Samantha Jo Findlay (born February 22, 1986) is an American

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

coach and former softball player. She is currently an assistant coach with the

DePaul Blue Demons The DePaul Blue Demons are the athletic teams that represent DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference. DePaul’s Athletic Director is DeWayne P ...

softball team. She previously played professional softball in the

National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

league (NPF) for the

Chicago Bandits The Chicago Bandits were a women's professional softball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. Since the 2005 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). The Bandits won the 2008 NPF championship, defeating the Washington ...

(2008-2010) and

USSSA Pride The USSSA Pride are a professional softball team based in Viera, Florida and a member of the WPF - Women's Professional Fastpitch League, U.S. Founded in 2009. They previously played in National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) from 2009 to 2019. They play ...

(2011). Findlay also played college softball for the

Michigan Wolverines softball The Michigan Wolverines softball team represents the University of Michigan in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I competition. College softball became a varsity sport at the University of Michigan in 1978. Bonnie Thol ...

team from 2005 to 2008. She was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the 2005 Women's College World Series after hitting a three-run home run in the 10th inning of the championship game against

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

. She was also selected as a first-team All-American at second base in 2007 and holds

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

records for

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in a career (62), RBIs in a career (219), career slugging percentage (.677), and RBIs in a season (77).

Early years

Findlay was born in 1986 in

Lockport, Illinois Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, an ...

, 30 miles southwest of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She attended Lockport Township High School where she was an all-state softball player. She graduated in 2004.

University of Michigan

Findlay enrolled at the

in the fall of 2004. As a freshman in 2005, she hit .361, broke Michigan's single-season record with 77 RBIs, and tied the single-season record with 21 home runs. Following an outstanding season, she was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year. On June 8, 2005, she drove in all four of Michigan's runs, including a three-run homer, in the 4-1 win over

in the championship game of the 2005 Women's College World Series and won the Most Outstanding Player award of the tournament. At the end of the 2005 season, Findlay played for Team USA in the 2005 Intercontinental Cup in Spain. As a sophomore in 2006 and junior in 2007, Findlay started every game at first base for Michigan. As a senior in 2008, Findlay moved from first to second base. She led the team with a .382 batting average and tied her own Michigan single-season records with 21 home runs, three grand slams and 69 RBIs. At the end of the 2008 season, she was selected as a first-team All-American at second base. She was also selected as the Most Outstanding Player on the 2008 Michigan softball team. Findlay was also selected as first-team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region player in 2005 (first base), 2007 (first base), and 2008 (second base). In four years playing for the Michigan softball team, Findlay played in 251 games for Michigan, all of them as a starter. She compiled a career batting average of .348. She holds Michigan career records with 62 home runs, 219 RBIs, and a .677 slugging percentage. She also holds Michigan's single-season record with 77 RBIs. She previously held the career record with 157 walks, but that record was bested by Dorian Shaw in 2011. She also previously held Michigan's single-season record with 21 home runs, but that record was broken in 2013 by

Sierra Romero Sierra Joy Romero (born March 19, 1994) is a Mexican American professional softball player. She formerly was a volunteer assistant softball coach for the Oregon Ducks softball team. She played college softball for Michigan from 2013 to 2016, wh ...

. She was inducted in 2022 into the

University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs.

Professional playing career

From 2008 to 2010, Findlay played professional softball as a first baseman for the

, including the Bandits' 2008 Cowles Cup championship season. In three seasons with the Bandits, she had 31 home runs and 73 RBIs. She also played one season for the

. In February 2012, she announced her retirement from professional softball.

Coaching career

In 2008, Findlay joined the coaching staff of the

softball team as a volunteer coach. In August 2010, she was hired as DePaul's Director of Softball Operations. She was named as an assistant coach at DePaul in September 2011 and was on staff for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Personal life

Findlay resides in Lockport, IL has two children, Logan and Annabelle. After leaving DePaul, Findlay became a human resources manager with a construction company Ozinga in Chicago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Findlay, Samantha 1986 births Living people DePaul Blue Demons softball coaches Michigan Wolverines softball players People from Lockport, Illinois Sportspeople from Will County, Illinois Softball coaches from Illinois Softball players from Illinois Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player Award winners