Welcome Aboard: Mitch Roberts and Rachel Houck Join Softball Staff

MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ball State softball third-year head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett has completed her coaching staff for the upcoming 2018 season with the additions of Mitch Roberts and Rachel Houck.

"I am thrilled to welcome Mitch and Rachel to the staff," Bartlett said. "What an exciting time for Cardinal Softball."

Roberts joins the Cardinals staff as an assistant coach after spending the 2017 season as a graduate assistant at the University of Washington. In his lone season on the Huskies' staff, Roberts helped guide the program to a 50-14 record and the 12th Women's College World Series appearance in program history. Six Huskies earned NFCA All-Region honors last season, with one going on to earn NFCA All-American honors.

"After being part of a national championship contending program at Washington, Mitch knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of our sport," Bartlett said. "He has a very clear vision of what it takes to win big games at this level and shows great promise in the coaching profession."

Along with being a part of Washington's staff, Mitch has served as an assistant coach for the Team Seattle U14 travel team and has been a coach at multiple instructional clinics along the West Coast. Prior to his coaching career, Roberts played collegiate baseball at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (2013-14) and St. Ambrose University (2015-16).

Houck joins the Cardinals staff as a volunteer coach after completing her senior season with the team this past spring. One of the top sluggers in program history, Houck ended her career ranked sixth on Ball State's career charts with a .562 slugging percentage. Her 20 career home runs are ninth in program history, while her .320 career batting average ranks 17th. A 2017 NFCA All-Region selection, Houck led the Ball State offense with a .319 batting average last season, ranked second in the MAC and 28th nationally with 17 doubles and was third in the league and 44th nationally with 13 home runs.

"Rachel was a natural choice to add to the staff upon graduation," Bartlett said. "While we are going to miss her greatly on the field, her work ethic is unmatched and she is extremely loyal to Ball State softball. I have no doubt she will have a tremendous career as a coach as well."

In addition to her power at the plate, Houck ended her career one of the top base stealing threats in program history. Her .958 (23-for-24) career stolen base percentage ranks first on Ball State's career charts, while she became just the third player in program history to finish a season with a perfect stolen base percentage (minimum 10 attempts) after going a perfect 16-for-16 on the base paths in last season. She also concluded her career ranked in the top 10 on Ball State's all-time lists in runs scored (15th, 85), on base percentage (18th, .384), RBI (18th, 68) and doubles (20th, 28).

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.

- BallStateSports.com –

Welcome Aboard: Mitch Roberts and Rachel Houck Join Softball Staff

Players Mentioned

Rachel Houck

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