Kerri Blaylock Hometown: Herrin, Ill. Position: Head Coach Experience: 11th Year Alma Mater: Evansville (1988)

E-mail Coach Blaylock

Updated Jan.25, 2010

The Southern Illinois softball program has been a perennial power in the Missouri Valley Conference and risen in national prominence under the direction of head coach Kerri Blaylock. In 11 years at the helm of the program, Blaylock has consistently challenged for the league title and led SIU into postseason play.

SIU CAREER
Since taking over as the head coach in 2000, she has made winning, and achieving academic excellence an expectation. In Valley play, the Salukis finished sixth, fourth, third, and second, respectively, in Blaylock's first four years at SIU.

As a first-year head coach (2000), she led SIU to a 41-22 record, the first 41-win season since 1997 (41-16), which came under her mentor, Kay Brechtelsbauer, who coached SIU for 32 years. Blaylock served as pitching coach for five years and an assistant coach for nine total years under Brechtelsbauer.

Blaylock's specialty is pitching. Her staff led the MVC in overall ERA from 1997 to 2003, falling to second in 2004, but reclaiming the top spot in the conference in 2005 with a 1.16 team ERA. The team finished first overall in the Valley in 2004 and 2005.

In light of the program's ongoing success, the SIU coaching staff earned MVC Staff of the Year for four-straight years from 2002-05.

In 2006, the team kept that tradition alive as the squad led the Valley in ERA with a 1.67 mark, which was also good enough to finish 21st nationally.

The 2007 squad maintained the winning ways that have become expected around the Saluki softball program. SIU spent a school-record 13-straight weeks ranked in the top 25 in the nation. Twice during that 13-week stretch, the Salukis earned their highest-ever national ranking, coming in at No. 18.

The Salukis finished the season with a 41-16 record (17-7 MVC) and took a historic step as they earned an at-large bid to advance to its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament.

Southern Illinois went 1-2 in the Carbondale Regional, beating Mississippi Valley State 7-0 and hanging with Missouri before falling to the Tigers, 7-4.

In 2008, SIU recorded its 12th-straight winning season and ranked in the top five for team GPA among NFCA All-Academic teams for the fifth time in the last eight years.

Blaylock displayed another successful season in 2009 leading the team to a 33-13 overall record with a second-place finish in the Valley (15-7). During her 10th season as head coach, Blaylock coached several Salukis into the record books, and the team ranked in the top 20 for team GPA among NFCA All-Academic teams.

The Salukis earned their 13th-straight winning season, starting the season 11-0, and program best 13-1. Blaylock earned her 350th win in 2009, coaching the Salukis to a No. 18 national ranking, which tied the program's highest-ever ranking. The Salukis spent nine-straight weeks ranked in the top-25. Under the direction of Blaylock, the team earned four MVC Pitcher of the Week awards and went on a seven-game Valley win streak.

As she begins her 21st overall season at SIU, it's no secret that Blaylock has made some history of her own.

In 11 years as head coach, she has compiled an impressive 378-169 record overall, ranking her in the top-20 nationally in winning percentage (.691) among all Division I coaches with five years service or more. Blaylock's 165-68 MVC record (.708) is impressive as well.

She reached the 100-win plateau in just 153 games over three seasons, the fastest to reach the 100-win mark in SIU history.

She reached the 200-win mark after beating Kansas, 4-2, on March 6, 2005, and in 2007, Blaylock earned her 300th career win in the second game of the series with Indiana State. She made it to 300 wins in only 422 games and became only the fourth active coach, and eighth coach all-time in the MVC to reach 300 wins. With 378 wins to her name, Blaylock is on track to surpass 400 wins during the 2010 season.

AWARDS AND HONORS
Blaylock has coached both of SIU's All-American pitchers, starting with Jamie Schuttek, 10 years ago. Schuttek was inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame on Jan. 30, 2004. She was named a third-team All-American as well as the MVC Player of the Year in 1997. She led the Valley with a 28-2 record, a 0.87 ERA and nine shutouts in 210 innings pitched.

Blaylock also coached Erin Stremsterfer, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. Stremsterfer was one of the top pitchers in MVC history, named a third-team All-American in 2001, and the MVC Pitcher of the Year that same season.

Blaylock also mentored Amy Harre through her four years as a Saluki. Harre now pitches for the Chicago Bandits of the National Professional Fastpitch Softball League.

Harre, twice named an academic All-American, was a four-time first-team All-MVC selection and a three-time All-Great Lakes Region selection. She ended her SIU career as the all-time leader in innings pitched (820.1), appearances (151), wins (84), complete games (90) and shutouts (49). She is second in career ERA (1.06) and seventh in winning percentage (.700).

In all, Blaylock has coached two All-American pitchers, the 2008 MVC Player of the Year, 17 All-MVC First Team performers, 12 All-Great Lakes Region selections and four MVC Pitchers of the Year.

Blaylock also mentored another Saluki pitcher who painted her name all over the record books. Cassidy Scoggins, the MVC Pitcher of the Year in 2006, finished her Saluki career last year ranked fourth in innings pitched (707.2), third in appearances (138), second in wins (81), second in complete games (79), sixth in winning percentage (.723), third in strikeouts (713), 10th in ERA (1.35) and second in shutouts (35). Scoggins was a three-time All-MVC First Team selection and two-time All-Great Lakes Region First Team pick.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Blaylock's teams and athletes have continued a tradition of success in the classroom on a conference and national level. In the fall of 2008, the Salukis earned the NFCA Academic Top 15 Award among Division I schools for the eighth straight year, finishing fourth with a 3.447 GPA.

The award follows consecutive fourth-place finishes in 2001 and 2002 (3.39 GPA each year), a sixth-place finish in 2003 (3.43 GPA), fifth-place in 2004 (3.42 GPA), 10th-place finishes in 2005 (3.42)13th in 2006 (3.37), and the program's best finish of second (3.557) in 2007.

In 2007, SIU placed six athletes on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team and four on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Team.

In 2008, Blaylock helped add another Academic All-American to SIU's total when Stein was named a third team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American for the second time in her career.

In 2009, Katie McNamara and Katie Schmidt were named to the ESPN The Magazine All-District V team, while Alicia Garza was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team after leading the Salukis with a .375 batting average.

ABOUT COACH BLAYLOCK
Blaylock had a stellar playing career in addition to her coaching successes. She was considered one of the top three pitchers in the state as a prep, according to the Chicago Tribune, compiling a record of 65-7 from 1980-84.

She set marks for wins and strikeouts for Herrin High School and, in 1992, became the first female athlete ever selected to the Herrin High School Hall of Fame.

Following her successful prep career, Blaylock attended the University of Evansville, where she developed into one of the Aces' all-time leading hurlers. During her career, she put together a dazzling record of 77-48 with a 1.54 ERA and struck out 365 hitters in 857.2 innings of work.

To this day, Blaylock still holds virtually all of Evansville's pitching records. In February of 1995, Evansville recognized Blaylock's success on the diamond by inducting her into the school's Hall of Fame.

Both on and off the field, Blaylock excelled as a student-athlete. As a junior, she was named a GTE Academic All-American, and in 1988, she was named the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year.

Blaylock also organizes four softball camps, which attract an average of 300 participants from various age groups all over the area, in addition to her duties as head coach.

After graduating from Evansville in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Blaylock attended Southeast Missouri State University where she began her coaching career as a graduate assistant. She later received a master's degree in 1991 in business administration.

Blaylock, a native of nearby Herrin, lives in Carbondale, Ill.