June 26, 2003

LAS VEGAS - Former Stanford associate head coach Lonni Alameda has been named the new head coach of the UNLV softball program, interim athletics director Fred Albrecht announced Thursday.

Alameda comes to Las Vegas after spending eight seasons at Stanford where she helped guide the Cardinal to a 320-179-1 record and six straight NCAA Regional appearances. She oversaw the pitching staff there and produced three All-Americans.

"I am so excited to be here," Alameda said at a press conference announcing her hiring. "This is an amazing opportunity. My plans for this program are pretty simple: it has won before, we can win, we will win and we are ready to win. Everyone I have met with here just glows UNLV, which makes me feel great to be here. The Las Vegas community is ready to embrace this softball program and that is exciting. There is a lot I have to do, start recruiting, meet with my team, hire my staff, but I am going to jump in with both feet forward and I am ready."

In addition to her duties as the Cardinal's pitching coach, Alameda was responsible for recruiting, fundraising, equipment management, team travel and summer camps. She also spent some time on the international stage, serving as an assistant coach for both the Aruba (1995) and Spanish (2000) National Teams.

Prior to her stint at Stanford, Alameda spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Barry University in Florida. She helped the Buccaneers to a fifth-place Division II finish in her first year.

"Lonnie has a wealth of experience and we are very excited to have her on board," UNLV Associate Athletics Director Jerry Koloskie said. "She represents a new beginning for our softball program, and we are thrilled about the things that lie ahead."

"I am absolutely delighted to present Lonni to the Las Vegas community," UNLV President Dr. Carol Harter added. "At Stanford, she was involved in a vast number of areas in her role as associate head coach. She comes from a program that won two-thirds of its games, so she knows how to win, which is very important. She also comes from one of the top academic institutions in the country and knows how to graduate student-athletes, which is also very important as we move forward."

An all-around great athlete, Alameda began her collegiate career as a pitcher at St. Mary's University in San Antonio where she led the Rattlers to the NAIA Tournament in her only season there.

In 1989, Alameda transferred to Oklahoma where she played both volleyball and softball for the Sooners. She twice earned All-Big Eight accolades as a first and third baseman and hit .359 as a senior in 1992.

After earning her bachelor's degree in communications in 1993, Alameda played softball professionally in Europe for one season before accepting a coaching position at Barry.

A 1988 graduate of Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif., Alameda is single.