Mandi Balduf enters her third season as head coach at Chowan University after coming off a very successful 30-23 overall record in 2009. In only her second season with the Hawks, Balduf was named the National Christian College Athletic Association's South Region Softball Coach of the Year. She guided her team to a 2009 NCCAA South Region Championship, the program's second title since 2005. The 30-win season is the highest win total for softball since the program transitioned to DII status.
The 2009 season also produced four NCCAA All-Americans, two NCCAA Academic All-Americans, four spots on the NCCAA All-South Region Team, with one of those players being named ot the NCCAA National All-Tournament Team and the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association's All-State Team.
Balduf kicked off her first season as head coach in 2008, compiling a 22-30 overall record. The Hawks also proved they could excel in the classroom. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced Chowan University as the 10th ranked All-Academic Team in all NCAA DII softball after completing the season with a 3.380 team grade point average (07-08).
Balduf has also been an assistant at several successful programs, most notably at Tiffin University. Balduf was hired by Tiffin University in August of 2004 where she helped the Dragons to three consecutive American Mideast Conference North Titles and two consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances. In 2006 the Dragons posted a 57-11 record while also winning the Region IX Championship of the NAIA tournament. This past season the Dragons finished 37-11 and 20th in the NAIA national rankings. They also defended their 2006 Region IX NAIA title. Along with her coaching duties at Tiffin, Balduf also served as a Graduate Admissions Representative and worked to receive her M.B.A.
Prior to being hired at Tiffin, Balduf served as a graduate assistant softball coach for the University of South Dakota program. Balduf spent one season at USD where she helped manage all aspects of the on the field coaching under the direction of the head coach.
Balduf graduated from Tiffin University in 2002 with a B.A. in Sport Management. At Tiffin she was a four-year starter for the softball team and helped the Dragons to a 2002 AMC Conference Championship. She was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American while at Tiffin. After graduation from Tiffin, Balduf moved to Kentucky where she went to work as a volunteer in the AmeriCorp: Athletes in Service program. She spent over 1,700 hours working with the inner-city youth of Lexington while also volunteering as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky.
Balduf is a native of Ohio and grew up in the Toledo area. She graduated from Tiffin in 2002 with a B.A. in Sport Management. She worked to earn graduate hours in Athletic Administration while at USD and completed her M.B.A. at Tiffin in 2006. Balduf is an active member of the NFCA and works camps across the country.
