Ashleigh McLean

Ashleigh McLean was named head coach of the UWF softball program in May 2018, after four years as an assistant with the team.

UWF made the GSC Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, adding 13 wins to McLean's ledger of 75 total wins in 99 games for a winning percentage of .758, the second highest mark of any Gulf South Conference team since 2019. McLean also won the 150th game of her career on April 6th against West Georgia.

Hannah Harper became the first Argo since Teala Howard in 2019 to earn a first-team All-GSC and first-team All-South Region nod, as she led the team in batting average, hits, runs and on-base percentage. Erin Moon continued her upward trajectory as she was a first-team All-GSC selection, becoming the first UWF catcher on the first team in 18 seasons.

McLean and the Argonauts had another 30-win season in 2022, marking the program's sixth in the last six full seasons. Teala Howard was again an All-American and All-South Region selection, while also earning South Region Player of the Year (D2CCA) and GSC Player of the Year honors. Kelsey Sweatt was an all-region and first team All-GSC selection for a third time, while Erin Moon, Madelyn Vasquez, and Montana Young earned All-GSC accolades for the first time in their careers.

The 2022 season saw Howard and Sweatt wrap up their careers in the Blue and Green, along with another impressive offensive season for the Argos. Howard finished her career ranking in the top 10 in program history in batting average, hits, runs, stolen bases, total bases, and triples. Sweatt now ranks in the top 10 in UWF history in strikeouts, K/7, H/7, wins, no-hitters, and innings pitched. The team hit 43 home runs, which is the fourth-most in program history and marks the first time that UWF has had 40+ home runs in consecutive seasons.

After a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, the 2021 season provided more accolades and excitement for McLean and the Argonauts. With a 33-16 record, McLean lead UWF to its fifth season with 30 or more wins in the last five full years, and the 2021 squad set program records in slugging percentage (.494) and home runs (51). Teala Howard earned All-American status from the NFCA and D2CCA again, while she, Courtney McLellan, Ally Merrill, Jacquelynne Poling, Kelsey Sweatt, and Kara Wilson each picked All-Region honors.

McLean also earned her 100th career win during the 2021 season, on May 1 against Lee. Her 104-36 record through three seasons gives her a .743 career winning percentage -- better than any other current coach in the GSC through their first three seasons at their respective schools. The offense took another step forward in the 2021 season, setting program records in home runs (51) and slugging percentage (.494).

It's tough to imagine a better possible start for the Argonauts during McLean's first year as head coach, as she led the team to a Gulf South Conference Championship, a South Region Title, and a trip to the NCAA Championship in Denver. The team also spent four weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, on the way to earning the 1-seed in the South Region.

Awards flowed in for McLean and UWF, as Rhiannon Sassman, Teala Howard, and Kelsey Sweatt were each named All-Americans. Sassman was also the D2CCA South Region Player of the Year and the GSC Player of the Year, Howard was named the GSC Freshman of the Year, and Sweatt earned D2CCA South Region Pitcher of the Year honors, while McLean was named the GSC Coach of the Year -- her first such award and UWF's sixth.

West Florida finished the year at 54-11, and the team set the program record for fielding percentage (.977) and improved its record by 16.5 games. West Florida set several high-water marks this year, in many respects having the program's best season in over a decade. The team's 54 wins are the most for the program since 2005, their 1.80 ERA is the best since 2006, and their 5.6 runs per game were the most since 2010.

In her final three years as an assistant from 2016-18, the UWF pitching staff ranked in the top three in the Gulf South Conference in ERA (2.72), shutouts (32), opponent batting average (.241), strikeouts (822) and wins (119), and Argonaut pitchers earned nine All-GSC or All-South Region awards.

In McLean's first season as a full-time assistant coach in 2016, her efforts led the UWF pitching staff to a 2.50 ERA and a .238 batting average against -- a major improvement from the team's 3.57 ERA and .264 batting average in 2015. The staff improved even more on the way to the program's 2017 trip to the NCAA Championships in Salem, Virginia, posting a 2.49 ERA and .231 batting average against while recording a Gulf South Conference-best 15 shutouts.

UWF ranked second in the GSC in opponent batting average (.257), third in shutouts (7), and fourth in ERA (3.23) and strikeouts (227) under McLean in 2018, on the way to another 30-win season.

McLean first joined the UWF coaching staff after spending two-years as a pitcher for the Argonauts softball program in 2011 and 2012. She started 39 games for the Argos in the circle and over 30 games in right field being a key utility player for West Florida and was listed as one of the GSC's top newcomers in 2011. Before attending West Florida, McLean played softball at North Central Texas College and McLennan CC during her freshman and sophomore seasons and earned first team all-conference honors while at McLennan.

Originally from McKinney, Texas, McLean is the daughter of Kevin McLean and Sandy Ring and earned both her bachelor's degree and masters degree in Physical Education from UWF.

UWF Pitching Awards During McLean's Tenure

• Kelsey Sweatt, NFCA Third Team All-American (2019)
• Kelsey Sweatt, D2CCA Honorable Mention All-America (2019)
• Kelsey Sweatt, D2CCA South Region Pitcher of the Year (2019)
• Kelsey Sweatt, D2CCA First Team All-South Region (2019)
• Kelsey Sweatt, NFCA First Team All-South Region (2019)
• Becca Taylor, NFCA First Team All-South Region (2017)
• Kalyn Chapman, NFCA First Team All-South Region (2016)
• Becca Taylor, D2CCA First Team All-South Region (2017)
• Kelsey Sweatt, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region (2022)
• Kelsey Sweatt, NFCA Second Team All-South Region (2021)
• Kelsey Sweatt, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region (2021)
• Kalyn Chapman, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region (2016)
• Sarah Maloney, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region (2017)
• Kelsey Sweatt, First Team All-GSC (2022)
• Kelsey Sweatt, First Team All-GSC (2019)
• Grace Gilbert, First Team All-GSC (2019)
• Becca Taylor, First Team All-GSC (2017)
• Montana Young, Second Team All-GSC (2022)
• Kelsey Sweatt, Second Team All-GSC (2021)
• Kalyn Chapman, Second Team All-GSC (2016)
• Sarah Maloney, Second Team All-GSC (2018)

Milestone Wins

• #1: February 1, 2019, vs. #5 Saint Leo (Gulf Shores, Ala.)
• #100: May 1, 2021, vs. Lee (Pensacola, Fla.)