Former Softball Graduate Assistant Brooke Yarbrough has been promoted to Assistant Softball Coach and Head JV Coach announced earlier today by Head Softball Coach Terry Martin.
Yarbrough has been an integral part of the Lady Lion staff for four years as she completed two graduate assistant stints with PC earning a Master of Business Administration in 2014 and became a certified teacher in Early Childhood Education in 2016.
“We’re happy to have Coach Yarbrough remaining on staff and moving into this new role,” Head Softball Coach Terry Martin said. “She’s been an important part of our success over these last few years and her relationship with the athletes is important since she’s built a level of trust with them over her four years in Demorest. We’re happy to have her remain on staff as our assistant.”
Yarbrough joined the Piedmont softball program in the spring of 2013 and has helped the Lady Lions to an overall record of 123-47 (.724 winning percentage) including a 71-19 record (.789) in USA South play over her four years on staff. During her time in Demorest, Piedmont has claimed a USA South Tournament Championship (2014), three league regular season titles (2013, 2014, 2016), and a trio of NCAA National Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2016).
Yarbrough’s expertise comes in the circle as she works primarily with the Lady Lion pitching staff helping the Green and Gold stake its claim as one of the most dominant staffs across the USA South and possibly the region. The main starters in her time on staff have accounted for a USA South Pitcher of the Year award, two Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors, and three NFCA All-Region selections in the circle.
“I want to thank Coach Martin for putting his trust in me and giving me the opportunity to be the Assistant Coach here at Piedmont,” Yarbrough said. “Piedmont has felt like home to me since I became a graduate assistant in 2013. I have learned so much from Coach Martin throughout the years that has helped me grow as a coach and I am extremely grateful to be able to continue to be a part of this successful program.”
The 2016 season saw Piedmont finish with a 29-15 overall record and a 16-4 USA South record that handed the Green and Gold yet another Regular Season Championship. Yarbrough also continued her impressive work with the Piedmont pitching staff as the team’s top two starters were both named All-Conference selections with the Lady Lions placing seven on the listing including 1st Team honoree SARAH WALKERand USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Year MELISSA ECKMAN.
In each of Yarbrough’s seasons on staff, the Lady Lions have placed at least one pitcher on the All-Conference listing. In 2015, SARAH WALKERmade her first appearance on the all-conference listing posting the 3rd highest win total and the league’s 4th best ERA. The 2014 season was one for the record books as the Lady Lions went 43-8 including a 23-1 mark in USA South play that earned the Lady Lions a second straight regular season title. The Piedmont pitching staff played a major role in the season success ranking at the top in the USA South in ERA, total strikeouts, least walks given up, and least total runs allowed.
In her debut season with the Green and Gold during the spring of 2013, Yarbrough helped the Lady Lions to another 30-win season going 34-10 overall including a 19-3 mark in USA South play. That showing earned Piedmont a share of the conference regular season title in just its first season of USA South competition and started a tradition of success in a new league affiliation after years of dominance in the Great South Athletic Conference.
Yarbrough also helped mentor the league’s Rookie Player of the Year as well as Rookie Pitcher of the Year as the team put a trio of players on both the first and second team All-Conference lists. Those six honors were tied for the most such awards by any USA South member on the listing.
During the summers, Yarbrough has continued to gain elite coaching experience working as a pitching instructor with the University of Tennessee in nearby Knoxville serving on the camp coaching staff of the Lady Volunteers. She has also been working as a pitching instructor at various locations throughout the state of Georgia teaching the mechanics of the position to youth softball players across the region.
Coming to Piedmont from the great state of New Jersey, Yarbrough was a four-year All-Conference player for Georgian Court University, a Division II school and member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Yarbrough played in more than 200 games for the Lions, a mark that puts her in the top 5 all-time in program history, while getting it done for the Jersey school both on the mound and at the plate.
Not only feared for her arm as a pitcher for the Lions, Yarbrough was respected at the plate as well. A career .340 hitter with 169 RBIs to her name, Yarbrough accumulated over 600 at bats in her four years, 5th most of any Lion in the history of the program while she was also second all-time in RBIs (169), 5th in hits (207), 2nd in doubles (52) and also posted the second-highest single season RBI total with 63 in 2010.
Despite her success swinging the bat, Yarbrough made her name on the mound as she continues to do so as a coach. As a pitcher for Georgian Court, Yarbrough saw her best statistical season come as a senior for the Lions when she posted a campaign that ranks as one of the best in the Division II program’s history. Her 40 games as a starting pitcher, 46 appearances, and 283 hits allowed in 2012 are all single season bests while her 28 wins, 252.2 innings pitched, and 91 earned runs allowed are all 2nd in those respective single season categories.
For her career, Yarbrough was 44-27 on the mound making exactly 100 appearances (4th in program history) for the Lions tossing more than 470 innings. Her six saves over her four years is a program best while she ranks statistically in the top five of other categories including career games starting on the mound (5th with 65), hits allowed (2nd with 592), runs allowed (2nd with 298), and earned runs allowed (2nd with 221).
In Yarbrough’s four years with the Lions, Georgian Court posted an overall record of 144-81-2 as she accounted for 44 of her team’s wins as a pitcher during that time including 28 of her team’s 34 wins in 2012. Yarbrough’s team made an appearance in the conference tournament championship game in three of her four years on campus winning the CACC title in 2009 during just the program’s third-ever season with 40 plus wins.
Also taking a CACC regular season crown in 2010, Yarbrough’s Lions made two appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament during her career including the program’s first Super-Regional appearance (2009). Georgian Court fell just one win shy of advancing to the Division II World Series during that record breaking season as well.
Before starting for the Lions at Georgian Court, Yarbrough was a four-time All-Conference and two-time All-State softball player for Nazareth Area High School in her home state of Pennsylvania. During her sophomore season in 2006, Yarbrough led her team to a district championship before falling in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Tournament.
Yarbrough graduated from Georgian Court in May of 2012 with her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, Wellness, and Sports with a concentration in Coaching and minor in Sports Management. Having already earned her Master of Business Administration from Piedmont College in 2014, Yarbrough recently earned her teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education in December 2016.
Piedmont Lions Sports Information
