Michigan State University Softball

Sharonda McDonald-Kelley was named the head coach at Michigan State in June of 2022 and the 2026 season will be her fourth as the mentor for the Spartan softball program. Under McDonald-Kelley’s guidance, the Spartans have produced 23 different top-10 single-game offensive or pitching performances, and another four single-season top-15 efforts in her three seasons. In addition, 31 athletes have earned Academic All-Big Ten kudos, and 10 have captured Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. In the last two years, three athletes have earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honors: both Hannah Hawley (First Team) and Britain Beshears (Second Team) in 2024, and Kaelin Cash (Second Team) in 2025. The Spartans have produced a 50-89 overall record over the last three seasons, and she owns a seven-year head coaching record of 152-172. McDonald-Kelley guided Campbell to a 101-81 record over her four seasons, winning Big South tournament titles with the Camels in 2021 and 2022. McDonald-Kelley’s teams went 50-19 in Big South play and advanced to NCAA Regionals in each of her final last two campaigns, marking two of the five times a Campbell team reached the NCAA Tournament since 1986. In 2021, McDonald-Kelley was named Big South Coach of the Year after her team won both the Big South regular season and tournament titles. In four seasons at Campbell, McDonald-Kelley coached 15 All-Big South honorees, including s

Bethaney Wells enters her third season as the hitting coach for Michigan State’s softball program in 2026. Over the last two seasons, Wells has helped mentor...

Casey Akenberger is in her seventh year as a full-time strength coach at Michigan State. Akenberger was promoted to Director of Athletic Performance in July 2023 and continues to work directly with volleyball, softball and men's golf. Akenberger began her career at Michigan State in 2018 as a professional intern before being elevated to an assistant coach in 2019. Since 2021 she's had direct responsibility for volleyball, softball and men's golf and developed the athletic performance internship program implemented in 2022. Previously she worked with women's soccer and the women's swimming & diving programs. Prior to her arrival at MSU, Akenberger was a graduate assistant at Eastern Illinois in charge of volleyball, women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, and men's and women's tennis. The Bowling Green, Ohio native earned a Master's in Sports Administration (2018) from Eastern Illinois and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (2016) at Jacksonville State University. A four-year NCAA Division I softball pitcher at Jacksonville State University (2013-2016), Akenberger was part of three Ohio Valley Conference championships, two NCAA regional appearances and a record undefeated season of 25-0 in 2016. Akenberger is certified by Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA), National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS), Titleist Performance Institute (Level 1), Reflexive Performance Reset (Levels 1 and 2), Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200), FRC and FR

Danielle Stenger is entering her fourth season as pitching coach at Michigan State in 2025, and eighth total alongside head coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley. Stenger will guide a youthful but talented 2026 pitching staff. A pair of freshmen hurlers were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list by Softball America, and two junior transfers will help provide experience and leadership alongside the two returning sophomores. In 2025, Jacey Shuler posted a 12-strikeout effort against Longwood, which ranked 10th all-time in a single game in program history. Before coming to East Lansing, Stenger was the pitching coach at Campbell. She guided a pitching staff that improved significantly in each of her final two seasons. The Camels boasted a strong staff in 2022, posting a 2.10 team ERA, led by Isabella Smith's 1.87 ERA and Georgeanna Barefoot's 2.04 ERA. Opposing batters hit just .210 against Campbell's pitchers as the team finished the season with a record of 37-19. Prior to her stint at Campbell, Stenger coached for six seasons at Western Carolina, serving as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach. There, Stenger mentored the Catamounts' all-time leader in strikeouts, Jordan Garrett (740). A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Stenger was a standout pitcher at Southern Illinois University. During her four-year career as a Saluki, Stenger went 67-40 in the circle with a 2.25 ERA. In 2010, Stenger was named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Pitcher of the Yea

Melissa Tallant is in her 17th year at SASS as an Associate Director and Academic Coordinator for baseball, ice hockey, women's golf, softball and liaison for former student-athletes. All of her sports have shown improvement in team GPAs, with women's golf maintaining the top team GPA for all MSU sports for the past six years at 3.56. She coordinates the George Webster Memorial Scholarship for former student-athletes and has taught KIN 171 Athletics in Higher Education for sixteen years. Tallant designs the Student-Athlete Handbook and Planner and coordinated SASS rebranding in 2015. She manages education abroad programs including partnerships with Australian institutions and Northumbria University in England. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Akron and a master's degree in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College. A Cleveland native, she has previously worked at the University of Illinois, Cleveland State University, Texas State University, and NACDA.