Wolverines Add Dennison, Wagner to Staff
9/4/2018 4:22:00 PM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan softball head coach Carol Hutchins announced Tuesday (Sept. 4) the addition of Mary Beth Dennison and Haylie Wagner to the Wolverine staff. Dennison, who brings four seasons of collegiate coaching experience, will serve as U-M's volunteer coach, while Wagner -- a two-time All-American at Michigan -- will be the graduate manager.
"We are really pleased to bring both Mary Beth and Haylie to Ann Arbor," said Hutchins. "Mary Beth has a great resume with a vast amount of softball coaching experience. She's going to add a lot. She's gung-ho and excited, and we are in turn very excited about her. We're also thrilled to bring back Haylie. She had a great career for us. She's taking a step toward the coaching ranks with this position, and she will again be an integral part of our program."
Dennison comes to Michigan after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia College (2016-18), where she primarily worked with the Bobcats' pitchers, catchers and outfielders. Georgia College qualified for an NCAA Division II Regional last season after posting a 36-15 record and a second-place finish in the Peach Belt Conference. Dennison also spent two seasons at East Georgia State College (2014-16), including one as head coach, and worked as an assistant coach at three different Georgia high schools. In 2014, she helped guide Pinewood Christian Academy to a Georgia state title.
A right-handed pitcher, Dennison played two seasons for Middle Georgia College before finishing her bachelor's in sports management at Georgia Southern in 2011. She added a master's in higher education administration in 2014.
Wagner was a standout as a left-handed pitcher during her Michigan career (2012-15), earning NFCA All-America honors in each of her last two seasons. She was named the 2012 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year and was a four-time All-Big Ten honoree, twice earning first team recognition (2012, '15). She posted a 100-18 career record with a 1.82 earned-run average and 518 strikeouts. She was named to the 2015 NCAA Tournament team after boasting a 3-1 record and 1.27 ERA at the Women's College World Series, earning wins over UCLA and LSU before posting a 1-0 shutout over No. 1 Florida in the second game of the WCWS championship series.
She recently completed her second season with the Chicago Bandits and fourth overall in the National Pro Fastpitch league. Over her two seasons with Chicago, she has posted a 17-7 record with four saves.
