Yellowjacket softball head coach finalists announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, May 24, 2016 Yellowjacket softball head coach finalists announced

Three finalists are revealed for MSUB’s head softball coaching position, after a search that yields more than 70 applicants.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Three finalists have been announced for the head softball coaching position at Montana State University Billings, after a national search that yielded more than 70 applicants.

Joey Egan of Great Falls, Mont., Josh Taylor of Reno, Nev., and Marc Benjamin of Great Bend, Kan., are each scheduled for on-campus interviews at MSUB over the next week, and each will be available for a session with the local media during their visits.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the wide variety of talent and experience from our many applicants throughout our national search,” said Yellowjacket director of athletics Krista Montague. “The search committee feels it has identified the leading contenders for our head softball coaching position, and we are anticipating a productive week of interviews with each of the finalists visiting us on campus.”

Egan, a former standout for the Yellowjackets who graduated in 2005, recently finished her fifth season as head softball coach at the University of Great Falls where she led the Argos into the NAIA national tournament this spring. Egan has been at UGF since graduating from MSUB, as she served as the softball program’s assistant coach starting in 2005.

Egan will be on campus this Wednesday, May 25, and will be available to the local media from 2:15-3 p.m. in Room 122 of the Physical Education Building on MSUB’s main campus.

Benjamin recently finished his third season as head softball coach at Barton Community College (Kansas), where he led the Cougars to a record of 51-8 and a run into the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament in 2016. Prior to his time as head coach at Barton CC, Benjamin was the assistant coach at Southern Utah University from 2010-2013, and also played professional men’s softball for 14 years internationally.

Benjamin’s on-campus interview is set for this Friday, May 27, and he will be available to the local media from 2:15-3 p.m. in Room 122 of the Physical Education Building on MSUB’s main campus.

Taylor is currently the assistant softball coach at the University of Nevada, Reno (NCAA Division I) where his team finished the year with a record of 36-12 in 2016. Before assuming his current position in 2012, Taylor was the head coach at Feather River College (Calif.) starting in 2008 where he led the team to multiple regional and super regional tournaments. Taylor is an alumnus of UNR, where he played baseball for the No. 6 team in the nation in 1994.

Taylor’s interview is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, and he will be available to the local media from 1:15-2 p.m. in Room 122 of the Physical Education Building on MSUB’s main campus.

MSUB’s softball team finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 14-36 and a mark of 6-22 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The Yellowjackets made it to their fourth-ever NCAA regional tournament two seasons ago in 2015, after first appearing in the national tournament in 2005 and repeating in 2009 and 2012.

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