Southern Miss Softball Camps
Coaching Staff
Melissa Inouye
Assistant Coach
Melissa Inouye begins her second season at Southern Miss. While overseeing the team's pitching, Inouye helped guide a staff last season that increased its strikeouts by 60 batters, while dropping the team's earned run average over a run per game.
Prior to coming to Southern Miss, Inouye spent three seasons as the assistant coach at the University of Kentucky. While in Lexington, she served as the team's recruiting coordinator, outfield coach, compliance liaison, co-director of camps and director of the Blue Diamond Backer Softball Booster Club, while also assisting with the pitching and catching staff.
Inouye completed her master's degree in kinesology and health promotions.
Before heading to Kentucky, Inouye served as the assistant coach at Northwestern State University (Natchitoches, La.) and the volunteer assistant coach at UNLV (Las Vegas, Nev.).
She was a two-year starter at UNLV, playing first base and catcher, and was named team captain. She was a three-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference team selection, a seven-time UNLV Dean's List honoree and received the Coaches Award her senior year. Inouye received a bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure studies, as well as in fitness management.
"She does so much for our program," said Dobson. "She has been a great person for our team to lean on from time to time. She always has very good advice for the kids, not only on the field but off it as well. You can tell by the numbers of our pitching staff how much they have improved, not just numbers-wide, but mentally too. There are much more focused."
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Gessica Hufnagle
Assistant Coach
Gessica Hufnagle begins her first season with the Southern Miss softball program. Her duties include assisting in day-to-day practices, camps and recruiting.
Hufnagle comes to Southern Miss after spending one season as an assistant coach at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind., where she helped the team win the MCC Conference Championship, the NAIA Region VIII Championship and advance to the NAIA Nationals. She was a part of the 2008 NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year that posted a school record of 51-6.
During her stint at Bethel, Hufnagle worked primarily with the catchers as well as hitters. Other duties included assisting the head coach in day-to-day practices, recruiting, camps and the head strength and conditioning coach.
Hufnagle was a four-year letterwinner at Notre Dame, where she saw significant time as a designated hitter, pinch runner and catcher her first two seasons. She earned a starting spot her junior year as an outfielder, before finishing her career behind the plate as the starting catcher during her senior campaign.
While at Notre Dame, she batted .290, finishing third in RBIs (25) and second in on-base percentage (.383). She played on two regular season Big East Championships teams, one Big East Tournament champion and advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournaments all four seasons. She earned her bachelor's degree with a double major in graphic design and psychology in 2007.
Hufnagle gained other coaching experiences as the head coach of the Triton Trojans, a 14U travel team from Bourbon, Ind., and an assistant coach for the Jersey Intensity 18U Travel Team.
The Middlebury, Ind., native was a three-sport letterwinner at Northridge High School.