Ashley Obrest enters her second season as an assistant coach on the Boston University softball staff following an eight-year stint as the head coach at her alma mater, Boston College.
Though the 2020 season was shortened by COVID-19, the Terriers still had a memorable year. Highlighted by a shutout victory over ACC member Virginia and a pair wins over defending Southland Conference champion Sam Houston State, BU opened 8-0 for the first time in program history. Ali DuBois was named to the USA Softball College Player of the Year Top-50 Watch List and proved she belong, collecting four Patriot League Pitcher of the Week awards while tallying 95 strikeouts in 87.1 innings and helping the Terriers record seven shutouts. A fellow preseason All-Conference honoree, Aliyah Huerta-Leipner led BU with 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored in just 22 games with the help of four homers.
Boston College recorded a combined 200 wins during Obrest's eight years in Chestnut Hill with five 27+ win seasons and four 12+ win seasons in ACC play. In total, BC collected 21 All-ACC awards and 15 NFCA All-Region honors.Â
During the 2017 season, the Eagles went 31-22 with the 14-9 ACC record marking the program-high for ACC victories in a single season and tying the record for most conference wins in the program’s history. Tatiana Cortez, was named espnW Player of the Week and went on to became BC’s all-time leader in career home runs (47), RBI (171) and total bases (353).
In her third season at the helm, Obrest led the Eagles to a 30-23 (12-14 ACC) record. Senior captain Nicole D’Argento recorded 179 strikeouts on her way to 18 wins and a 2.70 ERA on the season. Megan Cooley (.360 BA) and captain Tory Speer (.355 BA) helped power Boston College to its first 30-win season since 2008. Under Obrest, the Eagles won a program-best 12 ACC games in 2014. Boston College’s 12 ACC wins is the most conference wins the program recorded in 11 years.
In her first campaign, Obrest guided BC to its first 20-win season in five years and its first defeat of a nationally ranked team (North Carolina) in three seasons. Under Obrest's tutelage, junior Nicole D'Argento pitched and hit her way to First Team All-ACC honors and freshman second baseman Andrea Filler collected a second team accolade.
Following a two-year stint as the assistant coach, Obrest was promoted to head coach of Colgate in July 2010. The 2011 season saw the Elmwood Park, Ill., native set a school record for most wins by a first-year head coach (27), as she led the Raiders to a regular-season Patriot League title with a 16-3 conference mark.
Colgate earned numerous honors under Obrest’s tutelage. Rachel LeCoq was voted the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year and a first-team all-league selection en route to being named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Northeast All-Region second team. Tera Vaughan was tabbed as the 2011 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, the NCAA Division I Hardest Person to Strike Out and was another first team All-Patriot League selection.Â
Prior to joining Colgate, Obrest served as an assistant coach at Concordia University in Chicago and a private hitting and catching instructor for the Chicago White Sox Training Academy from 2007-08.
While at Boston College, Obrest was a four-year letterwinner. The catcher was the first Eagles softball player to garner an ACC Player of the Week accolade. The 2007 grad was also a part of numerous Student-Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) initiatives, including the Pen Pal Program, Food for Families and the hospital visitation programs.
Obrest earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from BC in 2007 before going on to earn a master of science in sport management from SUNY Cortland in 2010.
