Webber, who becomes the sixth head coach in the program’s 22-year history, spent the past 5 years as the head coach at Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College in northern California. She replaces Lori Kwiatkowski, who resigned following the 2007 campaign after 2 seasons leading the Cougars.
“I am very pleased to have Carrie join our staff,” said Azusa Pacific Director of Athletics Bill Odell. “There is no doubt about the quality of person she is and that she will have a dynamic impact on the women who play softball for Azusa Pacific. She is quite competitive and is a good teacher as well. I am confident that she will have Cougar softball competing at a high level in the very near future.”
Webber fashioned a 116-93 (.555) record in her 5 seasons at Santa Rosa. She guided the Bear Cubs to 4 straight 20-win campaigns, which included a 29-10 season in 2004 when SRJC won the Bay Valley West League title.
“This is an amazing opportunity that I have been given”, said Webber. “I wasn’t looking to leave Santa Rosa because it’s a wonderful place. I love my team and the people I work with there, but once I stepped on campus at Azusa Pacific I knew it was the place to be for me. It was my ultimate goal to coach at a Christian university, and this seems to fit perfectly.”
Prior to her tenure at Santa Rosa, Webber spent a season as an assistant coach at Butte Community College in Oroville, Calif., and another season as an assistant at Chico Union High School. A native of Sonora, Calif., Webber was a 4-year letterman at NCAA Division II Chico State. A second baseman, she started all 201 games she played for the Wildcats, batting .262 in her career with 2 home runs. As a 2000 senior, she led the team with 11 doubles. She currently ranks among Chico State’s all-time top ten in hits (168), doubles (28), RBIs (67), walks (51) and stolen bases (20).
Webber, 29, inherits an Azusa Pacific program that has made 3 NAIA national tournament appearances in the past 12 years, including a run to the 2000 championship game. At one point, the Cougars put together an 8-year run in which they fashioned a 336-140 (.706) record. However, Azusa Pacific has not made a postseason appearance the past 4 years. Nine players return from last year’s 15-25 squad.
“I want to make Azusa Pacific a team that will be tough to beat,” said Webber. “I want to be conference championship contenders every year. I will bring in local and out-of-area players who are dedicated to academics, their sport, and being excellent in all they do.”
Webber immediately assumes her Azusa Pacific post; however, she will be out of the country for the month of July, honoring a previous commitment to coach softball in Asia for Competitive Edge International.
“I hope to get our team out into the Southern California community by volunteering and reaching out,” added Webber, who is involved in several sports outreaches. “I want to give our players options to impact the community around them and then the world once they graduate.”
