Wildcats Announce 2023 Softball Staff

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern softball has finalized its staff for the 2023 season, head coach Kate Drohan announced on Friday.

Christine Christopoulos (Illinois, '09) and Andrea Filler (NU, '16) return to the Wildcats' staff, joined by two new additions: Alley Ivey (Loyola Chicago, '21) and former Detroit Tigers minor league development coach Tony Smith. They will join Associate Head Coach, Caryl Drohan, and Assistant Coach Michelle Gascoigne, to round out the Wildcat Coaching Staff, which was named the NFCA Great Lakes Regional Coaching Staff of the Year following a historic 2022 campaign.

"We are really excited about our staff and the unique set of experiences they bring to this year's team," Head Coach Kate Drohan said. "Each brings a really diverse skillset and background. Over the course of the last few years, we have been able to implement some key technology and analytics that have impacted our player development and growth, and we are excited to continue to give our student-athletes the very best opportunities to have success on the field."

Tony Smith joins the Wildcats as a volunteer assistant, continuing an impressive career in both baseball and softball. Smith pitched four seasons in Independent League Baseball before spending four years as Director of Pitching, Arm Care, and Overhand Throwing at Athletes HQ. He most recently spent two years as a Player Development coach for the Erie Seawolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, assisting in the development of current Tigers Spencer Torkelson, No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and Riley Greene, fifth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft. He also served as the pitching coach for the Schaumburg Boomers (2017-2019), helping them to a 2017 Frontier League Championship with the lowest team ERA in the league.

Christine Christopoulos returns to Northwestern for a second season as the Wildcats Director of Player Development after serving as the Volunteer Assistant in 2022 while helping Northwestern to a Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Women's College World Series. Christopoulos' softball resumé includes three seasons at the collegiate level where she pitched for the University of Illinois from 2007-2009. In 2008, she appeared in 13 games for the Illini and led the team in saves. After college, her passion for sports led her to work various jobs in the sports world. Since 2014 she has worked for the Chicago Bears as Corporate Partnerships Coordinator.

Ally Ivey joins Northwestern as a Graduate Assistant after an incredible career at Loyola Chicago. Ivey, a Hamilton, Ohio native, graduated from Loyola in 2021 as the Ramblers' career leader with 128 runs batted in and ranks second in program history in career batting average (.375) and fourth in career home runs (22). In her final season, Ivey posted an impressive .398/.497/.650 slash and led the Ramblers in a handful of statistical categories, including batting average (.398), doubles (10), home runs (7), RBI (27) and hits (49).

Former Wildcat standout Andrea Filler returns to Evanston as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Player Engagement. Filler served as a graduate manager in 2017 and the Wildcats' Director of Operations from 2018-21. A 2014 transfer into the Northwestern softball program, Filler concluded her career in 2016 and still ranks fourth in Northwestern history in doubles (40), fourth in slugging (.693), seventh in batting (.351), and eighth in on-base percentage (.433) and RBIs (159) despite playing just three years in Evanston.

Filler took a year off from the Wildcats' coaching staff to play for Team Italy in last year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native also plays professionally for Athletes Unlimited, finishing 7^th among the professional leaderboard in San Diego as a part of the organization's AUX season.

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos