WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University has named Dani Bishop as its new softball head coach, director of athletics Lauren Haynie announced today.
Bishop, who comes to Brandeis after five years as the head coach at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, becomes the fourth full-time head coach in Brandeis softball history (sixth including interim coaches).
"Through a very thorough process, we had the opportunity to speak with some outstanding people," Haynie said. "Dani is an experienced teacher demonstrating great passion for softball, and she will build a qualified staff. She is eager to get started and we are thrilled to have her join the Brandeis Athletics staff."
Bishop led Eastern Nazarene to a 99-75 record in her five seasons at the helm, making her the winningest coach in ENC history. She was twice named her conference's Coach of the Year, earning the honors in 2018 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference and in 2019 in the New England Collegiate Conference. ENC increased their program-record for wins in a season in each of the last three complete campaigns, culminating in a 29-15 record in 2019 and the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth as champions of the NECC. The Lions were 7-5 this past spring when the coronavirus ended their season.
"I want to thank the Search Committee, Lauren Haynie, and Lisa Lynch for the opportunity to be the next head softball coach at Brandeis," Bishop said. "I look forward to working with the student-athletes and helping them succeed on and off the field. I am excited to be part of the Brandeis community and to start this journey."
In her tenure at Eastern Nazarene, Bishop coached back-to-back Pitcher and Player of the Year honorees, four All-New England honorees and 18 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athletes.
In addition to her duties as head softball coach at Eastern Nazarene, Bishop served as an instructor in the College's Sports Management program. She served as an instructor for 12 different classes and was the academic advisor for the sports management program. In 2018, she was named ENC's Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Welfare, Diversity and Inclusion, helping to develop the Lions' new student-athlete orientation and developing their NCAA DIII Week social media initiatives.
Prior to her time at Eastern Nazarene, Bishop served as an assistant coach at Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista, California, from 2011 to 2015, and at La Sierra University in Riverside, California, from 2009 to 2010.
Bishop was a three-year letter-winner at Division I University of California, Riverside, playing first base, catcher and designated player. She received her B.A. in history from UC-Riverside in 2007 and her M.S. in kinesiology from California Baptist University in 2009. She is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Sports Leadership/Administration from Concordia University in Chicago.
Bishop will take over a Brandeis team that made its second-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2019, going 29-7-1 and reaching the Regional Final. The Judges were 3-3 on their February trip to California in 2020 before the season was suspended.