Dover, DE --- Delaware State University has appointed Jeff Savage as the university's new head softball coach.
Savage, 41, comes to DSU after serving the past two years as head softball coach at Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, Delaware. He succeeds Lisa Weis, who moves to the Delaware State University Sports Medicine Department after serving as the university's interim softball coach for the 1999 season.
"Jeff Savage is a highly-respected softball coach throughout the Mid-Atlantic region," Director of Athletics Bill Collick said. "He has the experience and the energy to build a winning program at Delaware State."
Savage brings a wealth of softball coaching experience to his new position. He compiled an overall record of 37-6 in his two seasons at Caesar Rodney. In 1998, he led the Riders to a record of 18-3, and an appearance in the Delaware State Tournament semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion St. Mark's. This past season, the Riders were 19-3, and reached the state tournament quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Caravel Academy.
The 1999 Caesar Rodney team set a school record for most wins in a season, eclipsing the mark set by the 1998 squad. The Riders captured the 1999 Henlopen Conference championship after winning the conference's Northern Division title in 1998. Savage was named Henlopen Conference Coach of the Year this past season.
During Savage's tenure at Caesar Rodney, four players earned Delaware All-State First team honors. Five of his former players are expected to be on collegiate rosters next season.
Since 1995, Savage has also served as a Junior Olympics Softball coach, piloting the Delaware Hurricane, a team of top high school players from the Mid-Atlantic region. Three times, he led the team to the national championship playoffs.
Savage is also a former Caesar Rodney High School boys basketball coach, heading the program from 1992 to 1998. He led the team to the Delaware State Tournament championship game in 1994. Among his former players is LaRon Profit, a second round pick of the Orlando Magic in the most recent National Basketball Association draft after a stellar four-year career at the University of Maryland. .
Savage is a 1983 graduate of Rio (RY-oh) Grande University in Ohio, where he was a member of the baseball team for four years.
"I am grateful to Delaware State for giving me an opportunity to coach at the collegiate level, while remaining in the area," Savage said. "There is a great deal of softball talent in this region, and I believe DSU is committed to building a winning program."
Savage and wife Cindy have two children, Janice (17) and Sean (16).
