UNLV SOFTBALL ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Kendall Fearn (2006-10), Associate Coach, Indiana Softball

When asked to reflect on her experience at UNLV, the answer was simple for former Rebel standout infielder and current Indiana softball associate head coach Kendall Fearn (2006-10).

"It was life-changing."

Fearn spent more time with the program than most - five years as a student-athlete, one as a volunteer assistant and two as an assistant - so it is no surprise the impact runs deep. The Carlsbad, California native came to UNLV in 2006 to play for then-head coach Lonni Alameda, who is currently in her 13th season as head coach at Florida State, where she is a five-time ACC Coach of the Year and led the Seminoles to a 2018 National Championship. When Fearn arrived, the 2005 squad had just made the NCAA tournament and she was determined to help the Rebels return to the postseason. And that's exactly what she did.

In 2009, the junior was the cornerstone of a Rebel squad that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, competing in the Los Angeles Regional. While UNLV was eliminated in heartbreaking fashion with a 3-1 loss to Long Beach State in 13 innings, Fearn still cites that as one of her favorite UNLV memories (more on that later).

Just as UNLV had an impact on Fearn, she left her own on the program as her career still stands as one of the best in the long and storied history of UNLV softball. The infielder started 227 of the 228 games she played, earning Mountain West All-Conference honors twice. Her 142 RBI rank fourth all time, 34 home runs rank fifth, 40 doubles rank seventh, 330 total bases rank fifth, .528 slugging percentage ranks ninth and her 91 walks rank fourth all time. She finished her career with a .298 batting average and 186 hits, 75 of which went for extra-bases. Fearn was also impressive in the classroom as she was a three-time academic all-conference member and was named a scholar-athlete once.

Like those alums before her who pursued coaching in their post-playing careers - last week's spotlight Melissa Inouye, Fresno State head coach Linda Garza and Boise State head coach Maggie Huffaker (Livreri) - the opportunity to stay at UNLV to start that journey was a no-brainer. For Fearn, it was "a natural fit."

"It was definitely full circle and I'm really thankful that I was able to jump into the coaching world at my alma mater where I knew the student-athlete experience and I could really recruit very confidently to Las Vegas. So it was a great fit for a first job in coaching."

After two seasons as an assistant with the Rebels, Fearn went on to coach one year at Georgia Southern, where the Eagles won the 2013 Southern Conference Tournament and advanced to NCAA Regionals. After her stay in Statesboro, Fearn moved on to Marshall, linking up with current Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton and fellow Indiana associate coach Chanda Bell. The trio led the Thundering Herd for four seasons before arriving in Bloomington, where they are in their fourth season on the Hoosier staff and eighth year together overall. Indiana has seen tremendous success under the group in a short period of time, including a program-best 14-0 start and a 36-21 record overall that included two wins over top-10 opponents in 2019.

Fearn doesn't know what her path would have looked like had she not come to UNLV, but what she does know is that her positive experiences as a student-athlete at UNLV and in the softball program propelled her to where she is today and continues to inspire her as a coach.

"I think without the mentors that I had, in the coaches that I had, whether head coach or assistant coach - I don't know where I'd be. I think that I'm in coaching because of the way that impacted me. I want to make a difference in the student-athletes' lives that I get to coach now just like they did for me."

Read more below from UNLVRebels.com's conversation with Fearn about choosing UNLV, her experiences here a student-athlete and coach, her career aspirations and her favorite Rebel memories.

Why did you choose to come to UNLV?
I wanted to go to UNLV because I wanted to be a part of changing a program. There was a rich history in the 90s (of going to the Women's College World Series) and I wanted to be a part of that culture that brought UNLV back to postseason. In 2005 they went to the tournament and 2006 was my freshman year, so the recruiting process was really about getting back to the postseason. I think the coaching staff with Lonni (Alameda), Sarah Pickering and Angel Santiago was a huge part of what drew me there and the ability to compete and play in Las Vegas and host some of the best talent in the country was part of it too. And being able to play close to home was huge too.

When you look back on your experience at UNLV how would you sum it up?
It was full of opportunities and actually the best five years of my life because I had a redshirt year too. But it was life changing. Because I came in as a freshman and definitely left as a completely different person. The opportunities were huge, I was able to get two degrees, a bachelor's in psychology and a master's in sport administration. I was also afforded the opportunity to be a graduate assistant in the Rebel Athletic Fund and internships with the ADs office and marketing department, so it was definitely a great experience in that way. On the field, reaching the postseason stands out. But really just all of the experiences you get being a student-athlete, I was really treated well at UNLV, we had so many opportunities to really enjoy the experience and time with our teammates. So I wouldn't go back and trade it for anything.

