WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Bruce Anderson has been hired as the new head softball coach at Otterbein University, officially announced Thursday morning by the Department of Athletics.

Anderson comes to Otterbein after spending the past eight years as lead assistant coach at fellow Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) school John Carroll University, primarily overseeing the pitching staff while contributing to many other aspects of the program.

"I certainly want to thank the athletic department at John Carroll for allowing me to be on their staff these past eight years," a grateful Anderson began. "I loved my experience there, which allowed me to meet a lot of tremendous coaches, players, parents and people in general…

"I wasn't looking to leave JCU, but this opportunity with Otterbein jumped out and I'm fortunate to have been selected," Anderson continued. "Throughout the interview process, I became very impressed with the staff and the family atmosphere that seems to exist across the board. Everyone I met with was so helpful, straight forward and welcoming."

Anderson, who holds a degree in social work from Ohio University, is a retired children services administrator with extensive softball coaching experience. He's been a senior pitching instructor for All-Stars Advantage since 2008, working with pitchers of all ages, and also coached the Central Ohio Ice (U18 and U23) for four seasons. In addition, Anderson has served in high school coaching roles at Newark, Utica and Heath.

"I am excited for Bruce's leadership over this program," said Dawn Stewart, vice president for student affairs and director of athletics. "He brings a broad range of experience to this position and is beloved by the players and families he has recruited. I'm looking forward to watching our program grow with Coach Anderson at the helm."

A total of 14 John Carroll pitchers earned Academic All-OAC honors during Anderson's stretch in University Heights. AnnMarie Kirchner earned first team All-OAC under his guidance in 2016, when the team posted a 2.89 E.R.A. Jessica Cook then pitched a perfect game during the 2017 campaign.

"I envision a softball family that models what the Otterbein community is as a whole, and just doing our part as a strong branch of that," Anderson said. "I certainly want to build a winning tradition but, more importantly, a tight-knit team that has each other's backs and feels part of something bigger than themselves…

"Coaching transitions can be difficult on players, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the student-athletes and helping them through this process," Anderson added in conclusion. "Otterbein went through a dominant period just a few years ago in this conference… and isn't far away from getting back to that. I'm very eager and excited for what's to come."

Anderson worked 30 years for the Licking County Department of Job & Family Services, including 13 as an administrator. He and his wife, Gail, live in nearby Newark and have two grown children.

The Cardinals are coming off a challenging 14-25 pandemic season, dropping 14 games by just two runs or less (including eight by one run).

Stay tuned to otterbeincardinals.com and all of our social media outlets for continued coverage!