Player Bio: Linda Wells

Printer-Friendly Format

E-mail this article

Linda Wells

Position:
Head Coach

Experience:
16th Year at ASU

Alma Mater:
S.E. Missouri State, 1972

As she approaches 900 career victories, Arizona State's storied tradition of softball excellence continues to prosper under the tutelage of 16th-year head coach Linda Wells, one of the most prominent and successful coaches in NCAA history.

Wells, who is currently the seventh-most successful active coach in NCAA Division I history with 884 victories, has led the Sun Devils to 11 (seven consecutive 1997-03) NCAA Regional appearances in 15 seasons, including two trips in the past six years to the College World Series (1999/2002).

While at Arizona State, Wells has compiled a record of 533-389 and has had seven players earn a total of 12 All-American awards. Her 533 wins are just three shy for the most wins all-time in Arizona State's storied 38-year history.

Wells' vast coaching experience and tireless work ethic has not gone unnoticed by the country or by the world as she was named the head coach of the Greek Olympic National Team that competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Wells, who has previous international experience, was selected among several highly qualified coaching professionals to lead the host team into the games.

In the 2003 season, Wells placed a school-record eight players on the Pacific-10 All-Conference Teams, tutored another All-American (Phelan Wright) and two more Academic All-Americans. The team also shattered the school record for home runs by slugging 45, surpassing the 31 hit in 2000.

Wells' achieved a coaching milestone that few can or will ever obtain, winning 800 career games. The Sun Devils earned Wells her 800th win with an 11-1 win over Rutgers (3/16/02). The 2002 team, arguable her most talented and successful, also tied a school-record in the national polls, finishing at No. 3 and for posting the most wins in a single season with 46. The 2002 season also marked the second appearance for Wells in the Women's College World Series where they finished third, the best in school history since the NCAA established the current format. Players again flourished under Wells as she produced two All-Americans, five All-Pac-10 players, two All-Pacific Region players and two Academic All-American players. Wells also had two players earn National Player of the Week honors and five Pac-10 Pitcher/Player of the Week honors.

In 2001, another one of Wells' teams finished in the top-10 (No. 9), as well as playing one of the toughest -- if not the strongest schedules -- in the country (35 teams in the top-25). Wells also produced six Pac-10 Pitcher/Player of the Week honors, two NFCA National Player of the Week honors, two Academic All-Pacific Region choices, seven All-Pac-10 honorees and five Academic All-Pac-10 selections. Additionally, Wells was one of 12 coaches selected to form the USA Softball Women's National Team Coaches pool for the 2004 Olympic Games. She also had five current players earn invitations to participate in the USA Softball Women's National Team Camp.

The 2000 team advanced to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, making it to the finals of the Region V Championship game. Additionally, Wells' team won the National Invitational Softball Tournament in San Jose, Calif. and tutored six players on the Pac-10 All-Conference team. With the addition of three more All-Pac-10 selections in 2004, Wells has now coached 75 all-conference players during her tenure at Arizona State, averaging five All-Pac-10 selections every season.

The 1999 season produced Wells' first College World Series team, posting a 41-28 overall mark. Wells' freshmen class was arguably the best in the country that year, starting seven freshmen at one point. Despite such a young squad in `99, Wells' team won the prestigious KIA Klassic Tournament in Fullerton, Calif. with a perfect 7-0 record, including wins over Fresno State and Texas. The team also vaulted to a school-high No. 3 ranking in the country, finishing seventh in the final poll. Additionally, under Wells' watchful eye in `99, five ASU players garnered All-Pacific-10 Conference acclaim, while three Sun Devil players earned a total of five Pacific-10 Conference Pitcher/Player of the Week honors, one of the tops in the conference. Competing in the toughest conference in the county, Wells' also placed two players on All-American teams.

In 1998, Wells achieved her 300th win at ASU and her 650th career. Wells' pitchers tied for the most Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors with four. The 1997 season marked a milestone for Wells as she earned her 600th career win.

Wells has coached 35 career .300 hitters at ASU in her 15 seasons, averaging a combined .335 -- not an easy accomplishment in the pitching-rich Pac-10 where games are traditionally low scoring.

In addition to three-time All-American Phelan Wright and two-time All-American Lisa Dacquisto, three other players -- Rachel Brown, Ann Rowan and Christy Serritella -- rank among the all-time Sun Devil batting leaders and were members of the 1993 U.S. National team that won a gold medal at the world championships in Holland. The Sun Devil trio made up one-fifth of the 15-member U.S. squad.

In Wells' first three seasons, the Sun Devils finished third (1990), second (1991) and fourth (1992) and averaged 37 wins per season. Her 1991 team posted a 43-18 record and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation.

"We have all the ingredients here for a successful program," Wells says. "We have one of the best, if not the best facilities in the country -- a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art softball stadium that has garnered four national awards -- a solid coaching and support staff and the best fans any team could hope for."

Wells also has considerable coaching experience in international competition, assisting the U.S. squad to a gold medal at the 1985 South Pacific Classic in Melbourne, Australia, and the 1987 Pan American Games gold-medal team.

A native of Pacific, Missouri, Wells was a three-sport athlete in high school, and played five sports -- softball, volleyball, basketball, tennis and field hockey -- at Southeast Missouri State University. An all-around athlete, she competed at the national level in volleyball (USVBA), basketball (AAU), field hockey (USFHA) and softball (ASA). Wells played 18 years of women's major fast-pitch, first as a shortstop and then as a pitcher and catcher at the end of her career. She earned All-America honors in 1988 and made nine national championship appearances. In addition, Wells played professionally from 1975-79, serving as player-coach for the Chicago Ravens and St. Louis Hummers.

Wells earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Southeast Missouri State in 1972, and a master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Minnesota in 1982. She began her coaching career in 1973 at Minnesota, where she led three different sports to national championship competition. Wells served as head women's basketball coach (1973-77), head volleyball coach (1974-81) and head softball coach (1974-88). She finished her tenure with each sport on a winning note, advancing to the national tournament in basketball in 1977, volleyball in 1981 and softball in 1981, `86 and `88. Her 1981 volleyball team placed seventh at the AIAW National Championship, the same year her softball team advanced to nationals.

During her 15-year tenure, Wells led the Golden Gophers to three Big Ten softball crowns and compiled a 351-264-1 overall record. Wells' earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1988 by posting a 31-25 record en route to the Big Ten championship, a berth in the NCAA Tournament and a No. 11 national ranking, the highest in school history.

Wells is a past president of the National Softball Coaches Association (NSCA) and is a featured speaker at numerous camps and clinics. She is a member of the NSCA Hall of Fame, the University of Minnesota Hall of Fame in volleyball and softball, and was recently inducted into the State of Minnesota Hall of Fame. In addition, Wells received the 2002 SE Missouri State Alumni Merit Award, given to past alumni who have brought distinction to themselves and to the University.

Wells is also active in the campus community, serving on the board of directors of both the Faculty Women and the University Career Women.

WELLS AT ARIZONA STATE

Year W-L Pac-10 Conference

1990* 43-32 10-10 (third)

1991* 43-18 15-5 (second)

1992 27-21 7-9 (fourth)

1993* 34-26 13-13 (third)

1994 22-41 7-17 (sixth)

1995 29-26 10-18 (sixth)

1996 34-27 10-18 (fifth)

1997* 32-25 9-19 (sixth)

1998* 38-27 9-19 (sixth)