University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Dedeann Pendleton-Helm Takes Over Softball Program
6/23/2022 7:45:00 PM | Softball
Pendleton-Helm brings over 25 year of coaching experience to Greeley
GREELEY, Colo. – Dedeann Pendleton-Helm, a well-known name in the Northern Colorado area, has been named the UNC softball program's head coach. Pendleton-Helm makes her way to Greeley from Fort Collins where she has been an assistant coach for Colorado State for the past 17 seasons.
"After conducting a national search and speaking with many elite softball coaches, I strongly believe we found a perfect head coach for our softball team, but more importantly a tremendous person to lead this program," said Director of Athletics Darren Dunn. "She will develop our softball talent and she will be a great mentor for our student-athletes as she builds Champions for Life. I am truly excited to welcome Dede to the Bear family and I look forward to her positive impact on our team, the department, and our community."
Pendleton-Helm oversaw the development of Colorado State's pitchers while in Fort Collins. She had plenty of success coaching the three winningest pitchers in school history and CSU's all-time saves leader. In addition, she tutored the 2012 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, Kacie McCarthy.
"I am incredibly excited to be a Bear! I want to thank Darren and the committee for providing me the privilege to be the head coach for the UNC softball team," Pendleton-Helm said. "Northern Colorado softball has always been a strong program with hard-working student-athletes. I cannot wait to build relationships with each player and to coach this team. I believe together we will build on this already strong foundation and amplify our success on and off the field.
"Most importantly, I'm committed to authentic and transparent leadership and ensuring that I recognize and maximize the strengths of every single student-athlete on the team. Greeley and the University of Northern Colorado have always been a special place to me and my wife who has been a faculty member for 18 years."
Recently Pendleton-Helm was a part of Colorado State's 2019 campaign that saw the team return to the NCAA Tournament going 39-12 with a team ERA of 2.57. The 39 wins are the third-most in program history.
She interrupted her two stints in Fort Collins with a six-year stop at Ole Miss. In Oxford, she worked with the outfielders, pitchers, hitters and all phases of recruiting. She tutored numerous Ole Miss players to All-Southeastern Conference honors and helped the Rebels to the program's first winning season since its inception in 1997.
During her first stop in Fort Collins, she helped lead the Rams to the most successful season in program history in 1997. Working with outfielders and pitchers, she helped the Rams to the Western Athletic Conference championship, the school's highest national ranking (ninth) and a berth in the NCAA regional tournament. She coached three All-Americans in Jennifer Buford, Sarah Fredstrom and Nikki Johnson.
The veteran coach has also made a significant impact on the sport of fastpitch softball, having worked for Triple Crown Sports from 1996-98. During that time, she successfully developed Triple Crown's fastpitch softball division, which currently hosts the largest fastpitch softball tournament in the world each June in Colorado.
She spent her collegiate playing career at Creighton from 1991-95, serving as a pitcher and utility player. She played every position except catcher. During her career, she led the Bluejays' offensive attack and ranked first in program history for hits, doubles, RBI and home runs in a season, as well as career home runs. She earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1995 and second-team all-conference accolades in 1994. Pendleton-Helm also earned second-team all-region recognition in 1994 and 1995.
Pendleton-Helm graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1995 and earned her master's in adult education from CSU in 2016. She married Dr. Heather Pendleton-Helm, who is a UNC tenured faculty member, in 2013.
To stay up to date on all things UNC softball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
"After conducting a national search and speaking with many elite softball coaches, I strongly believe we found a perfect head coach for our softball team, but more importantly a tremendous person to lead this program," said Director of Athletics Darren Dunn. "She will develop our softball talent and she will be a great mentor for our student-athletes as she builds Champions for Life. I am truly excited to welcome Dede to the Bear family and I look forward to her positive impact on our team, the department, and our community."
Pendleton-Helm oversaw the development of Colorado State's pitchers while in Fort Collins. She had plenty of success coaching the three winningest pitchers in school history and CSU's all-time saves leader. In addition, she tutored the 2012 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, Kacie McCarthy.
"I am incredibly excited to be a Bear! I want to thank Darren and the committee for providing me the privilege to be the head coach for the UNC softball team," Pendleton-Helm said. "Northern Colorado softball has always been a strong program with hard-working student-athletes. I cannot wait to build relationships with each player and to coach this team. I believe together we will build on this already strong foundation and amplify our success on and off the field.
"Most importantly, I'm committed to authentic and transparent leadership and ensuring that I recognize and maximize the strengths of every single student-athlete on the team. Greeley and the University of Northern Colorado have always been a special place to me and my wife who has been a faculty member for 18 years."
Recently Pendleton-Helm was a part of Colorado State's 2019 campaign that saw the team return to the NCAA Tournament going 39-12 with a team ERA of 2.57. The 39 wins are the third-most in program history.
She interrupted her two stints in Fort Collins with a six-year stop at Ole Miss. In Oxford, she worked with the outfielders, pitchers, hitters and all phases of recruiting. She tutored numerous Ole Miss players to All-Southeastern Conference honors and helped the Rebels to the program's first winning season since its inception in 1997.
During her first stop in Fort Collins, she helped lead the Rams to the most successful season in program history in 1997. Working with outfielders and pitchers, she helped the Rams to the Western Athletic Conference championship, the school's highest national ranking (ninth) and a berth in the NCAA regional tournament. She coached three All-Americans in Jennifer Buford, Sarah Fredstrom and Nikki Johnson.
The veteran coach has also made a significant impact on the sport of fastpitch softball, having worked for Triple Crown Sports from 1996-98. During that time, she successfully developed Triple Crown's fastpitch softball division, which currently hosts the largest fastpitch softball tournament in the world each June in Colorado.
She spent her collegiate playing career at Creighton from 1991-95, serving as a pitcher and utility player. She played every position except catcher. During her career, she led the Bluejays' offensive attack and ranked first in program history for hits, doubles, RBI and home runs in a season, as well as career home runs. She earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1995 and second-team all-conference accolades in 1994. Pendleton-Helm also earned second-team all-region recognition in 1994 and 1995.
Pendleton-Helm graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1995 and earned her master's in adult education from CSU in 2016. She married Dr. Heather Pendleton-Helm, who is a UNC tenured faculty member, in 2013.
To stay up to date on all things UNC softball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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