Lindsay Chouinard Last College: DePaul '03 Position: Head Coach Experience: 2nd Year

Knowledge of the game, academic success and professional accomplishments are three key components when looking for a head coach. Second-year Northern Illinois head coach Lindsay Chouinard brings the entire package to the Huskie softball program.

In 2008, Chouinard spent her first season leading a Division I softball program laying the groundwork for the future of Huskie softball while striving to return the program to its past success. The Huskies got off to a fast start last year, winning their first four games. As the season progressed, NIU and Chouinard suffered through some growing pains, eventually finishing with a 13-30 overall record and a 7-13 mark in conference play. While NIU didn't see the type of success it wanted in terms of wins and losses, the foundation was set.

The Fresno, Calif. native came to Northern Illinois after serving as an assistant coach for the DePaul Blue Demons from 2004-2007. As DePaul's pitching coach, Chouinard's expertise had an immediate impact as the Blue Demon pitching staff finished in the top 50 in team ERA every year of her tenure. Her 2007 pitching staff recorded an earned run average of 1.32 to rank sixth in the nation.

Chouinard produced two NCAA All-American pitchers in 2007 in Tracie Adix and Becca Heteniak. The coaching staff was honored as Mideast Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2005 and 2007 after leading DePaul to the Women's College World Series in both seasons. In 2007, the Blue Demons went 47-13 and finished fifth in the country, the second -best finish in school history.

As a student-athlete at DePaul, Chouinard was a four-year starting pitcher for one of the top teams in the nation. A two-year team captain, she led the Blue Demons to four Conference USA championships, four NCAA regional tournaments and a Women's College World Series appearance in 2000. The Blue Demons finished among the nation's top 20 from 2000-2003 with Chouinard on the mound, ranking seventh, 19th, 11th and ninth. In 2003, the Blue Demon pitching staff had the third lowest ERA (0.83) in the nation and in 2002, Chouinard ranked second individually in ERA with a 0.47 mark.

Chouinard was honored nationally as a three-time NCAA All-American, two-time NCAA Regional MVP and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American for her efforts on the field and in the classroom. She was a finalist for the National Player of the Year honor in 2003. In Conference USA, Chouinard was a four-time first-team all-conference honoree, Player of the Year in 2003 and Pitcher of the Year in 2002 and 2003. Chouinard holds 10 of the 13 DePaul pitching records, including career marks for wins with 108 and strikeouts with 858.

After Chouinard finished her collegiate career, she was the second overall pick by the Texas Thunder in the National Pro Fastpitch Softball League (NPFSL) 2003 draft. After helping the Thunder win the regular season championship in her first year, Chouinard then signed with the Chicago Bandits in 2005 where she was named to the league's all-star team after notching a 9-1 record for the regular season champions.

Chouinard graduated from DePaul in 2003 with a degree in finance and completed her MBA at DePaul with a finance concentration in May 2007.