Pitt names former Harvard coach Jenny Allard to be its next softball coach

Athletic director Heather Lyke sought someone with documented success over a long period of time when she named Jenny Allard on Monday to be Pitt’s next softball coach. She replaces former coach Jodi Hermanek.

Allard, a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Famer, spent the past 27 seasons as Harvard’s head coach where she was the Ivy League’s longest-tenured and winningest softball coach. Allard will have the opportunity to reach the 700-victory milestone at Pitt after compiling a 688-518-4 overall coaching record, including a 342-130-1 mark in the Ivy League.

“Not only is she an extraordinary teacher of the game, her proven championship experiences, her work ethic, persistence, confidence and passion for developing young people is evident based on her Hall of Fame career thus far,” Lyke said in a statement. “We are excited to support coach Allard in this opportunity to build Pitt softball into an ACC and national championship-caliber program.”

“Pitt Athletics is on the rise,” Allard said in a statement, “and I am ready to bring great energy and determination to the softball program. Pitt softball has hard-working student-athletes, the backing of an amazing athletic department and university, and support from the larger community of Pittsburgh. Vartabedian Field will be an exciting place to be in the coming years.”

Allard led Harvard to nine Ivy League titles, six 30-victory seasons and all eight of its NCAA Championship appearances. She coached seven Ivy League Players of the Year, nine Ivy League Pitchers of the Year, six Ivy League Rookies of the Year, and three All-Americans. She also coached 76 first-team, 72 second-team and 49 honorable mention All-Ivy League selections.

Harvard (29-17-1) won the Ivy League Tournament title this season to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament Fayetteville Regional. Riley Flynn earned Ivy League Pitcher of the Year honors and 10 players were named to the All-Ivy League teams under her direction.

Harvard has compiled winning records in every full season since 2015, while also finishing first or second in the Ivy League. She was twice (2018-19, 2019-20) named The Ragatz Family Harvard Women’s Coach of Excellence, an honor awarded to a coach of any Crimson women’s team.

A native of California, Allard started her coaching career at Iowa as an assistant coach. In two seasons, she helped the Hawkeyes to two 30-victory seasons and an NCAA Championship invitation in 1993. After her second season at Iowa, Harvard named her head coach in the fall of 1994.

As a collegian at Michigan, Allard played third base and pitched. She was a four-time All-Big Ten selection (first team, 1987, 1989, 1990; second team, 1988), a two-time First Team Mideast Region pick and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a senior.

In 1989, she was one of the top players in the country, earning Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American honors while leading the Wolverines in batting average (.351), hits (65) and RBIs (29) and posting a 19-9 record with a 0.75 ERA and 64 strikeouts.

Allard has a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Education (1999) and a master’s in psychology from the Harvard Extension School (2003).