Griffin Joiner will be trading in her blue wardrobe for a red one. University of Louisville head softball coach Holly Aprile has announced that Joiner and Ashley Lane will join her staff as assistant coaches.
“Griffin and Ashley are not only outstanding coaches, they are both outstanding people who will represent Louisville with enthusiasm, integrity and passion,” Aprile said in a release. “I feel very fortunate to have both of them on staff.”
Joiner comes to Louisville after spending the 2018 season as an assistant coach under Aprile at Pittsburgh. While there, she helped direct the Panthers to the program’s first ACC Coastal Division title and advance to the finals of the ACC Championship where they fell to eventual Women’s College World Series Champion Florida State.
Joiner helped the Panthers achieve immediate results while working primarily with the pitchers and catchers.
“A proven winner on and off the field, Griffin brings so much to the table,” said Aprile. “From her expertise working with the pitchers and catchers in the bullpen, to pitch calling, to the offensive side of the game as well, Griffin is both highly knowledgeable and passionate about her craft. She will be an excellent role model for our student-athletes and her years of experience as a highly competitive student-athlete as well as her experience in the professional ranks is invaluable.”
Prior to her stint at Pittsburgh, Joiner spent two seasons (2016 and 2017) as a graduate manager at her alma mater, the University of Kentucky. With Joiner on the staff, the Wildcats advanced to an NCAA Super Regional in 2017 and finished the season with a 39-19 overall record and ranked No. 17 in the national rankings. In her first season at UK, the team reached the NCAA regional finals and finished the season ranked No. 11/13 nationally after posting a 46-14 overall record and finished second in the SEC with a 17-7 mark in league play.
As a student-athlete, Joiner helped lead the Wildcats to the 2014 Women’s College World Series, setting a school record with 69 games played. The catcher was a two-time NFCA All-Region third team selection and was named to the All-SEC Defensive Team three times (2013, 2014, 2015). Joiner garnered All-SEC second team honors in 2013 after she paced the Wildcats with a .578 slugging percentage and stood second in hits (58), home runs (10) and RBI (41).
She finished her career tied for second on the school’s all-time list with 35 home runs and ranked among the program’s top 10 in career games played, hits, home runs, RBI, batting average, walks, at-bats, slugging percentage, total bases, fielding percentage and putouts.
Joiner continued her playing career professionally when she was selected by the Akron Racers as the 19th overall pick in the fourth round of 2015 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft. She was selected to the 2016 All-NPF team as a catcher after throwing out a league-best 13 baserunners. In 2017, she was one of eight catchers selected to try out for the USA Softball Women’s National Team.
“First, I would like to thank Holly for giving me the opportunity to be a part of her staff and compete for championships with her and with Ashley,” said Joiner. “Also, I would like to thank the administration for the opportunity to be a part of the athletic community and winning tradition that has been established in UofL Athletics and in the softball program.”
Joiner was voted Kentucky Miss Softball following her career at Christian County High, where she rewrote the softball record book. She graduated from Kentucky in 2015 with bachelor’s degree in exercise science and earned a master’s degree in sport leadership from UK in 2017.
(INFORMATION FROM UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS)