Maddy Wright Announced as Assistant Softball Coach
7/30/2026 3:05:00 PM | Softball
KENT, Ohio — Kent State Softball Head Coach, Jexx Varner announced today the hiring of Maddy Wright as Assistant Softball Coach for the Golden Flashes.
Wright joins Kent State after one season as assistant coach for pitching and hitting at Robert Morris University, where she worked alongside Varner as the Colonials broke multiple program offensive records, including 96 home runs and 457 runs scored in 2026.
"I am extremely excited and grateful to have Maddy Wright joining our program.", said Varner. "She is truly one of the great young coaches around and brings a wealth of high-level experiences from her playing career and early coaching years. As a talented two-way player and coach, she will not only make an immediate impact with our pitching staff but also with our offense as we prepare and make in-game adjustments. Maddy does a great job of connecting with her players and working with them to enhance their skill sets and knowledge of the game. With her strong pitching bio-mechanic knowledge, and strength in building relationships, she can get the most out of her pitchers, cultivate a positive staff mentality, and challenge them to compete for themselves and the program. She is truly the perfect fit here at Kent State as we establish our culture and get better every day on the field!"
At Robert Morris, Wright helped develop a pitching staff that included a Conference All-Tournament Team honoree, while also mentoring two of the nation's top offensive performers: Aglaia Rudd (.551 AVG, 22 HR, 17 2B, 64 RBI) and Courtney Poulich (.436 AVG, 25 HR, 12 2B, 88 RBI). She also oversaw all team travel logistics for the program.
Before her time at Robert Morris, Wright spent a season as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech University under Head Coach Gerry Glasco, where she supported day-to-day program operations and pitcher/hitter development. During her tenure, Texas Tech won the Big 12 Regular Season title, the Big 12 Tournament Championship, and the National Runner-Up title, in addition to Regional and Super-Regional championships.
Wright brings five years of NCAA Division I playing experience to her coaching career. She served as a starting pitcher for Texas Tech in 2024, leading the team in innings pitched, ERA, strikeouts, and opponent batting average, and was honored as the team's Pitcher of the Year.
Prior to Texas Tech, Wright was a four-year standout at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2019–2023), where she pitched the 14th no-hitter in program history against the University of Connecticut, earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors and Second-Team All-Conference USA recognition in 2021. She helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2023.
Wright earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with a minor in American Studies, from UNC Charlotte in 2023, and her Master of Arts in Communications from Texas Tech in 2025.
Wright starts her new position on Thursday, July 30.
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