forward to watching Nate flourish in his new role."

Prior to moving to the private sector, Tompkins was the assistant coach at Brewton-Parker for four seasons (2016-19) and an assistant coach at Tennessee Temple for three seasons (2013-15), where he coached 10 players who earned NCCAA All-America honors.

Troy University Athletics

Softball Names Nationally Renowned Emily Carosone Associate Head Coach, Tompkins Promoted to Assistant Coach

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