Under the direction of head coach John Conway, who enters his fifth and final season at the helm of the Titans in 2018-19, the University of Detroit Mercy softball program continues to trend in the right direction.
Since taking over prior to the 2015 season, the Titans have increased their win total each spring under Conway, capped off by the 2016 squad's 17 wins – a seven-win improvement from 2015 and the most wins in a season for the program since 2006. The 2015 and 2016 squads also posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since the teams of 2007 and 2008. The 2017 squad did one better, posting 18 wins and the double-digit win trend continued in 2018 with 14.
The 2016 Titans recorded many noteworthy accomplishments, including a four-game win streak for the first time since 2008 and a three-game shutout streak for the first time since 1992. The 2016 team also reached seven conference wins for the first time since 2002. The team won their season opener, 5-3 in extra innings against Missouri State, the first season opener the team had won since 2002.
In 2015, three Titans earned Horizon League accolades, led by Kayla Kostich’s First Team All-Horizon League honors. Freshman Savvy Ferstle earned Second Team honors, in addition to being named to the All-Freshman Team along with classmate Alex Astorga.
The 2016 Titans placed two on the All-Horizon League Second Team in senior Christa McGahuey and freshman Jordan Manno, who also garnered All-Freshman Team accolades. Under Conway’s tutelage, McGahuey broke the all-time Detroit Mercy home run record in 2016. As a true freshman, Manno put together one of the finest seasons in Titan rookie history, leading Detroit in nearly all offensive categories.
In 2017, four Titans were honored with All-League honors. Courtney Gilbert earned All-Horizon League First Team distinction, while Manno received All-Horizon League second team honors for the second consecutive season. Liz Murphy and Elizabeth Yager earned All-Freshman Team accolades.
The 2018 Titans placed two on the All-Horizon League Second Team in senior Savvy Ferstle and junior Courtney Gilbert. Ferstle became the all-time leader in games played in Titan history during the final stretch of her senior season.
Conway took over in Detroit after serving as the head coach at Saint Leo University for the previous four seasons.
During his time at Saint Leo, Conway guided the Green and Gold softball program to its first ever Sunshine State Conference championship in 2013 after posting a 40-16 overall record and leading his squad to a NCAA regional appearance. The 2013 SSC Coach of the Year led the Lions to a 116-98 overall record during his tenure.
Conway joined Saint Leo after a record-setting 2010 season for the Saint Louis Billikens as they ended the year with their first-ever 30-win campaign. The team finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 by winning 12 conference contests and wrapped-up the season by posting a pair of victories at the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
In his first full season at the helm, Conway made an immediate impact for Saint Louis, leading the squad to a program-record 29 wins in 2007. In the midst of breaking 25 team and individual records, the squad earned its first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship and closed the campaign with a second-place conference finish.
The Billikens followed with a third-place Atlantic 10 finish in 2008. The team registered an 11-8 conference mark, as well as posting the program's first back-to-back 20 win seasons (23 wins). The highlight of their season, however, came at the conference championships when the No. 3-seeded Bilikens made a run to the conference title game.
He led Saint Louis to a 12-6 conference mark and concluded 2009 with a third-place finish.
Conway began his collegiate coaching stretch in 2003 at Fontbonne University. While at Fontbonne, Conway turned a three-win squad in 2002 into a conference champion as his team registered a 23-14 record. As a result, the group chronicled its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. He garnered St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Coach of the Year and NCAA Division III Midwest Region Coach of the Year.
Following a second-place conference finish in 2004, Conway led the Griffins to their second NCAA tournament appearance in three years. On the march to the NCAA's, the Griffins asserted themselves as SLIAC Conference Tournament Champions, as well as achieving a program-best 33-13 record.
Another NCAA appearance was on tap for Fontbonne in 2006, as it once again snapped the school record for wins in a season with 34. In conference action, Conway's group amassed an 11-1 mark, while finishing the campaign as SLIAC Coach of the Year for the second time.
Still, his coaching career goes beyond the college ranks, as he helmed some of the best club and travel league teams in the Midwest. He led a pair of national powerhouses, St. Louis Chaos and the St. Louis Sluggers, to multiple Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and National Softball Association (NSA) regional and national appearances.
Conway received his undergraduate degree in business management/administration from Tarkio (Mo.) College in 1989 and has also served our nation as a member of the United States Coast Guard.
