Kendall Fuller was named the head Winthrop softball coach in August of 2023.
Fuller returned to the Winthrop softball program after serving as head coach at Lees-McRae the previous three seasons. This marks the second stint with the Eagle program as she spent five seasons on staff from 2013-18.
Since her return to lead the Eagle program, Fuller has led the Eagles to the Big South Conference Championship game three straight years.
In 2026 the Eagles captured their first Big South Conference regular season title since 2008 with a 13-4 mark in the league. In doing so, Fuller earned Big South Conference Coach of the Year honors.
During the 2026 campaign, freshman Rebecca Amos broke two freshman program records with 46 runs and 20 stolen bases. As a team the Eagles finished in the program’s Top 10 in several categories for a single-season. The 2026 squad rank third all-time in on-base percentage (.359), 4th in RBI and total bases, 6th all-time in total runs, 7th in home runs and 9th in runs per game.
In addition to Fuller being named coach of the year, the Eagles garnered a total of 10 league honors. Darrah Nickens was voted Newcomer of the Year while Nickens was also named to Second Team All-Conference. Amos along with Lonna Addison and Tia Beckham were named First Team All-Conference. Grayson Buckner and Annelisa Winebarger joined Nickens as Second Team All-Conference selections. Amos was also voted to the All-Freshman Team while Buckner was named to the All-Academic Team.
In 2025 the Eagles earned the 4th seed for the conference tournament and reached the conference title game for a second straight year. The team was led by Meghan Powell who was voted the Big South Player of the Year and Beckham who was voted Newcomer of the Year. Powell was voted First Team All-Conference while Beckham was Second Team All-Conference. Katie Beck was voted to the All-Freshman Team and Buckner was named to the All-Academic Team. Powell also garnered NFCA All-Region Team honors in 2025.
In 2025 the Eagles hit 51 home runs and had three players with at least 10 home runs for the first time in the history of the program. Beckham and Powell each had 10 while Beck led the team with 11.
In Fuller’s first season back at Winthrop the Eagles won eight of their final 11 games on the season and advanced to the Big South title game for the first time since 2019. The Eagles clinched a spot in the conference tournament on the final day of their regular season series by taking the series from USC Upstate.
Powell was voted as the Big South Newcomer of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference honors. Powell was joined on the first team by Reese Basinger and KaDedra Temple. Peyton Rivas earned Big South Honorable Mention All-Conference honors while Basinger was named to the All-Academic Team.
In her three seasons back at the helm of the Winthrop program, Fuller and the Eagles have not shied away from facing strong competition having scheduled nationally-ranked and Power 4 opponents such as Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, North Carolina, and Seton Hall. They’ve also faced strong programs such as UNC Greensboro, Harvard, Marist, Boston, BYU, Long Beach State, Charlotte, Miami (OH), Brown, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State.
In total, Fuller has coached a Big South Player of the Year, an NFCA All-Region selection, three Big South Newcomers of the Year, 14 All-Conference selections, and Nine Big South All-Tournament Team selections.
The Eagles are 86-75 overall, 54-25 at home and 32-21 in conference play in Fuller’s three seasons.
The success of the program under Fuller has shown a commitment to developing well-rounded student-athletes and has cultivated a culture of excellence that extends beyond the field. In each of her three seasons since returning in 2023 the team has had a 3.5 or higher GPA and in 2025 the team earned the Winthrop SAAC Award for most community service.
In her three seasons at the helm of the Lees-McRae program, Fuller led the Bobcats to a record-breaking season in 2023. The Bobcats posted an overall record of 32-18 and a runner-up finish in the regular season in Conference Carolinas play. The 32 wins are the most in a single-season in program history and the highest regular season finish ever (2nd place).
“Extremely excited to have Kendall back in the garnet and gold!” said Athletic Director Chuck Rey. “Kendall found great success as head coach at her last institution. That program thrived, she grew tremendously as a coach and was recognized with a Coach of the Year honor. More importantly, Kendall knows what it takes to win at Winthrop. She learned under one of the best in Mark Cooke, she is part of the Winthrop family, and the transition will not only be seamless, but catapult this program to the next level that much sooner.”
Fuller first came to Winthrop in 2013 when she joined the staff as an assistant coach. In the fall of 2014 she was elevated to Associate Head Coach and near the end of the 2015 promoted to Co-Head Coach along with Mark Cooke.
Fuller was named the 2023 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year, along with three All-Conference Carolinas selections including Freshman of the Year honors for West Virginia native, Grayson Buckner.
Over the course of three seasons with the Bobcats, Fuller coached 65 NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar Athletes. In 2022, the team earned a Top Ten award for the Easton/NFCA Top Academic Teams with a GPA of 3.73, ranking sixth among all NCAA DII institutions. In addition to leading the Bobcats to exceptional academic performances, Fuller’s team was also awarded the prestigious Conference Carolinas All-Sportsmanship Award at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
In her first stint with the Eagles, Fuller was the hitting coach. Prior to her arrival the team batted .241 with 142 runs, 26 home runs and 138 walks in 2012. In her first season the Eagles batted .260 with 260 runs, 64 home runs and 186 walks. The 64 home runs were a program record and the 260 runs were the 6th most all-time. The 186 walks are also a program record. In addition to the walks record, the 2015 team had 174 (3rd all-time), the 2016 team had 149 (10th all-time), and the 2017 team finished with 172 (4th all-time). From 2013-17 the Eagles finished ranked in the program’s all-time Top 10 for home runs three times (2013, 2014, 2015) and 11th place in 2017. The teams also finished among the Top 10 in on-base percentage with the 2017 squad ranked 3rd (.352), 2013 ranked 4th (.351), 2014 ranked 9th (.333) and 2016 ranked 10th (.323).
The Eagles reached the Big South Conference title game in 2013. In her five seasons with Winthrop (2013-17) the program tallied 14 All-Big South Conference players in five seasons, the Freshman of the Year in 2014, the highest-ever team semester GPA, multiple NFCA Scholar-Athletes and brought in the highest academic class ever for the softball program. Her roles also included being the third base and outfield coach, travel coordination and serving as a tournament and camp director.
Prior to her arrival at Winthrop, Fuller served as an assistant coach at Western Carolina for two years. Fuller returned to Western Carolina University in 2018 as an assistant coach, where her responsibilities included being the first base and outfield coach, assisting in recruiting through her NCAA Division I certification and practice planning, as well as serving as an academic liaison for the student-athletes through developing academic success plans that resulted in five National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Academic All-Americans.
In addition to her NCAA Division I coaching experience, Fuller has also served as the Softball Sports Director for the College Coaches Skills Camp in Sylva, N.C. and as an adjunct lecturer in the Biology department at Western Carolina University.
Fuller earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and secondary education from Appalachian State University in 2008. She later obtained her master’s degree in biology from Western Carolina University.
