Beth Keylon-Randolph, who led the Chattanooga State softball team to a national junior college title last season, is expected to leave the Tiger program to take a position as head coach at East Carolina University.
Steve Jaecks, Chattanooga State athletic director who has served as assistant softball coach, is expected to go along with her.
Chattanooga State officials said nothing was ready to be announced on the situation at this point.
East Carolina recently suspended and then fired its head softball coach, Tracey Kee, and associate head coach Natalie Koziowski on a variety of charges.
That left the East Carolina program scrambling to find replacement coaches for the upcoming season.
Keylon-Randolph has had a stellar career at Chattanooga State. Her accolades include:
- Named co-head coach of Team USA for the World University games in Thailand in 2007
- Recognized in 2007 by the NFCA as a member of the “Victory Blue Club” 532 for accumulated wins as the Tigers head coach
- Since 2002 she has won Region VII Tournament eight times
- Led Chattanooga State to top 20 national rankings for 11 straight years
She hired Jaecks as assistant softball coach, initially giving him the task of evaluating and assisting with all aspects of game management and strategy. Later he was given coaching responsibility to assist with player fundamental preparation, practice, recruitment, game operations, field upkeep and academic/career advisement.
As a premier fast pitch softball player, Coach Jaecks was known as an RBI machine. A 25-year veteran who played across the country, he earned the “Chattanooga Softball Player of the Year” award in 1986 while playing in Chattanooga out of the Dixie Major Fast Pitch League; a league in which Jaecks was a co-coach of a team that won 100 games in a row.Having earned numerous batting awards and MVP recognitions, Jaecks was a highly proficient defensive player excelling at catcher, 1st and 2nd base and all outfield positions.With an under graduate degree in Physical Education and a Masters degree in Education/Physical Education, he has taught at the university/college level for 31 years. His teaching experiences range from teaching fundamental skills in all sports, instructing students how to teach/coach and classroom theory presentations.