The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Year at Ole Miss:
- Second
- E-mail:
- anchasta@olemiss.edu
- Phone:
- 662-915-7891
- Alma Mater:
- South Carolina (2011)
Ashley Chastain completed her second season at Ole Miss in 2019, serving on the Rebel coaching staff as the team's pitching coach.
Chastain's pitching staff in 2019 turned in one of the softball world's great surprise stories, with the tandem of Brittany Finney and Molly Jacobsen becoming one of the nation's best 1-2 punches in the circle. In her first season in Oxford following a standout career at Des Moines Area Community College, Jacobsen earned Second Team All-SEC and Second Team NFCA All-South Region honors with a 2.15 ERA, ranking sixth in the SEC with 166 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Finney ascended from a reserve role in her first three seasons to a bona fide ace in her senior campaign, pacing the Rebels with 18 wins while posting a 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Upon her arrival in 2018, Chastain's impact was felt immediately by the Rebels, leading the pitching staff to a 2.80 team ERA with 10 shutout performances. Chastain was key in right-hander Kaitlin Lee continuing to build on one of the great Rebel careers. Lee's 2018 campaign ranked in the top-10 in program history in appearances, starts, innings pitched and shutouts. With the help of Chastain's tooling, Lee became the second Rebel ever to be selected in the NPF Draft, being taken in the fourth round by the Aussie Spirit.
Chastain was also instrumental in the development of freshman pitchers Ava Tillmann and Anna Borgen. Starting off in a reserve roll, by mid-season Tillmann had ascended into an integral part of the pitching rotation. The righty flamethrower threw a complete-game shutout in her first ever start over a ranked South Carolina squad and carried the momentum to four complete-game efforts in seven starts during her rookie season. Borgen's talents were utilized both in a starting roll and coming out of the bullpen, making 10 starts in 23 apperances with a team-low .224 opponent batting average.
Before becoming the Rebels' pitching coach, Chastain served for one season in the same position at Michigan State, helping the Spartans to a 34-24 overall record and a run to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Upon her arrival in East Lansing, Chastain made an immediate impact on the Michigan State pitching staff as the Spartans lowered their team ERA by nearly a run and a half from the previous season.
Chastain was instrumental in the development of junior Bridgette Rainey, who led MSU with a 16-8 record with a 3.84 ERA and 145 strikeouts. Both of those marks were career-bests for Rainey, as was her 144 innings pitched.
Prior to making the move to Big Ten country, Chastain was the pitching coach for three seasons on Linda Kalafatis’ staff at the College of Charleston, helping lead the Cougars to a 99-68 record over those three years.
Chastain’s final season in the Palmetto State was particularly successful, as the Cougars concluded the campaign with a 35-23 record, registering program records in fielding percentage (.974) and errors (42). In the circle, Chastain’s pitchers posted the eighth lowest opponent batting average in school-history at .242 as well as the ninth fewest runs allowed with 191.
Over her three seasons at CofC, Chastain produced four All-Colonial Athletic Conference honorees in addition to three NFCA All-Region award winners.
Prior to making the move to Oxford, Chastain was no stranger to the Southeastern Conference. The Palmetto, Georgia native pitched for three seasons at South Carolina, finishing 11th in career relief appearances for the Gamecocks. Following her playing career, she joined the South Carolina coaching staff as a graduate assistant coach.
Chastain earned a bachelor's degree in history from South Carolina in 2011. The Georgia native remained in Columbia following graduation, earning a master's degree in secondary education from USC in 2012.
