Former Yough, Robert Morris ace Nicole (Sleith) Schaffer to coach at Duke
One of the most dominant left-handed strikeout pitchers in recent WPIAL and Robert Morris softball history is going to teach her craft to college players at the Division I level.
Former Yough and Robert Morris hurler Nicole (Sleith) Schaffer was hired as an assistant coach at Duke.
Schaffer was the pitching coach at Seton Hill from 2016-19 and also has coached at the travel and high school levels.
“Her experience in the circle and ability to connect with players will be a huge asset to our bullpen,” Duke head coach Marissa Young said in a news release. “Nicole shares our passion for player development and high standards. We are blessed to have her join the Blue Devil family in Durham.”
A three-time Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year at Robert Morris, she had a career 1.70 ERA with 78 wins, 932 strikeouts and 27 shutouts in 806 1/3 innings for the Colonials.
She held school records for wins and strikeouts when she graduated.
At Yough, she went 65-11 with 979 strikeouts and led the Cougars to their first WPIAL softball title in 2011. That season, she had a 19-2 record with 298 strikeouts, a 0.56 ERA and three no-hitters.
She was a three-time all-state pick.
“I am both excited and thankful to get back on the field and join the Blue Devil family,” Schaffer said. “It’s an amazing opportunity to learn from coach Young and the coaching staff who has tremendous passion, worth ethic and high standards for developing student-athletes. The undeniable drive for excellence and competitiveness every day has led to great success since the inaugural season in 2018.”
An engineer who works with medical devices at Teleflex Medical in Morrisville, Va., and has two dogs named Yogi and Jeter, Schaffer made the Dean’s list every semester in college and earned a pair of degrees — a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and a master’s in engineering management. She was an undergraduate pitching coach at RMU in 2015 while she was still in school.
Excited to welcome the newest member of the ??? fam ➡️ Volunteer Assistant Coach Nicole Schaffer ????
? https://t.co/cQG8lPj0Nr#Team4 | #GoDuke pic.twitter.com/USuiWyH6GM
— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) September 9, 2020
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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