Cal State Fullerton Associate Head Coach Dee Dee Kingsburycompleted her 12th season overall on the Titans' bench and hersixth as the program's Associate Head Coach. Hired to her postprior to the 2003 season, Kingsbury was promoted to her currentposition in July, 2008, and will continue to focus her efforts onthe development of the Cal State Fullerton pitching staff andcoordinating the Titans' recruiting efforts.
During her tenure in Orange County, Kingsbury has helped developa trio of NFCA All-Americans in Missy Taukeiaho, Gina Oaks andJodie Cox, has had five players earn a total of six NFCA All-WestRegion honors, and has had 12 of her pitchers be named to theAll-Big West Conference squad - including seven first-teamhonorees.
Last season, she managed the talent of freshman ChristinaWashington who posted a 12-6 record to go along with a 3.56 ERA,four complete games and 55 strikeouts. Washington landed herself onthe Big West's inaugural All-Freshman team due to her stellarefforts on the Titans pitching staff.
Also in 2014, she helped lead the Titans to a quick 6-0start to the season after a sweep of the Fullerton hosted EastonTournament, marking the best start for the program since the 2000campaign. Chalking up an overall record of 33-21-1 and a fourthplace finish in the Big West, the Titans reached the 33-win markfor the first time since 2007 after posting five more wins than aseason ago. In Big West play, the Titans produced a mark of 13-11,totalling an identical number of conference wins from the 2013season, but with three less losses.
In 2013, Kingsbury helped freshman Jasmine Antunez record 18wins, a 2.56 ERA, and 174 strikeouts, while being named the BigWest Freshman Pitcher of the Year. She also helped assist Antunez'sno-hitter and sophomore Desiree Ybarra be named to the NFCAAll-West Region second team. The Titans finished the season themost saves (5) in the Big West and a 3.00 ERA, which was the fourthbest earned run average in the conference.
In Kingsbury's first season as the Titans' pitching mentor, theCal State Fullerton staff led the Big West in six differentcategories including ERA (1.35), opponent batting average (.156),strikeouts (417), strikeouts looking (156), wins (41), and fewesthits allowed (208). Titan pitching was also second in runs allowed(101) and earned runs allowed (73).
Individually, senior pitchers Jodie Cox and Gina Oaks were namedthird-team All-Americans and were also first-team All-Big Westpitchers in 2003. Cox was named the Big West Co-Pitcher of theYear, posting her first 20-win season and finishing with 224strikeouts to lead the league. In fact, a Titan pitcher led orco-led the league in six different pitching categories that season:ERA, opponent average, strikeouts, strikeouts looking, wins, andfewest earned runs allowed.
Later that summer, the duo would be selected to the U.S.National "Elite" Team where Cox earned MVP honors at the CanadaCup, helping the squad to the tournament championship.
In 2004, Kingsbury helped mold Brooke Weekley into one of theconference's best freshman hurlers, as Weekley ranked among theleague's top 10 in opposing batting average (t10th, .243), inningspitched (1st, 224.0), strikeouts (3rd, 140), strikeouts looking(t5th, 34), wins (t7th, 14), and appearances (1st, 42).
In 2005, Kingubury helped guide a still young and inexperiencedstaff to success in the Big West as the Titans ranked third in theleague in strikeouts, strikeouts looking, and victories, while alsoranking in the top half of the league in ERA, opponent battingaverage, and innings pitched.
Individually, she helped guide Marissa Marzan to All-Big WestConference Second-Team honors after she led the Titans with a 14-5record and 2.34 ERA. Marzan ranked in the top 10 in the conferencein eight different categories including ERA (6th), strikeouts(10th), wins (t6th), and opponent batting average (10th).
Fullerton's other two pitchers, Weekley and Candice Baker, alsosucceeded in their sophomore campaigns under Kingsbury's guidance,as the duo ranked 1-2 in the league in fewest hits allowed whileBaker ranked in the top 10 overall in four other categories.
The 2006 season was a banner year for Fullerton pitchers as theTitans' staff led the league in six different categories includingERA (2.20), opponent batting average (.215) and strikeouts (296).Individually, Baker and Marzan each earned first-team All-Big Westhonors as the duo provided a powerful 1-2 punch. Baker led theleague in opponent average (.194) and strikeouts (259) while Marzanranked second in ERA (1.73) and opponent average (.207).
In 2007, Kingsbury helped mentor Baker to her second consecutive20-win season as the right-hander finished 21-14 overall with a1.95 ERA, earning all-conference first-team honors as both apitcher and utility player and a second-team NFCA All-West Regionselection as a utility player/pitcher.
Senior Brooke Weekley and junior Jessica Doucette alsoflourished under her tutelage, finishing with winning records andall-conference accolades.
In 2008, both Doucette (first team) and freshman Christine Hiner(second team) were named to the all-conference squad as pitchers asthe Titans' staff ranked near the top of numerous Big WestConference categories.
The 2009 season was another banner year in the circle forKingsbury and the Titans as sophomore Ari Cervantes (first team)and redshirt freshman Krystal Heinle (honorable mention) earnedconference accolades. Cervantes became the 25th Titan to win 20games in the circle and finished among the league leaders in ninedifferent pitching categories while Heinle was among the best ineight different Big West categories.
Prior to joining the Titans, Kingsbury spent three seasons as anassistant at Wisconsin, helping the Badgers to three Big TenTournaments and appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and2002.
Kingsbury coached the Badgers' first-ever first-team All-Big Tenpitcher in Andrea Kirchberg, who owns nearly every pitching recordat Wisconsin. In 2002, Kingsbury, Head Coach Karen Gallagher andAssistant Coach Ali Viola were named the Speedline/NFCA Division IMideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year, sharing the honor withNotre Dame.
As a player, Kingsbury was a member of the 1990 and 1992 UCLAnational championship-winning squads while earning All-Pacific-10Conference honors twice in her career and first-team All-Americahonors as a senior in 1994. A Honda Broderick Award nominee in1994, Kingsbury finished her Bruin career with a 59-13 overallrecord, a 0.79 ERA, 746 career strikeouts and 16 no-hitters.Kingsbury's 359 strikeouts in 1994 stand second on thesingle-season record lists and had stood as the UCLA record untillast season. Kingsbury also holds the NCAA career record forstrikeout ratio at 10.4 strikeouts per seven innings.
She continued her playing career in the Women's ProfessionalSoftball League, playing four seasons (1997-00) after being draftedas the 10th selection of the second round of the 1996 AmateurDraft. Kingsbury won the 1999 WPSL championship with the Tampa BayFirestix and recorded the first strikeout, complete game, victory,save and shutout in team history. She was also the first pitcher tothrow a perfect game in WPSL history, shutting down the CarolinaDiamonds on Aug. 1, 1998.
Kingsbury was a two-time WPSL All-Star selection in 1998 and1999, and ranks first in league history in games started (83),complete games (70), innings (640.3) and appearances (113). Sheranks second in strikeouts (446) and saves (6) while ranking thirdin wins (46) and shutouts (10).
Upon her hiring, Kingsbury was reunited with her catcher on the1993 ASA Women's Open National Championship in Gromacki, when theduo helped the Redding Rebels to the title.
Kingsbury graduated from UCLA with a bachelors degree insociology in 1994. The former Dee Dee Weiman and her husband, Mike,have a son, Tyler, and daughters, Isabella and Brooklyn, and residein Buena Park, Calif.
