TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head coach Windy Thees announced the addition of Nicole Bechtel and Emily Herren to the Sycamore Softball coaching staff.
Bechtel joins the Sycamores from Bellarmine University where she served as a graduate assistant on Caitlyn de la Haba's coaching staff. She is pursuing a master of business administration degree at Bellarmine and will graduate in the spring of 2025.
The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native was a standout catcher at Central Dauphin High School before enrolling at the University of South Florida where she played for the Bulls while earning honors as a student in the health sciences program.
After competing for USF from 2019 to 2021, when the Bulls won two American Athletic Conference championships, Bechtel continued her playing and academic career at George Mason University. Success followed Bechtel to Fairfax, Virginia. The Patriots also captured a league title during her time there and she also reaped numerous individual honors.
Among those accolades were being named as an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and as the First Team A-10 Conference catcher in 2023 after posting team-leading, in-conference several offensive statistics including batting (.421), on-base percentage (1.171), hits (32), RBI (21) and slugging percentage (.671). Another highlight was being named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by the NFCA after batting .857 (6-for-7) and reaching base in 11 of 12 (.917 OBP) plate appearances over three games while registering a double, two home runs, four walks while posting a 1.857 slugging percentage
Bechtel graduated with magna cum laude honors with a degree in integrative studies with a focus in occupational therapy in May of 2023 and served as a volunteer assistant coach for George Mason following her graduation.
Emily 'Bird' Herren also joined the Indiana State Softball program in the fall 2024 as an assistant coach and hitting coach on Windy Thees' coaching staff.
Coach "Bird" is a native of Rome, Ga. where she played softball at the University of Georgia and received numerous accolades during her time as a Bulldog to highlight her time prior to joining the Sycamore staff. Herren was a member of the 2008-2009 roster which became the first team in school history to make it to the Women's College World Series.
At the end of the 2008-2009 season, Herren received the Kim McClung Award which is awarded to those players who show heart, dedication, and great love of the game.
After competing for the Dawgs, Coach Bird completed her degree in Exercise Science with a minor in coaching from Jacksonville State University in 2013. Herren then started a private and team sports specific training at Jack City Sports Center in Dacula, Ga. Herren served as the Facility Manager, Head Trainer, and Sports Specific Trainer at Jack City Sports Center from 2013 to 2019, where she organized fundraising events, camps, and weekly schedules, while developing training and agility programs for athletes and teams. She also monitored and recorded progress of clients.
She has coached Elite 18U travel ball for the past 11 years, during which she has trained and helped numerous athletes perform at a high-level year in, and year out.
In high school, Coach "Bird" lettered 6 different sports, including softball, soccer, basketball, track cross country, and being the first female football player for her high school, all while maintaining a 3.0 GPA, and graduating with a Duel Seal diploma and gaining her CNA certification.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Softball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Print Friendly Version
#MarchOn
