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The Andrea Vaughan File |
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Hometown: Claremore, Okla. |
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Education: Oklahoma City (B.A.), '99; East Central (M.Ed.), '14 |
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Family: Husband: Scott; Son: Cameron; Daughter: Quinn |
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Coaching Background |
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2016-Pres. |
Rogers State, Head Coach |
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2013-16 |
Rogers State, Assistant Coach |
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2005-13 |
Oologah High School, Head Coach |
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Career Records |
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All-Time: |
321-161-1 (.667) |
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Postseason: |
33-13 (.717) |
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By The Numbers |
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1 - National Championship at RSU |
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1 - Conference Regular Season Championship at RSU |
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2 - Conference Tournament Championship at RSU |
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3 - National Tournament Appearance at RSU |
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5 - All-American selections at RSU |
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1 - National Player of the Year (Pitcher, Player, Fr.) |
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2 - Region Players of the Year (Pitcher, Player, Fr.) |
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9 - Conference Players of the Year (Pitcher, Player, Fr.) |
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1 - Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner |
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3 - 40+ win seasons |
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8 - Winning seasons as a head coach |
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15 - All-Region selections |
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1 - Highest NFCA Top 25 Ranking |
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45 - All-Conference selections at RSU |
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Championships/Honors |
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- 2024 NCAA Divsion II Central Region II Championship |
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- 2024 MIAA Co-Regular Season Championship |
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- 2024 MIAA Tournament Championship |
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- 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship |
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- 2022 NCAA Divsion II Central Region Championship |
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- 2022 MIAA Tournament Championship |
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- 2022 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year |
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- 2022 NFCA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year |
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- 2018 Heartland Conference Tournament Champion |
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- 2018 Hero Sports Division II National Coach of the Year |
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- 2018 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year |
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- 2012 Oklahoma State Championship (Oolagah) |
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- 2012 Verdigris Valley Conference Championship (Oolagah) |
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- 2012 Tulsa World All-Metro Coach of the Year (Oolagah) |
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- 2012 Oklahoma Region 3 Coach of the Year (Oolagah) |
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- 2011 Tulsa 7 Coach of the Year (Oolagah) |
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- 2010 Oklahoma Region 3 Coach of the Year (Oolagah) |
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- 2010 Tulsa 7 Coach of the Year (Oolagah) |
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- 1999 Academic All-American (Oklahoma City, Player) |
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- 1997 NAIA National Champion (Oklahoma City, Player) |
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- 1997 Academic All-American (Oklahoma City, Player) |
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- 1994 Oklahoma State Championship (Claremore, Player) |
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- 1994 Oklahoma All-State Pitcher (Claremore, Player) |
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The 2024 season marks Andrea Vaughan’s ninth as head coach, and 12th overall with the Rogers State softball program. On May 30, 2022, she became the first coach in RSU Athletics history to bring a National Championship to the Hill. On February 6, 2022, she posted her 176th victory as head coach to become the program’s all-time wins leader and joined the 200 wins club on April 1, 2022.After being named the interim head coach one week prior to the 2016 season, Vaughan was officially named the fourth head coach in program history on April 25, 2016.
2024 saw Vaughan and the Hillcats cross several new milestones. Early in the season, she passed RSU Hall of Famer Ron Bradley to become the all-time winningest coach in school history and later joined the 300-win club with a doubleheader sweep of Pittsburg State on March 23. For the first time since joining the league, the Hillcats became the MIAA Co-Regular Season Champions and went on to sweep their way through the conference tournament to win their second MIAA Tournament Championship. Hosting a NCAA regional for the second time in three years, RSU put together to three-straight wins to punch their ticket to the NCAA Super Regional again. For the third-straight season, they put together a 40+ win season with a 46-12 (.793) record and a 23-3 record in league play. For the fifth-straight year, Vaughan guided an RSU pitcher to All-American honors, with Sara Llamas-Howell earning her second-straight NFCA All-American nod after being named to the third team. Bridgett Morales received the Division II Rawlings Gold Glove Award for her defensive prowess at first base. Llamas-Howell took home the MIAA Pitcher of the Year Award for the second year in a row as well as six others being named All-MIAA. In total, three Hillcats garnered All-Region honors. RSU spent 10 weeks ranks in the NFCA Top 10, climbing as high as No. 3 for four-straight weeks.
