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"From the first moment I stepped on campus, St. Ambrose felt like home to me," Kelly said. "The rich tradition of SAU, its commitment to academic excellence and innovation, along with a holistic and compassionate approach to education as a Catholic institution, create an exceptional environment to both coach at and recruit to. I look forward to continuing to build the softball program to national prominence with elite student-athletes of the highest character and academic dedication."

Prior to taking the job at St. Ambrose, Kelly served as head coach at Cloud County Community College in Kansas in 2022, and as head coach at NAIA member Ave Maria University in Florida from 2017-2021, where he led the Gyrenes to 81 victories in four seasons (including a 61-34 record in non-conference games), while setting numerous program records during his tenure.

At Ave Maria, Kelly coached nine All-Sun Conference selections, six NFCA All-Region selections, five NAIA Academic All-Americans and the 2021 NFCA Golden Shoe Award Recipient (given to the most outstanding base stealer from an NFCA member institution) in Kalie Romig, who stole 54 bases to lead all players at the four-year level that year.

Kelly's best season at the helm of the Gyrenes came in the 2020 COVID-shortened season as Ave Maria posted a program-best 14-game winning streak, starting the season 16-3 before finishing the abbreviated year with a 19-5 overall record. The .792 winning percentage set a program record as the Gyrenes posted a 4-2 record against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes. For the season, Ave Maria outscored opponents 175-76. In 2021, Ave Maria received votes for the NAIA Top 25 while starting the season 14-4.

Kelly was previously an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Georgia Tech in 2016-2017. While at Georgia Tech, he was responsible for hitting, outfield, base running and mental game instruction as well as in-game defensive positioning.

Prior to his time at Georgia Tech, Kelly coached seven seasons with national travel softball powerhouse The Next Level (TNL) in San Diego and two seasons as head coach at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, winning a CIF State Championship in 2015 while compiling a 43-22 overall record.

Kelly is a well-known mental game expert having authored several books and audio programs on the mental game of sports, including "How She Thinks is How She Plays," and has worked with hundreds of athletes and teams at all levels from coast to coast on improving performance through mental game mastery.

Kelly played collegiate baseball at the Division 1 level as a pitcher and outfielder at the University of San Diego, graduating from USD with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. He earned a Master's of Education in Counseling Psychology, Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership from the University of Missouri in 2020. John has one daughter, Savannah, who lives and works in Switzerland.