Hood College has hired a former Division I standout from Fordham University to lead its softball program.

Kate Davis Barrick becomes the fourth coach in the seven-year history of the Blazers' varsity softball program. She inherits the head coaching duties from Tricia Fiut, who resigned after four years at the helm.

A 2006 graduate of Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y., Barrick was a three-year starter and three-time Atlantic 10 all-conference selection for the Rams. A power hitter, she left her mark on the Fordham record books, setting career records in home runs (35), runs batted in (113), slugging percentage (.622) and total bases (323). She also lists second all-time in hits (178), doubles (38), runs (113) and ranks third in batting average (.344).

As a junior, Barrick garnered the A-10 Player of the Year award and was an all-region first team choice by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). That year, she guided the Rams to a first place finish in the conference regular season standings and a runner-up showing in the league tournament. In 2004, Barrick was a three-time A-10 player of the week and was named to the NFCA all-region second team.

Barrick began her collegiate softball career at Ohio University where she appeared in 34 games as a freshman and finished second on the team with five homeruns and 20 runs scored.

After receiving a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Fordham, Barrick joined the coaching staff as an assistant at Division II Shippensburg University. The Lady Raiders went 30-24 in 2007, marking the program's sixth straight season with 30-plus victories. A perennial power in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the nationally-ranked Lady Raiders earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Regionals.

Barrick was a two-sport athlete at South Western High School in Hanover, Pa., earning letters in field hockey and softball. She recently received the school's Women's Athletic Alumni Award for leading both squads to the state playoffs during her career.

Barrick and her husband, Greg, from Shippensburg, co-own PA Softball and direct several tournaments and a college showcase event. From May to August, teams attend from as many as 15 states and Canada.  

Barrick inherits a Hood squad which posted a 14-21 record in 2007 and won the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference crown for the second year in a row. The Blazers will embark on their inaugural year in the prestigious Capital Athletic Conference this spring and kick off the 2008 slate Mar. 1 hosting Shenandoah University.

Mandi Chaiyabhat begins her third season as an assistant coach with the Hood College softball program. She brings a wealth of coaching experience at the high school and travel ball levels.

Chaiyabhat is the co-founder and co-president of WM Fastpitch Camps and Clinics, which provides instruction for baseball and softball hitting and softball pitching. She is also a guest camp instructor and clinic staff member with Tony Dello Baseball located in Arizona. She provides fastpitch softball instruction in partnership with Tony Dello, the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondback Class AA affiliate Tennessee Smokies and a staff member for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Chaiyabhat also co-founded the Maryland Xplosion Fastpitch softball program and served as co-president and U14 manager from July 2004 to September 2005. She led the U14 team to NSA, Pony and AAA World Series berths and guided the team to a seventh-place finish at the 2005 AAA Nationals in Orlando, Fla.

Chaiyabhat served as the varsity pitching and catching coach at Gaithersburg High School in 2005 and was the junior varsity head coach for the three previous seasons. Additionally, she has served as an assistant coach for the U18 Montgomery Village (Md.) Sports Association Storm, the U16 Crystal Lake (Ill.) Tital Waves and the Crystal Lake (Ill.) South High School freshman program.

As a player, Chaiyabhat enjoyed a stellar two-year career at McHenry County (Ill.) College. Each year, she was named team MVP and NJCAA Region IV All-Skyway Conference. As a sophomore, she earned MVP honors at the Regional All-Star Game and Disney Wide World of Sports Spring Training Tournament and set a single-season school record with a 0.41 earned run average.

After earning an associate degree from McHenry County, she moved on to Illinois State University, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in teacher education and athletic training in 2001.

Chaiyabhat currently serves as a health and physical education teacher at Neelsville Middle School in Germantown, Md. She and her husband, Whit, have two children, Mackenzie Anne and Carter.

After a decorated athletic career as a student-athlete from 2003-07, Tamata Maggard returns to her alma mater to coach the Blazer softball team.

Maggard came to Hood from Patapsco High School in Baltimore and participated in soccer and softball for four years and basketball her senior year.

A lifetime .303 hitter in softball, she has appeared in 106 games for the Blazers, ranking her second all-time. Her 86 career basehits rank her fourth on Hood’s career chart. In addition, her 57 career RBI list third all-time and she is Hood’s all-time leader in walks with 45. She has made 32 appearances in the circle in her four years, tossing 154 and one-third innings with 11 victories and 98 strikeouts. She helped guide the Blazers to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament and consecutive Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference championship titles. She was twice named to the all-AWCC second team and earned first-team recognition as a senior.

Maggard earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Hood in May of 2007.