McLean County Times

Illinois State University has announced the addition of Rachel O'Malley as an Assistant Coach for its softball team. She joins the coaching staff led by Head Coach Tina Kramos, alongside Assistant Coaches Elaine Heflin and Kristina Burkhardt.

O'Malley's career began at the University of Indiana (2014-2018), where she played as the starting shortstop for the Hoosiers, appearing in 215 games over four years. During her tenure, she received Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors, Academic All-Big Ten honors, and Big Ten Sportsmanship honors.

Before joining Illinois State, O'Malley served as an assistant coach at Indiana State for three seasons. There, she contributed to improving the team's win percentage and managed team travel arrangements as part of her director of operations role.

Prior to her time at Indiana State, O'Malley was a graduate assistant at Moorehead State and was later promoted to an assistant coach position during her final three years with the Eagles.

O'Malley holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Communications with a focus on broadcasting from the University of Indiana, earned in 2018. In addition to her collegiate experience, she has coached the Beverly Bandits, a Chicago-based travel team. Under her guidance, players advanced to conferences such as the SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten.

Rachel O'Malley expressed her enthusiasm about joining Illinois State: "The opportunity to join the Illinois State softball program that Tina Kramos, Elaine Heflin and Kristina Burkhardt have developed is a huge honor. I am inspired and excited to work alongside the exceptional athletes here at Illinois State while guiding a competitive offense in the Missouri Valley Conference. I look forward to embodying what it truly means to be a Redbird."

Head Coach Tina Kramos shared similar sentiments: "We are excited to welcome Rachel to our Redbird Family. Her familiarity with the Valley and her wealth of experience will complement our staff."

For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).

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