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Rockhurst University Athletics

Galen Struve

Softball

Struve announces retirement after 13 seasons at Rockhurst

Galen Struve guided the Rockhurst softball program for the past 13 seasons.
Galen Struve announced on Thursday (May 11) he is retiring as the head softball coach at Rockhurst University.

Struve has guided the Rockhurst softball program since its inception in 2005. The Hawks have won 264 games and advanced to the GLVC Tournament five times over the past 10 seasons. Seven of his teams have received the Division II Team Academic Award from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

"I am proud to have run this program well from the beginning. We have had awesome kids here," Struve said. "In spite of our demands, it makes it so much more satisfying to end my career on a winning note."

The Hawks captured a share of the 2017 Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season championship in Struve's last season. Rockhurst broke a school record for victories (31) and conference wins (19) in 2017.

The Hawks posted a 16-16 record in their first season in 2005 while playing as an independent with only 11 players. In season four, Rockhurst finished with its first winning record (27-20) and earned its first ever berth in the GLVC Tournament in 2008. The Hawks also earned GLVC tourney bids in the 2011, '14, '15 and '17.

In 1990, Struve began his college coaching career at William Jewell College, where he served as pitching instructor before taking over as head coach in 1992. His teams established school records for most wins in a season (28) and won back-to-back Heart of America Conference championships in 1992 and 1993. He was named the HAAC Coach of the Year in 1993.

Struve served as the pitching instructor and recruiting coordinator at the University of Missouri-Kansas City before taking over as head coach in 1996. His 1999 team rewrote the UMKC record book in almost every offensive, pitching and defensive categories. UMKC established a school record for wins in a season in 1999 (22) and 2000 (26).

A two-year head coaching stint at Avila University in 2001-02 brought more challenges for Struve. Besides bringing a winning record (52-46) to the program, he founded the Annual Dennis Gault Memorial Tournament, one of the top ongoing NAIA tournaments in the Midwest.

Struve was a recognized fast-pitch clinician and pitching instructor in the Kansas City metropolitan area, instructing on average 150 softball pitchers each year. His summer competition teams made seven ASA Regional appearances, four ASA National appearances, three AFA Nationals and numerous Metro Championships.

"I am very appreciative of Galen's contributions and his efforts in building our softball program over the past 13 years," Rockhurst Director of Athletics Gary Burns said. "I am grateful for his commitment in all aspects of the program, including strong academic achievement and community engagement. We thank Galen for his service to Rockhurst and wish him the best with his future endeavors."
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