JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Following a 14-season career as the head coach of North Florida softball, Marcie Higgs announced that she will be stepping down from the position, according to a statement on the University of North Flordia website.
Higgs' final day at North Florida will be June 10 as the veteran head coach moves into a new phase of her life and career with her family, the statement continued.
"I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing university and athletic department for the last 14 years," Higgs said. "The people I've met and relationships I've developed will stay with me forever. There are so many people who had a hand in developing these athletes in all aspects of their lives. Without them we, as coaches, cannot be successful."
"Thank you to Dr. Gropper and Kathy Klein for taking a chance on me all of those years ago. I will always be grateful to both of you for allowing me to have the chance to be a part of something so incredible. Thank you, Coach Moon, for being a great mentor and friend. Your investment into the softball program has allowed it to take that next step and become a prominent Division I program. Thank you, Nick Morrow, for your leadership and for providing the resources we need to be able to compete for championships each year."
The rest of the statement reads as follows:
Over 14 seasons at UNF, Higgs posted a .530 winning percentage, collecting 379 wins while seeing the Ospreys to the second-most victories by a head coach in program history. In 21 total years as a Division I softball head coach, Higgs saw her teams to 472 triumphs, fostering the growth and development of innumerable student-athletes along the way.
"We are so grateful for Marcie's commitment and dedication to UNF softball over the past 14 years," Director of Athletics Nick Morrow said. "Through her passion, hard work and great attitude, Coach Higgs has left a lasting legacy on the program. She has positively impacted so many student-athletes as well as fellow coaches and staff. Her presence on campus will be missed, but we are committed to building upon the incredible foundation she has laid at UNF."
The 21-year veteran as a Division I softball head coach is coming off one of the most successful seasons of her coaching career. This past year, Higgs and the Ospreys went 42-17, tying the North Florida Division I-era softball program single season wins record, previously set by Higgs' 2013 team that claimed the ASUN Championship Regular Season Title, according to the statement.
The Washingtonville, Pa., native stayed in the northeast for her collegiate playing career before getting her start in coaching. A versatile infielder, Higgs was a four-time all-conference honoree at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pa., hitting 26 home runs before getting her first coaching opportunity as an assistant at the University of Rhode Island.
Her first head coaching stop came at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Md. Higgs spent five seasons at Coppin State (2002-06), becoming the program's record holder for wins while taking home Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors. Higgs moved up to New England for a two-year stint leading the Vermont Catamounts, helping Vermont set a program America East Conference single season wins record before taking over at North Florida prior to the 2009 season.
Higgs was instrumental in establishing UNF at the Division I level, posting a 26-24 record in her first season at North Florida as the Ospreys concluded their final year in the Division I reclassification period. Starting off with a bang, Higgs and company knocked off the Big Ten's Minnesota, 6-5, for her first-career win in the Navy and Gray.
The 2013 ASUN Coach of the Year has had a knack for cultivating some of the conference and region's best student-athletes in the sport. Higgs has produced:
- 9 ASUN All-Academic Team honorees
- 14 ASUN All-Freshman selections
- 21 ASUN All-Conference picks
- 3 NFCA All-Region honorees
- 3 ASUN Scholar-Athletes of the Year (Navia Penrod (2018, 2019) and Ashley Goebel (2021)
- 1 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year (Kayla McGory, 2017)
- 1 ASUN Pitcher of the Year (Kaylie Wallace, 2013)
- 1 ASUN Freshman of the Year (Cortney Radke, 2011)
- 2 CoSIDA Academic All-District Selections (Kaylie Wallace, 2013 & Paige Pfent, 2022)
Under Higgs' tutelage, North Florida has won at least 20 games in every single season, including five 30-plus win campaigns and a pair of 42-win years. The 2022 season was one of the most memorable for Higgs and the Ospreys, with North Florida finishing 42-17 and 16-8 league play.
UNF's pitching staff was dominant in 2022, setting a program record for consecutive-scoreless innings pitched with 56, helping create a DI-era program-best 13-game winning streak. At season's end, UNF paced the league in ERA and shutouts, finishing in the top ten in the country in both categories.
Higgs helped UNF win 14 games against Power Five teams, defeating P5 foes from the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12. On two occasions doubleheader sweeps were achieved against Power Five programs, once against Michigan State and another against Georgia Tech.
During her time in Jacksonville, Higgs not only helped build up the program's on-field and in the classroom performance, but she oversaw some massive improvements to the UNF Softball Complex. The UNF Softball Complex is coming off hosting its first-ever ASUN Championship, in part thanks to the addition of a new ground-level press box, elevated stands, padded outfield walls, turf halo and Nevco video board.
Associate head coach Jeff Conrad will assume the role of interim head coach as a national search will be commenced to find the next head coach of North Florida softball.
More from Coach Higgs:
"Thank you to all of our amazing support staff for their selflessness and dedication to our athletes. From athletic training, strength and conditioning, facilities, media relations, marketing, development, academic support and compliance. Everyone has invested so much into the success of this program and had a hand in elevating it to the level it is at now.
Thank you to Glenn Ross and John Hayt for their unwavering support over the years. This program and our facilities would not be where they are at today without you.
Thank you to John and Gina for volunteering your time and for playing enormous roles in contributing to our team's success this season. I don't know how we would have survived without you. Thank you to Jeff and Cortney, who have given all they've had to this program and have become family in the process. The sacrifices you've made for the success of this program will never go unnoticed. I am so proud to have taken the field with you, sharing in all of the challenges that a season entails, while finishing it off with a 42-win season.
And finally, thank you to the student-athletes. You embraced the grind every single day. You have excelled in the classroom and on the field. You have been amazing ambassadors for this program. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives and your softball careers. It has been an honor to watch you grow as athletes and as people. I cannot wait to see where life takes you, but I know you will all be successful in whatever you choose."
