TOLEDO, Ohio – Darrick Brown will serve as the assistant coach for the University of Toledo softball program, head coach Joe Abraham announced today.

Brown will work primarily as the pitching and hitting coach.

"We are extremely fortunate that we could find somebody with Darrick's knowledge and experience," Abraham said. "He has done about everything in this game and also brings the type of demeanor that will fit in well with our team. It is a bonus that Darrick and I have known each other for several years and are philosophically on the same page.  He will do a fantastic job with our pitchers and our hitters."

"I am extremely excited to join Coach Abraham at the University of Toledo," Brown said. "I have known Coach for about 10 years and always admired his work ethic towards recruiting and his love for the strategy of the game. I am looking forward to working with him and continuing the team's success on the field and in the classroom."

Brown brings 30 years of coaching experience to the Toledo softball staff including 28 years as a head coach. Brown has coached travel, high school, and nearly every collegiate level during his softball coaching career. Brown also coached professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch league and led his Chicago Bandits team to an NPF Championship in 2011. 

Brown has spent the last year-and-a-half as a mental performance coach for sports teams all over the country through his business, Brown Mental Performance. Prior to that, Brown served five years as the head coach at Olivet College.  

In five seasons at the NJCAA level, his teams at Glen Oaks, Kalamazoo, and Kellogg totaled over 30 wins four times, including three MCCAA Western Conference championships and one MCCAA State championship. Brown also coached several NJCAA All-Americans from those teams. 

Brown served as the pitching coach at Davenport University from 2011-13. Under his watch, the pitching staff produced a WHAC Pitcher of the Year, won a conference championship, won a conference tournament championship, and qualified for the national tournament. 

Brown is a nationally well-known hitting and pitching instructor. He has traveled to Hawaii, North Carolina, California, Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and all over the Midwest to conduct clinics. Brown has helped place hundreds of student-athletes to all levels of softball and even produced several All-American players through his organization, Brown Fastpitch.

Brown is a 26-year veteran of men's fastpitch softball. He was a member of the King and His Court during its final tour in 2011 and currently serves on the executive advisory board to help historically preserve the King and His Court and its' founder – the late Eddie Feigner's legacy.

Brown attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College where he played collegiate baseball and earned his associate degree in general studies. He then transferred to Western Michigan University to earn his bachelor's degree in science.