By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As the Tennessee Tech softball team sets its sights on the 2023 campaign, first-year head coach Danielle Penner has completed her first Golden Eagle staff, adding assistant coaches Marc Kendrick and Samantha Rossetti to the program.
Kendrick, a 2020 graduate from Cal State Fullerton in kinesiology and sports studies, has extensive experience in the travel ball circuit and had his first collegiate experience last year as a graduate manager for California Baptist.
With travel ball experience dating all the way back to 2008 in one of the most competitive areas in the country, Kendrick stands ready to take that next step into the collegiate level.
He got his start in the Corona Girls Softball Association from 2008 to 2010, serving as an assistant coach for the 10U and 12U programs, then was named the head coach at Capistrano Valley High from 2011 to 2015. While he was working toward a degree at Santiago Canyon College, he served as the team's outfield and first base coach from 2015 to 2018.
During his tenures there, he worked in the travel circuit, serving as the 16U assistant coach with the SoCal Beverly Bandits Lastrapes team – who were 2015 PGF qualifiers – as well as the outfield coach for the 16U/18U Batbusters Lastrapes program – who were a 2017 PGF Premier qualifier and the 2016 USA Elite Select World Fastpitch 16U champions.
While at Santiago Canyon College, Kendrick was a member of the 2016 NFCA California Junior College National Coaching Staff of the Year as the team won the CCCAA state title.
He continued to build his resume as he was the 14U/16U outfield coach for the OC Tigers Lastrapes team from 2017 to 2019, the head coach for the 14U Batbusters Kendrick team from 2019 to 2021 and the 18U assistant and outfield coach for the Batbusters Lastrapes program in 2021 through the summer of 2022. The OC Tigers Lastrapes were 2019 PGF Platinum and 2018 PGF Premier qualifiers.
In his role at California Baptist, Kendrick served as the team's director of operations, while also throwing batting practice, hit grounders and caught bullpen sessions. He earned his master's degree in kinesiology and sports management from CBU in May.
Rossetti, a four-year letterwinner at Eastern Connecticut State before completing her degree in history and social sciences, spent her last year as an assistant coach at American International College. There she called pitches, coached first base and oversaw the pitching staff, while working extensively with the team's hitters and infielders.
Before that, Rossetti spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Bridgeport. She helped lead the team to its first East Coach Conference tournament title during the 2018-19 campaign and its first NCAA tournament appearance in 30 years with a 33-16 record.
That team had six All-ECC players and two NFCA All-New England selections. The squad also recorded the highest grade-point average in both the country and program history with a 3.776 mark.
In her final season at Bridgeport in 2020-21, the team went 23-9 and won both the ECC regular-season and tournament titles with four all-conference picks, the ECC Player and Pitcher of the Year, two NFCA All-New England picks and one CCA honorable mention All-American.
During her time at Bridgeport, she also worked the travel ball circuit as a head coach for the 15U CT Eliminators. Rossetti has also spent time as an instructor for D-Bat Trumbull, Seymour Tradition Softball Teams and Coach Shelton Little League.
Last season at AIC, Rossetti saw the development of an All-NE10 Conference outfielder and an NE10 All-Rookie Team pick.
Rossetti helped lead ECSU to four Little East Conference championships and two tournament championships, earning two bids to the NCAA Division III tournament. She was twice named to the NFCA All-Region first-team roster as a designated player and a first baseman, while also earning three straight first-team All-LEC honors.
