Head Coach: Robert Luckadoo
luckadoo@meredith.edu

Robert Luckadoo enters his third year as head coach of the Meredith College softball program. During the 2009 season, the team finished with a 13-17 overall regular season record and an 8-10 record in the USA South. Highlights for the season included victories at the #8 ranked in the nation Lynchburg College and at #17 ranked Methodist University. The team also recorded conference double header splits with Averett, Ferrum and cross town rival Peace College. Conference double header sweeps included wins against Mary Baldwin and NC Wesleyan. The 8-10 conference record was good enough for a 6th place finish in the USA South, the highest USA South regular season finish in team history. Expectations are very high for improving on that 6th place conference finish for the 2010 squad, as Luckadoo has brought in a talented group of freshmen to compliment an excellent core of veteran players from last year’s team.

Luckadoo came to Meredith from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served under head coach Donna Papa as an assistant coach. Luckadoo brings a wealth of experience from the Tar Heel softball program where he worked with pitchers and catchers, was responsible for video analysis of Tar Heel hitters, and assisted practice planning and coordination of the Carolina Softball Camps and Clinics.

Luckadoo is entering his 17th season as a fastpitch softball coach and instructor and his 27th season as either a coach or a player. He has successfully coached at the 16U, 18U, high school and collegiate levels of play. In addition to UNC, previous collegiate experience includes Montreat College in Black Mountain, N.C., where he served as an assistant in charge of pitchers, catchers, outfielders and recruiting.

As a private pitching instructor, Luckadoo has worked with over 200 young pitchers at the junior high, high school and collegiate levels of play. In addition to planning a summer softball skills camp geared toward the development of softball skills for players from 10-18 years of age being held at Meredith College this summer, Luckadoo is scheduled to work 2009 summer camps at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.

Coach Luckadoo is a native of Rutherford County, N.C., a 1983 graduate of East Rutherford High School (Forest City, N.C.) and a 1988 graduate of NC State University. Luckadoo, a strong proponent of higher education, completed a master's degree in sports management in June 2008 from the United States Sports Academy. He is a North Carolina Certified Science teacher and has worked as an instructor of Physics and Physical Science in the McDowell and Burke County in North Carolina. Luckadoo and his wife, Paula, reside in Raleigh and have two daughters, Lindsay, age 20, and Sara, age 18.

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Assistant Coach: Shona Guevara

Shona Guevara enters her second year as assistant coach of the Meredith College softball team. The Chino Hills, Calif. native will serve on the staff of Coach Robert Luckadoo.

Guevara comes to Meredith from her assistant’s position at Cabrini College (Pa.). Guevara was a stand out collegiate pitcher taking the circle for NCAA Division II powerhouse Humboldt State University in 2001 and 2002. During 2002 as a sophomore, Guevara set a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) record for most wins in a season (25), most strike outs (172), and most innings pitched (236). In 2001 she was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year, and garnered GNAC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-West Region first team honors. In 2001, her team was selected to serve as the U.S. Olympic alternate for the China Invitational International Tournament.

After sitting out her 2003 season with an injury and a medical redshirt, Guevara moved to Pennsylvania where she joined the perennial NCAA Division II national power Lock Haven University (Pa.) pitching staff. In 2004 and 2005 of her junior and senior seasons, she combined for 287 strikeouts while only allowing 41 walks, and maintaining a 1.4 earned run average for both seasons. In 2004 and 2005 she was named to the NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region first team, in 2005 a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference first team selection, and in 2005 broke the Lock Haven school record for most wins as a starting pitcher (19).

Guevara will assist Luckadoo with the Avenging Angel’s pitchers, catchers, and outfielders. She will also be significantly involved with other team day-to-day duties such as travel and team administration. Guevara received a Bachelor’s degree in English Writing from Lock Haven University (Pa).