St. John's University Athletics
Alyssa Tiumalu Named New Assistant Softball Coach
9/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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QUEENS, N.Y. -- St. John's Softball Head Coach Amy Kvilhaug has announced the hiring of Alyssa Tiumalu as the new assistant coach for the 2016-17 softball team where she will work primarily with the infield and catchers.
"I am really excited to announce the addition of Alyssa Tiumalu as our new assistant coach," said Kvilhaug. "Her background and experience will no doubt be a valuable asset to the program. Alyssa hails from the west coast and played softball at UCLA, one of the most storied programs in NCAA history."
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2014 following four seasons with the Bruins, Tiumalu served as an assistant at Canyon View High School during the 2015 spring season before joining Southern Utah University. As a volunteer assistant with the Thunderbirds, she worked mostly with the pitchers and catchers to improve pitch-call effectiveness.
The Indio, Calif., native is no stranger to winning as she appeared in an NCAA Tournament each of her four years at UCLA, including a Super Regional appearance during a senior season where she started 52 games and recorded six home runs and 24 RBIs.
As a player, Tiumalu was named to the All-PAC-10 Freshman Team in 2011 after finishing fourth on the squad with nine home runs and a .556 slugging percentage to go with a .302 batting average and an impressive .993 fielding percentage.
Tiumalu started 151 games during her four-year career, serving several roles for the Bruins that included stints at catcher, outfield, designated player, first base, third base and right field. Overall, she hit 18 dingers, scored 49 times and drove in 64 runs.
"Her expertise is catching and infield, and she expects to fill that role here at SJU," Kvilhaug added. "She is passionate about coaching and is truly eager to join the Red Storm softball program."
St. John's is coming off of three-straight BIG EAST Championship appearances, including the program's first-ever conference title in 2015.