In 2023, Vaughan guided the Hillcats to their second-straight 40+ win season finishing with a 45-14 (.763) record, culminating with Sara Llamas-Howell being named NFCA Second Team All-American and MIAA Pitcher of the Year. The Hillcats finished the season making their second-straight appearance in the Central Regional Championship game after beginning the season ranked No. 1 in the NFCA Coaches Poll for five-straight weeks and spending 13 weeks inside the Top 10.
2022 was a banner year for the Hillcats as Vaughan led RSU to their first NCAA Division II National Championship sweeping Cal St. Dominguez Hills in the National Championship series in 6-5 and 6-1 wins in Denver, Colo. Finishing with a program-best 58-10 record (.853), the Hillcats only lost one game in the postseason and went undefeated in the five games in the Division II College World Series. RSU captured their first MIAA Tournament Championship going 4-0 in the tournament and 20-6 in the conference play during the regular season. RSU was powered by Hillcat great Andrea Morales in the circle, who became the first NFCA National Pitcher of the Year and unanimous First Team All-American in program history as well as MIAA Pitcher of the Year. They also finished fourth in the nation in defense. For all their success during the season, Vaughan and her staff were named both National and Regional Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
In 2021, Vaughan led the Hillcats to their second highest full season winning percentage (.690) in the Division II era, while reaching the conference tournament championship for the second time in the last three complete seasons. RSU appeared in 12-of-15 NFCA Polls, including a program-best ranking of No. 9 during a stretch of four consecutive weeks in the top 12. Seven Hillcats were named to the MIAA All-Conference team, while four players would later earn all-region accolades. A former pitcher herself, Vaughan coached the Hillcat pitching staff to a conference-best 2.11 ERA and 18 shutouts. RSU complimented its elite pitching by ranking in the top-15 nationally for fielding percentage (.974) and home runs (52). For the second time in her career, pitcher Andrea Morales was named the conference pitcher of the year and garnered All-American status. Morales became the first Hillcat ever to be named a NFCA All-American, as she was selected to the third team. The right-hander was also named an honorable mention All-American by the D2CCA, as well as Central Region Pitcher of the Year.
The 2020 season went down as one of the best in program history, and at the same time, a season of what could have been had the COVID-19 pandemic not forced the NCAA to cancel Spring Championships in early March. After a 12-2 start, Rogers State cracked the NFCA top 25 for the first-time ever, showing up at No. 22 on the first in-season poll. Vaughan’s Hillcats ascended as high as No. 11, remained in the top 25 all season, and closed the year at No. 17. The Hillcats also set records for runs in an inning (14 at Newman) and runs in a game (21 vs Arkansas-Monticello). The Hillcat offense showed its normal power, but also added plate presence to the mix that was unmatched in the NCAA. The Hillcats led all levels of the NCAA with 141 walks, with the next closest being Arizona State (NCAA D1) with 133. In Division II, the next closest team in walks was Florida Tech with 112. Under Vaughan’s guidance, the pitching staff averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game, while their nine shutouts were the third most in Division II. After an all-american season in 2019, Andrea Morales remained one of the nation’s best, leading Division II in victories (15) while ranking second in strikeouts (143). Freshman pitcher M'Kayla Hillman pitched the first perfect game in school history during a 5-inning run-rule victory over Texas Woman's in her first career appearance at the Diamond Sports Complex on February 19.
In 2019, the Hillcats finished third in the conference standings, their highest ever in the Heartland Conference, and made their second straight conference tournament appearance. Rogers State remained one of the top power hitting teams in the country, ranking 19th in Division II in home runs per game. For the second straight year, Danelle Day led the Heartland Conference and ranked in the top 10 of Division II in home runs, finishing with 17. She also led the league in RBI (51), slugging percentage (.706) and total bases (113) on her way to becoming the first Hillcat ever to earn NFCA All-Region honors. Day and pitcher Andrea Morales were both named first team all-region by the D2CCA and first team All-Heartland. Morales burst onto the national scene as a Sophomore under the guidance of Vaughan, who was a star pitcher during her playing days. Morales was named a second team All-American by Fastpitch News after ranking in the top 10 of Division II in nearly every statistical category during the regular season, including wins, strikeouts and earned run average. The right-hander was also named the Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year after recording 24 wins and over 200 strikeouts.
