Kate Malveaux Elevated to Assistant Coach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After serving as a volunteer assistant for Tennessee softball over the past two seasons, Kate Malveaux (last name pronounced: mal-VOE) has been elevated to a full-time assistant coach position, head coach Karen Weekly announced Friday.

"Kate Malveaux has done an amazing job as our volunteer coach the past two years, so it was an easy decision to elevate her when the new full-time position was added," Weekly said. "She is one of the most passionate and energetic people I've ever been around. Her player development skills were clearly evident this year with our catchers, and the work she did with Giulia Koutsoyanopulos was nothing short of phenomenal. Kate makes our program better and our student-athletes are fortunate to have her as a role model."

Over the past two seasons, the Lady Vols have won 92 games and in 2023 won the SEC regular-season and tournament titles – sweeping both crowns in the same season for the first time in program history.

Tennessee secured its first 50-win season and reached the national semifinals at the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2013 this spring. The trip to the WCWS was its first since 2015 and its eighth all-time.

UT's coaching staff was named the ATEC/NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Lady Vols to a No. 4 national seed in the NCAA Tournament – the highest seeding in program history.

"I am so honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve Lady Vol softball, now as a full-time assistant coach," Malveaux said. "I cannot thank coach Karen Weekly enough for the opportunity to work alongside her and with such a storied program that emphasizes chasing greatness in all aspects of life. The past two years have been incredible for me and my family, thanks to amazing student-athletes, a great staff, a tremendous athletic department and the best fans in the country. I cannot wait to see what the 2024 season has in store for us."

Primarily focused on Tennessee's catchers, Malveaux helped Giulia Koutsoyanopulos transition from the outfield to playing behind the plate this season. Before coming to Rocky Top, Koutsoyanopulos had never been a catcher but moved into the role and started 59 games for UT.

Also working with the baserunners, the Lady Vols have stolen 88 bases in each of the past two seasons. Since Malveaux's arrival, Tennessee has ranked among the top four in the SEC in stolen bases per game. UT was second in 2022 with an average of 1.49 and was fourth in 2023 at 1.43.

A standout softball player at Bradley, Malveaux also assists in scouting and breaking down opponents' offensive tendencies.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Giulia Koutsoyanopulos

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