Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton College Athletics Director Julie Davis has announced the hiring of Ellen Radandt-Stremler as the head coach of the Thunder softball program. Radandt-Stremler replaces Katie East, who announced her resignation in June after five seasons at the helm of the Wheaton softball program.

Davis says of the appointment, "I am excited to welcome Ellen Radandt-Stremler to our staff." Davis continues, "I believe the program will continue to be strengthened and built under Ellen's leadership. She has a passion for the game, understands the power of being on a team, and values the opportunity to develop faith as part of the competitive environment."

Radandt-Stremler earned her Bachelor's Degree in Business/Economics from Wheaton in 2015. Following her graduation she worked towards her Master's Degree in Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton in 2016, while completing her final season with the Thunder softball team.

She served as an assistant softball coach at Hope College in 2016-17. She served in a variety of roles as an assistant at Hope, including working with the Flying Dutch hitters. Hope posted a 27-15 record in 2017, earning a NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the third day at the UW-Whitewater Regional.

 

Radandt-Stremler was a two-time All-CCIW selection during her Wheaton playing career. She earned First Team All-CCIW honors in 2015 and Second Team recognition in 2016. In four seasons (2012-13; 2015-16) at Wheaton, she posted a .264 (92-for-348) batting average. Her 14 career home runs ranks fourth in school history, she is 11^th in RBI (72) and 13^th in doubles (22).

As a junior in 2015, Radandt-Stremler hit .323 (41-for-127), with six doubles and drove in 32 runs. Her eight home runs that season tied for the second-highest single-season total in school history. She hit a home run in three consecutive games during a stretch of the 2015 season (April 23-25) for a mark that tied for the fifth-longest streak of consecutive games with a home run in NCAA Division III history.

Radandt-Stremler started every game for Wheaton's 2016 team that established a new school record with 32 victories, won the program's first CCIW Softball Tournament title and earned Wheaton's first NCAA Division III Tournament selection in softball. She hit six home runs for the Thunder in 2016 and her 33 RBI that season ranks ninth in school history. Her 13 doubles in 2016 is sixth in Wheaton's single-season record books.

Radandt-Stremler says of her hiring, "I am really excited to build on what has been accomplished in Wheaton softball in the past five years and look to expand on where the program can go in the upcoming seasons." She concludes, "The opportunity to coach at your alma mater is very exciting and I look forward to building on the progress that we made in recent years."