The 2018 season will always be regarded as one of the program’s most special. In just the second year of NCAA Division II postseason eligibility, Vaughan guided the Hillcats to their first-ever Heartland Conference Tournament Championship and first-ever NCAA Division II Regional appearance. As a result, Vaughan was recognized as the Heartland Conference Coach of the Year and was voted the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year by Hero Sports. Rogers State’s storybook run to the Heartland Conference Tournament crown was capped off with a 5-4 victory in 13 innings over Oklahoma Christian. Andrea Morales was named the tournament MVP, while Danelle Day, Merissa Smith and Katy Taylor were named to the all-tournament team. Vaughan’s Hillcats posted an 18-game winning streak on their way to a 39-20 record, their best-ever since transitioning to NCAA Division II prior to the 2014 softball season. Six players were named All-Heartland Conference. The Hillcats were one of the top power hitting teams in the country, ranking 11th in home runs per game behind Day and Merissa Smith who led the conference with 19 and 16, respectively. Hillcat pitchers led the conference in shutouts, with six from Alex Brake and four from Morales, while Tailee Reding’s five saves ranked ninth in the nation.
In 2017, Vaughan led the Hillcats to a 28-24 record, an 11-win improvement from 2016, and the program's first winning season since joining NCAA Division II. Four Hillcats earned First Team All-Heartland Conference honors, including Kenzie Lloyd who was also selected as the Conference Freshman of the Year. Morgen Blanchard became the first player in the Division II era to earn all-region honors as she was named to the D2CCA South Central Region second team.
The 2016 campaign, Vaughan’s first season at the helm, saw the Hillcats win three straight Heartland Conference series for the first time since joining the league in 2014. She led the team to series wins over Texas-Permian Basin, Newman, and Oklahoma Panhandle State. At season’s end, four Hillcats were named All-Heartland Conference.
Prior to being named the head coach, Vaughan spent three seasons as the lead assistant for the RSU softball program serving as the pitching coach. In addition to directing the pitching staff, Vaughan ran the day-to-day, on-field softball operations and served as the recruiting coordinator for the Hillcats. She also worked as the third base coach and ran the team's strength and conditioning efforts.
Vaughan came to the Hill in 2013 after spending eight years as the program director and head softball coach at Oologah High School where the Mustangs enjoyed tremendous success. OHS won the 2012 Oklahoma State 4A championship and the Verdigris Valley Conference championship with an overall record of 31-5. The team made a semifinal appearance at the state tournament in 2011 and made it to the quarterfinals twice during her tenure (2005 and 2010).
Fourteen of Vaughan’s players at Oologah went on to play at the collegiate level and she coached 27 all-conference players, 12 all-region members, and four all-state award winners. Twice, Vaughan was named Region 3 Coach of the Year (2010 and 2012), while she also is a two-time Tulsa 7 Coach of the Year (2010 and 2011). In 2010, she was named the 4A East All-State Coach and honored as the 2012 Tulsa World All-Metro Coach of the Year.
Vaughan enjoyed a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma City University, making three-consecutive trips to the NAIA National Tournament. The Stars won the NAIA National Championship in 1997, were second runner-up in 1998, and made it to the title game again in 1999. Vaughan, a right-handed pitcher, was a two-time Academic All-American at OCU.
The Claremore, Oklahoma native helped the Claremore High School Lady Zebras to a state title during her senior season in 1994 and was named an Oklahoma All-State pitcher-Large East.
Vaughan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from OCU and earned a Master of Education degree in Sports Administration from East Central in 2014. She is married to Scott Vaughan and they have a son, Cameron, and a daughter, Quinn.
Andrea Vaughan's All-Time Collegiate Head-Coaching Record
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Conf. Finish |
Season Notes |
| 2016* |
17-35 (.327) |
6-18 (.250) |
8th |
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| 2017 |
28-24 (.538) |
6-15 (.286) |
7th |
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| 2018 |
39-20 (.661) |
16-12 (.571) |
5th |
Heartland Conference Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance
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| 2019 |
33-23 (.589) |
17-13 (.567) |
3rd |
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| 2020^ |
21-8 (.724) |
4-2 (.667) |
n/a |
NCAA canceled season in March due to COVID-19 pandemic
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| 2021 |
34-15-1 (.690) |
18-8 (.692) |
4th |
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| 2022 |
58-10 (.853) |
20-6 (.769) |
3rd |
MIAA Tournament Champions, NCAA Division II Central Region Champions, NCAA Division II National Champions |
| 2023 |
45-14 (.763) |
18-8 (.692) |
3rd |
NCAA Central Region Championship Appearance |
| 2024 |
46-12 (.793) |
23-3 (.885) |
1st |
MIAA Co-Regular Season Champions, MIAA Tournament Champions, NCAA Central Region II Champions, NCAA Super Regional Appearance |
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NCAA Transition, Ineligible for postseason
^Rogers State began play in the MIAA
