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Softball On SI

Hall of Fame Head Coach Makes Surprising Move to Mid-Major Staff

Maren Angus-Coombs|
The Illinois Chicago Flames added two coaches to its staff and one is an NFCA Hall of Fame head coach.
The Illinois Chicago Flames added two coaches to its staff and one is an NFCA Hall of Fame head coach. | UIC Athletics

Megan Coronado is bring her softball career full-circle as a first-year head coach at Illinois-Chicago.

On Tuesday, UIC and Coronado announced the addition of assistant coaches Eugene Lenti and Natalie Hernandez.

Eugene Lenti

Lenti, who is in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, is best known for his 37-year tenure as the head coach at DePaul. Lenti won 1,327 games with the Blue Demons, was named part of the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year six times, C-USA Coach of the Year once, Mid-Continent Conference (The Summit League) Coach of the Year three times, and North Star Conference Coach of the Year once. 

DePaul is also where Coronado starred on the field from 2011-14.

"Bringing Coach Lenti back to Chicago is a full-circle moment for me," said Coronado in a press release. "I had the privilege of playing for him and leaning on him as a mentor in my other coaching endeavors, and now I get to coach alongside one of the winningest coaches in NCAA softball history. His legacy, leadership, and love for the game will be instrumental as we build something special here at UIC."

During Lenti's tenure at the helm of DePaul softball, he led the team to 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, with four trips to the WCWS.

Most recently, Lenti spent five years as an assistant coach at Auburn. The Tigers went 155-92-1 with four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Natalie Hernandez

Hernandez is no stranger to UIC. She starred for the Flames as a four-year letter-winner from 2011-2014.

"Natalie represents everything it means to be a Flame: a fierce competitor, a relentless worker, and a proud UIC alum," said Coronado. "Her experience as a pro, her success as a coach, and her deep ties to this program will help us reignite UIC softball with pride and purpose. We are lucky to have her and bring her back home."

During Hernandez's four years at UIC, she earned All-League Newcomer, Horizon League All-Tournament team, Horizon League Preseason Second Team, All-Horizon League First Team, and NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team honors. 

Hernandez finished her collegiate career with 582 at-bats, 109 runs, 201 hits, 24 home runs, 106 RBIs, a .543 slugging percentage, and 29 stolen bases.

She most recently spent nine years at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., as the assistant softball coach. The Pioneers went 296-95 with six NCAA regional appearances, and one super regional appearance. 

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.