DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Head Softball Coach Laura Watten today (September 22, 2014) announced the appointment of Tori Tyson as an assistant coach.

Tyson, 24, comes to the Wildcats after playing three seasons at the University of Nebraska. She pitched her first two seasons, seeing action in the Cornhuskers’ 2009 NCAA Regional Tournament appearance, before moving to the outfield her junior year. She made 47 starts in 2010 before a chronic back injury kept her from competing her senior year. After graduation, Tyson spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska.

"We are extremely fortunate with the hiring of Tori, as she is the perfect addition to our staff and program overall. She brings a great depth of experience and knowledge of the game, complimented with her excitement and enthusiasm to compete," Watten said. "The pitching staff will benefit greatly from Tori's ability to teach, mentor and challenge them in a variety of ways along with her absolute commitment to their success."

Tyson comes from an extensive softball pedigree: Her father, Marty, coaches and oversees one of the top travel organizations in the country, the Corona (Calif.) Angels. Her older sister, Dena, played for Washington, earning first-team NFCA All-America honors as a senior in 2007 while leading the Huskies to an NCAA Regional appearance while younger sister Dawna is currently a junior infielder at Nebraska.

Her assignment will be working with the Wildcat pitching staff, which include two sophomores, Bailey Conner and Sabrina Anguiano, that both saw extensive playing time as freshmen. They were fourth and fifth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in strikeouts with 116 and 113, respectively, while Anguiano’s 11 strikeouts against UC-Riverside tied her for second on the single-game strikeout list. Conner threw five shutouts on the year.

"I"m very excited about joining the B-CU family and the opportunity to teach the game I love," Tyson said. "I can't wait to start working with out battery and push the pitchers to new limits. This will be exciting."

For more information on Wildcat softball, visit the official B-CU athletics web site at www.bcuathletics.com and follow the team on its official twitter feeds (@bcusoftball and @bcuathletics)