WNMU Athletics
Dakota Spillers
SILVER CITY – Monday, Western New Mexico University’s Executive Director of Athletics Scott Noble has announced, Ashley Hickman as the Head Coach of WNMU’s softball program.
“Coach Hickman has certainly checked all the boxes for us. She has a strong athletic background, head coaching experience, pitching expertise, and is a winner. Coach Hickman has built two programs as a head coach, has strong recruiting ties in the southwest to include California and Arizona. She has proven herself as a competitor and a tremendous leader of women. Her sense of urgency, caring character, and strong moral values are a natural fit with our departmental culture. Simply said… We are very fortunate to have her join our Mustang Family,” Noble said.
“I am excited to be at Western New Mexico as the new head coach. I am thankful that Mr. Noble has entrusted me to lead this group of Mustangs. Starting day one we will work to compete in, arguably, one of the toughest conferences in the country,” Hickman said.
Throughout her coaching career, Hickman has coached 4 All-Americans and 18 conference players. Hickman has had success at the NAIA to the NCAA level. After one year of being the assistant coach for Upper Iowa, she was promoted to Head Coach for the Peacocks in July of 2019. In her second year as a Head Coach at UIU, she doubled her wins, while emphasizing strong academics, and finished the year with a 3.8 GPA.
Prior to arriving in Fayette, IA, Hickman spent four seasons (2015-2018) as the head softball coach at McPherson College in McPherson, KS. She would break a 17-year losing-record streak while steering the Bulldogs to back-to-back winning seasons in her last two years and would go on to the KCAC Softball Championships. She would also set the school record of wins with 26 (2017) and 27 (2018), and went from 12th to 6th in the conference standings.
In the 2018 campaign, the Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 record against teams ranked in the top-25 under Hickman’s instruction. With Hickman’s guidance and leadership, six of her student-athletes were named to All-KCAC teams including two first-teamers and one being recognized on the NFCA NAIA All-Region III first-team.
Before her tenure at McPherson, Hickman spent two years as a graduate assistant for the Tabor College Blue Jays, working with the pitching and catching tandem, the infielders, and focused her recruiting on out of state recruits. Under Hickman’s direction, two players received All-Conference honors in 2013 and three players in 2014.
As a player, Hickman spent two seasons pitching for the Jayhawks at the University of Kansas, recording 18 strikeouts over 43.2 innings of work. Before her time at Kansas, Hickman played two seasons at Cowley County Community College where she was a two-time NJCAA All-American and won the Jayhawk East Conference MVP in 2010.
“I am thankful for my husband Billy and sons, Bo and Bear for the continuous support and love. We are excited to be a part of the Silver City community,” Hickman said.