(LEBANON, Ill., July 17)—McKendree University softball coach Ashley Fleming announced on Wednesday that Abi Corbett has been hired to serve as the Bearcats' graduate assistant coach.
 
Corbett, who was a standout player during a four-year career at Missouri Southern State University, comes to McKendree after spending the 2019 season as the interim head softball coach at St. Charles Community College. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach in the St. Louis metro area at Clayton High School.
 
"We are excited to have Abi on our staff," said Fleming. "She had a great career at Missouri Southern, and her passion for the game really shows. I am looking forward to working with her and seeing the positive impact she will make on our student-athletes."
 
A starter in all 216 games of her college career, Corbett made her mark on the Missouri Southern softball record book. She finished her playing days as the Lions' all-time leader in at-bats (741), hits (270) and stolen bases (107). Corbett also holds the program's single-season marks with 216 at-bats, 96 hits and 56 runs scored. She was a three-time All-Conference honoree in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), including first-team accolades as a junior and senior. Corbett went on to receive second-team All-Region honors from the D2 Conference Commissioners' Association (D2CCA) and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as a junior in 2017 after batting .444 with 96 hits, 56 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.
 
In the classroom, Corbett was equally as impressive. She was a two-time Academic All-America selection, which included first-team mention following her senior year in 2018. Corbett collected MIAA academic mention three times during her Missouri Southern career as well.
 
"I am really excited to become a part of McKendree's competitive and growing softball program," said Corbett. "I have the opportunity to learn from and work with two of the most experienced and talented women in the sport. I am so happy to be back at the (NCAA) Division II level and the incredibly competitive Great Lakes Valley Conference."
 
Prior to her days at Missouri Southern, Corbett starred at Holt High School in Wentzville, Mo. There, she was a three-year starter for the Indians, splitting time between the infield and outfield. Corbett was a four-time All-Conference recipient at Holt.
 
Corbett joins a McKendree program that has averaged nearly 29 victories a season over the past four years. The Bearcats earned their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2018, when the team went 38-18 overall and collected a school-record 20 wins in GLVC play.