Did you always want to be a coach or did that develop while you were at UNLV? Was there someone specific that inspired you?
There wasn't a day that I didn't enjoy my time at the softball field, so it was definitely a natural fit for me. But again, going back to the opportunities I got at UNLV - I started my coaching career, first a volunteer coach and then I got hired as a full-time assistant the following year, so without that who's to say where my coaching career would have started. As a player I went through two coaching staffs, but Lonni (Alameda) is my biggest mentor and I think I'm still coaching because of the way she impacted me. I didn't coach under her, but when I was a player she expanded my mind to this game is so big and there's so much to learn. Really being a lifelong learner of softball and being able to absorb different ways of doing things from teammates, other coaches, even just other sports and just watching and absorbing all the information. She taught me the importance of growing my knowledge of the game and appreciating the process that it takes to have that growth. Whenever adversity would strike, whether it be an injury, or you know, the game didn't go the way that you wanted it to, that there's always something to learn and there's always something to grow. And I think that's the challenge, whenever adversity hits, I know how to see the positive in a negative situation, so that's huge as a coach. Sometimes you get bad news, especially with this year of COVID, so the handling the adversity part is big. Lonni taught us that we won't break, there's always room to grow and learn. The game teaches us so much and she has a very unique and special way of being able to communicate that to players and celebrate that adversity.

What did you learn from your experience here that has helped you be successful as a coach?
That's a great question. I think what I learned through my experience of playing at UNLV was just the preparation that it takes, the hard work that it takes day in day out. The big picture of it, that is it is a wonderful game and celebrating that wonderful game. So I think now as a coach, you know, if a player were to answer this question, it would be that I bring a lot of fun to the game and just to our group in general. So I think that's who I was as a player. Being able to have that type of platform and be able to play comfortably and play with passion was definitely a huge translator into coaching. So without that great experience, who knows, I could have gone down a separate direction, but just the positive experience that I had as a student-athlete really blossomed the game for me as a coach and playing for coaches who love the game as well and competed and expected to win. It's how I coach now, expecting to compete and win on the field, but also in life, seeing the bigger pictures and how the game of softball translates to just more than wins and losses on the field. 

Do you have aspirations of leading your own program one day?
Yeah, that is a goal for me, I do want to be a head coach. This is my eighth year, currently, with our staff - myself, Shonda and Chanda - we spent time together at Marshall for four years, went to postseason, and turned that program into a top 25 school. Now we're in Indiana where we feel like it's a sleeping giant, and we're ready to take on the Big 10. Going into year four, we're really excited about the culture that we have. With this staff, our values are so tightly knit, we know each other so well, this is a great place to be with like-minded, strong, confident women, so it's just a great environment for me as a coach. So I'm just putting my head down and going to work and while I've got goals I'm focused on being here and on one thing at a time.

Coach Fox has really elevated the program since she took over in 2018, as an alum does that make you excited to see the level they've been playing at the last few years?
What Coach Fox and her staff have done with the program makes me really proud. When I was at UNLV there was so much pride in what we did and what we were trying to achieve and to see that tradition of excellence continue the way that it is and the leader that she's been during her time there makes me very proud as an alumni. I think you are seeing that expect victory and expect to win a conference championship attitude back in the program. They are getting it done in the circle and on defense - nationally ranked on defense, and offensively a very strong lineup so it really does make me feel very proud. I anticipate them playing for a conference championship - it's going to happen. It's a great place with a storied tradition and I expect to see that's where this program continues to go.

Favorite memory/memories from your time here?
As a player of my favorite off the field moment was in 2009 when we were watching the selection show as a team out on a teammate's house boat at Lake Mead. We were right there on the bubble, and we were good and knew we deserved a spot in the tournament, but when you're on the bubble and you are fighting for an at-large bid, anything can happen. So it came down to the last region, the UCLA Regional in Los Angeles came up on the board, and we were on there as one of the last four teams of the field of 64. We were so excited, we went to the top level of the houseboat and jumped off and we were just screaming and celebrating. Everyone was so excited and we were ready to get back to practice and get to work.

As a player on the field, my most memorable moment would have been at that regional when we were playing Long Beach State, we went into extra innings. We were the visiting team and it was I'm not sure it might have been the 10th inning, but it was late in the game and my roommate, Jaci Hull was on first, I was up to bat and I hit a shot over the left field scoreboard and ran all the way around the bases. We were excited, ready to get three outs and lock this thing down, but Jaci got called out for leaving early so we were all in the dugout and then I had to come back up to the plate and continue my bat. But the adrenaline, the excitement of just being in that game, the back and forth, amazing plays, clutch hits, big pitches, it was just it was a great moment. We had worked so hard to get to postseason and to be able to have that kind of game that went so long was just very exciting. Because at the end of the day, it's that little yellow ball and being able to extend the game to 13 innings. Although it didn't end in our favor, it was a great fight and I'm very proud of that fight we had. 

The current Rebels are back in action this weekend hosting their final home non-conference tournament, the Boyd Gaming Classic, March 5-7, at Eller Media Stadium.