Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech head softball coach Pete D'Amour announced his first hire on Wednesday, with Kirin Kumar joining the staff as an assistant coach.
"The main thing I was looking for in an assistant was work ethic," D'Amour said. "Kirin is a worker. She has extensive recruiting ties along the east coast and that will help us right away. She is very knowledgeable about the game and has had experience working at winning programs in the past.
"I've known Kirin for over 10 years and she has always been someone I could go to for new ideas and get a different perspective on things. She'll have an immediate impact on our program."
No stranger to the league, Kumar comes to Blacksburg following a two-year stint at NC State, helping with hitting and being in charge of the team's defense. She brings a wealth of experience, entering her 14th year in the profession, and will help D'Amour's transition into the ACC.
"Pete is one of the best up and coming coaches in the nation," Kumar shared, "and I am honored he chose me to help Virginia Tech softball achieve the ultimate goal of getting back to the Women's College World Series and achieving more. I want to thank Pete for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of the Hokie family. Go Tech!"
Before her time in Raleigh, Kumar was an assistant coach at Tulsa. She previously served as an assistant on TU from 2006-10. She helped lead the Golden Hurricane to their first American Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2016, defeating a pair of ranked opponents to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Under her guidance, three Tulsa players were named to the 2016 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Central Region Team, four to the American Athletic All-Conference first-team, one player on the second-team and two on the all-rookie team. The Golden Hurricane posted the second-best batting average in the conference with a .289 clip and had the fewest strikeouts her final year in the Sooner State.
In 2015, Kumar helped Tulsa finish the year atop the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored and home runs in addition to several other categories. With her assistance, Julie Kernen set the single-season record for runs batted in with 59 and a total of six players hit .300 or better during the year.
Prior to rejoining the Tulsa softball program, she was an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech for a season, guiding the squad to a 13-3 record in its last 16 contests. From 2012-13, Kumar was the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at WKU.
She helped the Hilltoppers earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2013, highlighted by winning the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title. With her leadership, the Tops tallied the No. 1 defense in the league, improving the team fielding percentage from .940 to .985.
Kumar began her coaching career at Tulsa in 2005 and remained with the Golden Hurricane until 2010 before accepting a position at North Carolina. She led Tulsa to its first NCAA Regional in 2006 and to the program's first NCAA at-large bid in 2008.
Under her instruction, Lauren Lindsay became Tulsa's first All-American in 2010, compiling a batting average of .377 with 18 home runs, the most in a single season for the program.
The Santa Ana, California native played collegiately at Georgia Tech and was a four-year letterwinner for the Yellow Jackets. Kumar saw action in 251 games, which was the second most in program history when she graduated.
She compiled a batting average of .322 during her senior season and was selected to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 2005. Kumar was a part of Georgia Tech's first two ACC championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years.