University of Tennessee Athletics
Weekly Unveils Stephanie Sanders as Assistant Coach
June 09, 2024 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Sunday, Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly announced Stephanie Sanders as the newest addition to the Lady Vols' coaching staff.
"Stephanie will make an immediate impact on Lady Vol softball with her passion, energy and sheer determination to win" Weekly said. "The coaches she has worked with in her career rave about her ability to communicate and connect with everyone in their programs, as well as her tireless work ethic. I love her blue-collar approach to recruiting and player development, and I'm excited for our student-athletes to be mentored by her. Stephanie will work primarily with our catchers, outfielders, and assist in hitting."
Sanders joins Tennessee's coaching staff after previously serving at Penn State during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. With the Nittany Lions, Sanders worked as the program's recruiting coordinator – while also coaching the outfielders and catchers.
"I would like to thank Coach Weekly, Tara Brooks and Danny White for allowing me to represent the Orange and White," Sanders said. "Lady Vol softball has always been a class act program filled with pride, passion and great talent. It is a place where people get to thrive, are supported, and are expected to excel at a high level in every aspect of their lives. I am thrilled to be a part of the Big Orange community and to give my all to Tennessee!"
Sanders came to Happy Valley after spending two seasons (2019-20) as an assistant at Miami (Ohio). With the RedHawks, she was in charge of coaching the outfielders and the hitters.
In a shortened 2020 season, Miami was picked to finish first in the regular season and to win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament.
In 2019, Sanders helped Miami capture its first MAC regular season championship in program history with a 35-16 overall record and 16-4 mark in conference play. The 16 conference wins tied the most MAC wins in Miami history. The RedHawks also had the highest conference win percentage in program history while putting together the longest conference win streak – winning 10-straight MAC games en route to the crown.
Prior to Miami, Sanders spent two seasons at Villanova as an assistant coach. She coached the outfielders and assisted with hitting during her time in Philadelphia. Sanders helped lead the Wildcats to an overall record of 62-44-2 and a conference record of 23-16 in her two-year stint. She spent one season after graduation as the outfield and hitting coach at Saginaw Valley State and assisted with camps, clinics, strength and conditioning and recruiting.
As a student-athlete, Sanders was a four-year letter winner at Michigan State. She appeared in 177 career games, primarily as a utility player, mostly playing outfield. During her senior season in 2015, Sanders posted a .288 batting average, scored 25 runs, totaled 44 hits with 32 RBI and had 16 extra-base hits with seven doubles and nine home runs – all career highs. Her nine home runs tied for the 11th-most in a single season at Michigan State and she ranked second for the Spartans in multi-hit games (15) and multi-RBI games (8).
Sanders, a Lima, Ohio native, earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Michigan State in 2015. She is marrying Craig Snider in June 2024.
"Stephanie will make an immediate impact on Lady Vol softball with her passion, energy and sheer determination to win" Weekly said. "The coaches she has worked with in her career rave about her ability to communicate and connect with everyone in their programs, as well as her tireless work ethic. I love her blue-collar approach to recruiting and player development, and I'm excited for our student-athletes to be mentored by her. Stephanie will work primarily with our catchers, outfielders, and assist in hitting."
Sanders joins Tennessee's coaching staff after previously serving at Penn State during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. With the Nittany Lions, Sanders worked as the program's recruiting coordinator – while also coaching the outfielders and catchers.
"I would like to thank Coach Weekly, Tara Brooks and Danny White for allowing me to represent the Orange and White," Sanders said. "Lady Vol softball has always been a class act program filled with pride, passion and great talent. It is a place where people get to thrive, are supported, and are expected to excel at a high level in every aspect of their lives. I am thrilled to be a part of the Big Orange community and to give my all to Tennessee!"
Sanders came to Happy Valley after spending two seasons (2019-20) as an assistant at Miami (Ohio). With the RedHawks, she was in charge of coaching the outfielders and the hitters.
In a shortened 2020 season, Miami was picked to finish first in the regular season and to win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament.
In 2019, Sanders helped Miami capture its first MAC regular season championship in program history with a 35-16 overall record and 16-4 mark in conference play. The 16 conference wins tied the most MAC wins in Miami history. The RedHawks also had the highest conference win percentage in program history while putting together the longest conference win streak – winning 10-straight MAC games en route to the crown.
Prior to Miami, Sanders spent two seasons at Villanova as an assistant coach. She coached the outfielders and assisted with hitting during her time in Philadelphia. Sanders helped lead the Wildcats to an overall record of 62-44-2 and a conference record of 23-16 in her two-year stint. She spent one season after graduation as the outfield and hitting coach at Saginaw Valley State and assisted with camps, clinics, strength and conditioning and recruiting.
As a student-athlete, Sanders was a four-year letter winner at Michigan State. She appeared in 177 career games, primarily as a utility player, mostly playing outfield. During her senior season in 2015, Sanders posted a .288 batting average, scored 25 runs, totaled 44 hits with 32 RBI and had 16 extra-base hits with seven doubles and nine home runs – all career highs. Her nine home runs tied for the 11th-most in a single season at Michigan State and she ranked second for the Spartans in multi-hit games (15) and multi-RBI games (8).
Sanders, a Lima, Ohio native, earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Michigan State in 2015. She is marrying Craig Snider in June 2024.
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