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Drake University Athletics

Rich Calvert

  • Title
    Head Coach
Calvert began his tenure in Des Moines in 2003 and has amassed over 500 wins during his stint leading the Bulldogs. His 567 total wins rank fifth all-time in Missouri Valley Conference softball history.
 
Under his tutelage, the Bulldogs were guided to a pair of MVC regular season titles in 2015 and 2018, and MVC Tournament championships in 2008 and 2018. Various Bulldog individuals also earned personal honors during Calvert's tenure including multiple All-Conference and All-Defensive performers, MVC Player of the Year Mandi Roemmich (2018), and two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year and current MVC career strikeouts record holder Nicole Newman (2018-19).
 
Calvert, a native of Taylorville, Ill., also led the Drake coaches to a quartet of MVC Coaching Staff of the Year awards in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2019.
 
Calvert's career started at MVC foe Illinois State University where he served as an undergraduate assistant coach, and later a full-time assistant, for seven years. He then moved on to Ohio State University and the University of Iowa where he was an assistant coach at both schools.