The Covenant softball program will be under new leadership in 2019 as director of athletics Tim Sceggel has announced the hiring of Aubrie (Brie) Carmack as the new head coach.
Carmack replaces Christine Engbers, who left the program recently to become the head coach at NCAA Division II member Lincoln (Mo.). Carmack is the fourth head coach in program history.
No stranger to Covenant, Carmack returns to Lookout Mountain where she served as an assistant coach in 2015. Since her one year stint with the Scots, Carmack has been an assistant at the NCAA Division I level with Bucknell and, most recently, Southeast Missouri State.
"I am very excited to return to Covenant College," Carmack said.
"The softball program has been moving in the right direction and I am enthusiastic for the future. I would like to thank Tim Sceggel, Dr. Brad Voyles, President Dr. J. Derek Halvorson and the Board of Trustees for this opportunity. God keeps bringing my journey back to Covenant and I am looking forward to seeing what he has in store."
"During Brie's tenure as an assistant coach I was consistently impressed with her work here," Sceggel said. "Now that she has grown in her softball knowledge at the Division I level over the past few years, I'm excited that she is returning to campus to use that knowledge and experience for the benefit of our student athletes, while most importantly using her gifts to invest in their spiritual and academic development."
Over the past two seasons at Southeast Missouri State, Carmack coached first base and worked with the outfielders. Carmack helped the Redhawks to a 33-20 season in 2018, the most victories for the Southeast program since 1998.
Carmack will inherit a squad at Covenant that has produced two of the best seasons in program history. Covenant is coming off a program-record 23 win season in 2018 and the team has accumulated 45 victories over the last two years, the best two-year stretch in program's 11-season history. Covenant has made back-to-back trips to the USA South Tournament and advanced into the winners' bracket for the first time during this year's event.
"Covenant provides a unique experience for each of its students and I plan to continue that experience on the softball field," added Carmack. "My goal as the head softball coach at Covenant is to establish a culture that allows each of my players to grow spiritually, academically, and athletically. I believe Covenant College provides an atmosphere where this vision will flourish not only off the field, but on the field."
Carmack began her coaching career as a student-assistant at her alma mater, Jacksonville University. The Dolphins captured both the regular season and tournament titles in the Atlantic Sun in 2011, while setting a program record for victories (44). Carmack then coached at Division I member Eastern Illinois for two seasons as a graduate assistant and helped the Panthers to a 2013 Ohio Valley Conference title and a 38-17 record in 2014.
After spending a season with Covenant, Carmack coached one season at Bucknell and then two at Southeast Missouri State.
Carmack played collegiately at Jacksonville University. Utilized mainly as a pinch-hitter in 2010, she saw action in 32 contests for the Dolphins, while off the field she also received Atlantic Sun All-Academic honors twice and NFCA All-Academic team accolades.
Carmack graduated in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. She is presently working on her master's degree in sports administration from Eastern Illinois.