FERRUM, Virginia - - Director of Athletics John Sutyak has announced the hiring of Josh Freeman as the next Head Softball Coach at Ferrum College.

Freeman comes to Ferrum after serving as head coach of Northeast Texas Community College from 2020-2023. While at NTCC, he inherited a team that won four games prior to his arrival and led the program to their most wins and best finish in conference play this past season. During his time with the Eagles, he coached four all-conference players, most in school history, and the first all-region player in team history.  

"I couldn't be more excited to get to work with my new Ferrum family," said Freeman. "Thank you to President Dr. Martin and John Sutyak for entrusting me to lead such a tradition rich program. I'm ready to get started with the current team as we work to build a program that works hard and are good teammates in the classroom, the community and on the field."

Freeman returns to the Commonwealth of Virginia after two successful stints as an assistant coach. At Christopher Newport University he was a part of a staff that led the Captains to two consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Super Regionals in 2019. In that time, CNU posted a 74-19 record and earned the No. 1 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) national poll for the first time in program history. 

Prior to CNU, Freeman coached at Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) rival Virginia Wesleyan University. With the Marlins, he was a part of the 2017 coaching staff that led the team to a 54-3 overall record and impressive 20-0 ODAC record, enroute to the ODAC Softball Championship and the NCAA Division III National Championship. That season, the Virginia Wesleyan coaching staff was selected as the NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year.

"We are extremely pleased to have someone of Josh's caliber joining the Ferrum College athletics staff," stated Sutyak. "His familiarity with the ODAC, and the region, will be important as we compete in the toughest softball conference in Division III. We are excited to see Josh put his stamp on this program and get us back to competing for conference championships."

Freeman's tenure began on August 7th.