Bill Graham

Title

Head Coach
Email

bgraham@iup.edu
Phone

724.357.7761

Bill Graham enters his ninth season as the IUP softball head coach in 2018 after guiding the Crimson Hawks to their seventh postseason appearance in the last eight seasons.

The Crimson Hawks have seen their best run of success under Graham, who holds a career 236-128-1 record. In his eight years at the helm, Graham has led IUP to four NCAA tournament appearances, two PSAC championships, an Atlantic Region championship and a trip to the 2011 Division II College World Series.

In his first three years as head coach, Graham directed the Crimson Hawks to back-to-back-to-back 30-win seasons, going 107-34-1 in that span, which included three trips to the NCAA tournament and back-to-back PSAC championships in 2011 and 2012.

In 2017, The Crimson Hawks finished the season with a 24-19 overall record and advanced to the PSAC postseason for the fourth straight year and the seventh time in the last eight years.

The past season closed out the career of one of the best players in IUP history, Hannah Mercer. In her four seasons under Graham, Mercer ranks in the top 10 in 12 different career offensive categories, and will most certainly earn for All-PSAC honors.

Mercer broke IUP career records with 221 hits, 135 runs scored, 343 total bases, and 624 at-bats. Her 45 doubles ranks second, and is third with 50 stolen bases and 177 games played – all starts. Other top ranks include a .354 batting average (fifth), 11 triples (sixth), 103 RBI (sixth), a .553 slugging percentage (seventh) and 19 home runs (tied for seventh).

No other IUP player owns as many career records, and only four others show up in the top 20 of all 13 career lists – Marissa Dugan, Stefanie McCoy, Jen Rape and Jodie Swavely.

Although the Crimson Hawks finished with a 19-24 overall record in 2015, Graham oversaw a rally on the final weekend of the regular season, as IUP went 4-2 to clinch a PSAC postseason berth. The excitement came down to a regular season finale home doubleheader against Edinboro, as IUP needed two victories over the Fighting Scots to continue its season. The Crimson Hawks battled to a 4-3 game one win before an offensive explosion led to a 16-7 game two victory.

Hannah Mercer earned first team All-PSAC West and All-Atlantic Region honors as a sophomore transitioning from right field to third base.

In 2011, Graham led the Crimson Hawks to their best season in program history, winning 38 games for the second-straight year, winning the school’s first-ever PSAC and Atlantic Region championships and appearing in the program’s first College World Series. Graham was honored as the PSAC Central Coach of the Year, and teamed with assistant coach Meg Timpf to form the Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

That year, the Crimson Hawks defeated West Chester twice and Kutztown to claim the PSAC championship. IUP was led in the championship game against West Chester by pitcher Erin Holloway, who scattered seven hits and allowed two runs while striking out eight in a complete-game seven innings.

First baseman Megan McCormick went 4-for-4 with four RBI and two runs, as the Crimson Hawks moved to 33-6 overall with a No. 17 national ranking. IUP advanced to the Atlantic Region tournament, where the team beat Kutztown, 5-0, for the third time in the postseason to win the region and advance to the Atlantic Super Regional against Bloomsburg, the defending region champion.

Freshman third baseman slammed a two-run homerun to center to fuel a 3-2 victory in the second game to win, 3-2, and advance to the College World Series. The win was IUP’s 13th in a row and matched the school record for wins in a season with 38.

In the College World Series in Salem, Va., IUP lost to North Georgia, 9-4, and Midwestern State, 3-0.

Under Graham, five players were named to the NCAA All-Atlantic Region squads, including Holloway and McCormick, who were also named to the 2011 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Team.

Graham followed the milestone year for IUP in 2011 with an equally impressive 2012 campaign, guiding the Crimson Hawks to their second-straight PSAC title and an appearance in the NCAA Atlantic Region 1 Championship. Under Graham, seniors Megan McCormick and Monica Iachini both received NFCA Division II All-Atlantic Region honors in 2012, as the Crimson Hawks won 30 games for the third-straight year.

In 2013 Graham guided the Crimson Hawks to a 26-15 overall record and a 7-9 record in the PSAC Central Division. Under Graham, Jasa Mitchell was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region second team.

The 2014 season saw five players honored with postseason awards from the PSAC, including Hannah Mercer winning freshman of the year, the fifth time an IUP player won the award. Jasa Mitchell and Alexa Campbell were named to the PSAC West first team, while Stephanie McCoy and Meghan Carney made the second team.

Mitchell, who spent a year playing for St. Francis, wrapped up her three-year career as a Crimson Hawk by being named a Daktronics First-Team All-Atlantic Region and a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region player after leading IUP in nearly every hitting category. She finished with four single-season and one career record at IUP.

In 2010, the Crimson Hawks set a school record with 38 wins against only 12 losses and matched the 2005 team with three NCAA tournament victories. IUP forced Bloomsburg to a final game in the opening round of the Atlantic Region tournament with a 4-0 win, handing the sixth-ranked Huskies only its second shutout and sixth loss overall of the season.

IUP produced seven all-conference players including PSAC Central Freshman of the Year Stefanie Poates. Megan McCormick was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America third team, the first IUP softball player chosen to an All-America squad in almost a decade.

McCormick was joined by Erin Holloway, Kelsey Ferguson and Kristen Tunno on Atlantic Region all-star teams.

Prior to coming to IUP, Graham spent 17 years as a softball and baseball coach, including the previous two as an assistant softball coach at Ashland. Graham had previous college head coaching experience at Saginaw Valley State, where he was also an assistant baseball coach, managing all aspects of both programs.

Graham was at Saginaw Valley State from 2004-07. His knowledge of the PSAC traces back to stints as an assistant softball coach at Edinboro from 2001-03 and head baseball coach at Gannon from 1999-01.

He was also an assistant softball coach at Penn State Behrend from 1992-95 and assistant baseball coach at the same school from 1995-98 while serving as the assistant sports information director for six years. Graham was an assistant baseball coach at Cathedral Prep High School in Erie from 1998-99.

Graham earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Penn State Behrend in 1994 and a master's degree in leadership and public administration from Saginaw Valley State in 2005.

Graham and his wife Sabrina Lane are the parents of daughter Kaija, born August 3, 2010.

Updated on 8/1/17

Grahams' Year-By-Year Record

Year	Ovr. Rec.	Pct.	PSAC Rec	Pct.
2017	24-19	.558	13-7	.650
2016	28-19	.596	12-8	.600
2015	19-24	.442	16-14	.533
2014	32-17	.653	22-6	.786
2013	26-15	.634	7-9	.438
2012	31-14-1	.685	11-5	.688
2011	38-8	.826	10-4	.700
2010	38-12	.760	11-3	.786
Total	236-128-1	.647	102-56	.646