Lori Schimmel, who servers as both Thiel College’s head softball coach and director of compliance and eligibility enters her third season as head softball coach in 2017-18.
In 2017, Schimmel took Thiel to the 2017 PAC Softball Championship Tournament for the first time since 2012 and placed third overall.
During Schimmel's time at Thiel 10 Tomcats have been named to All-PAC Teams.
Schimmel served as head softball coach at The College of Wooster since 1998. She re-established the Fighting Scots’ softball program and built the team into a consistent top-tier team in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).
In 16 seasons at the helm of the Fighting Scots, from 2000-2015, Schimmel’s teams won 249 games and finished in the top three in the NCAC four times. Under her direction, the Fighting Scots advanced to the championship game of the NCAC Tournament and went 20-19 overall in 2001. The following season, Wooster went 20-16 and placed second in the NCAC.
Schimmel coached 30 all-conference players during her tenure at Wooster. Her players also garnered two Pitcher of the Year and two Newcomer of the Year awards. She was named the NCAC Co-Coach of the Year in 2005 after her team earned its third NCAC Tournament berth. Schimmel’s 2012 team, which again qualified for the NCAC Tournament, racked up a program-record 25 wins.
Since 2010, in addition to her coaching responsibilities, Schimmel also served Wooster’s department of athletics in information technology and Front Rush liaison roles. She also served as Wooster’s department of athletics video coordinator from 2007-2015 and as assistant women’s basketball coach from 1998-2004.
Prior to her time at Wooster, Schimmel was a softball and girls basketball coach at Vincentian Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa., her hometown. She also served as the assistant women’s basketball coach at La Roche College for one season.
Schimmel is no stranger to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC). She graduated from Bethany College in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. A four-time All-PAC First Team selection with the Bison, she was also the conference’s Pitcher of the Year in 1991. She helped the Bison win consecutive PAC titles (1991-1992), and her 1.17 career ERA is the second-best in the history of Bethany’s softball program. Schimmel was inducted into Bethany’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
