Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Women's SoftballStacey Rice

Women's Softball Head Coach

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

NCAA DII • PSAC

1.0

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Would Recommend

Would say one thing and do another. Unreliable most of the time. If you loved her you were a favorite, one of the people “that just deserves so many chances”. Yes, that’s her justification for endlessly starting people despite repeated failures when asked in meetings. Culture shifts were 100% player led, and if you only saw the beginning of it, you wouldn’t really know.

Women's SoftballStacey Rice

Women's Softball Head Coach

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

NCAA DII • PSAC

5.0

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Would Recommend

Coach Rice is one of the best coaches I have ever had in my entire career. Coach Rice absolutely plays to win and is one of the most dedicated coaches I know. She puts in the extra effort not just to help her athletes succeed in softball, but also to help shape us as individuals. She is very direct and honest—sometimes we would even joke that she was “too honest.” But that honesty was one of the things I appreciated most. She always told me what I needed to hear, even if it was the hard truth. Those conversations helped me understand her expectations and pushed me to become a better player and person. Coach Rice built my confidence in so many ways—both on the field and academically. She created a true love for the game that some coaches can never do. At Slippery Rock, she built a culture where softball is fun, and she made sure practices included activities that kept us laughing and enjoying the process. One year after losing almost every pre-season game, instead of yelling like most coaches would have, she calmy was just telling us not to panic, that we were great players and it'll all come together, and it sure did. She always preached the importance of “family, school, softball”—in that order. I missed plenty of practices for family or school reasons, and not once did I feel like she was disappointed in me for doing so. That understanding and support made all the difference. The culture shift that people have talked about was driven by Coach Rice. I came in right as that shift was beginning, and while the players played a role in leading it, we were only able to do so because of the guidance and example she set. I’ll never forget something she told me in one of our many conversations: “I change the way I coach to the type of players that I have, and I’ll do whatever it takes to do that.” That mindset defines who she is as a coach—and why she has made such a lasting impact on all of us.

Women's SoftballStacey Rice

Women's Softball Head Coach

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

NCAA DII • PSAC

2.8

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Would Recommend

Coach Rice loves softball, but her mentality of playing the same players and expecting different results is her downfall. Her player retention is so incredibly low for a reason. Most girls quit by their senior year and choose not to transfer because Slippery Rock is a great school with amazing programs. It’s a shame one coach can ruin the game for so many good players.

Women's SoftballStacey Rice

Women's Softball Head Coach

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

NCAA DII • PSAC

1.4

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Would Recommend

Stacey Rice was an okay practice coach. She has no game time decision making capability, and is open about how she doesn’t understand numbers. Her mismanagement of her team always has, and always will lead to late season disappointments. She starts the season off by preaching family, then school, then softball, and by the end of the season asks you to shirk your academic responsibilities because “you won’t remember them in a few years”. She is not open to feedback from anyone, to the point that her (very knowledgeable) assistant coach has apologized for questioning game time decisions. She often touts the fact that very few players have transferred from her team, but she will never tell you how many have quit, which is only a testament to the quality of slippery rock university, and not her ability as a coach. The only people that feel positively about her were the few that were given countless opportunities and those who prioritized sport over school. The only reason Slippery Rock Softball has seen recent success is due to a culture shift led by the players, and any successes should be attributed only to the athlete’s ability to overcome an exceptionally mediocre and astoundingly stubborn coach. The only reason she is still in her position is due to the fact that she is an alumni herself.

Women's SoftballStacey Rice

Women's Softball Head Coach

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

NCAA DII • PSAC

1.0

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Would Recommend

The worst coach I have ever had. She has a terrible game plan and does not coach to win. She is not honest when you come to her with questions on how to improve and is indirect. She consistently has a great roster, yet continues to find a way to lose because she only plays favorites. She creates a toxic environment and destroys the confidence in the majority of her players due to her inconsistency and dishonesty, while fostering a culture of fear to mess up. She has made many of her past athletes hate the game.