FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason softball team has bolstered its coaching staff.
Head coach
Joe Verbanic has announced the hiring of
Kiana Quolas as an assistant coach. Quolas, a former two-time conference pitcher of the year at Coastal Carolina, spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Youngstown State. At Mason, she will serve as the pitching coach and work with the pitchers and catchers.
"We are extremely blessed and excited to have Kiana joining our staff," Verbanic said. "She is a young woman of high character and energy and she brings a strong background of softball experience that will provide a seamless transition to our coaching staff. Kiana's experiences at the D-I level as both an athlete and coach will be a great influence on our student-athletes."
Quolas, a native of Oxnard, Calif., helped the Youngstown State pitching staff win 61 games over two seasons. This past spring, the Penguins won 31 games – the second-most in school history – and reached the Horizon League Tournament championship game.
"I am excited to be a part of the Mason softball program and work with such talented athletes," Quolas said. "I am very thankful to Coach Verbanic for this opportunity to be a part of a great program and contribute to their success."
At Youngstown State, she coached Maddi Lusk, who was named the 2017 Horizon League Co-Freshman Player of the Year. Lusk led the conference in innings pitched and ranked second with 15 wins and 133 strikeouts as she was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Tournament Team.
In her first season at Youngstown in 2016, Quolas helped the pitching staff win 30 games. Paige Geanangel was named to the Horizon League's All-Freshman Team as she won 17 games – the first Youngstown pitcher to win at least 17 games since 2003.
Prior to coming to YSU, Quolas was a standout pitcher at Coastal Carolina where she was a two-time Big South Conference Pitcher of the Year. A four-time all-conference honoree for the Chanticleers, Quolas was named to the NFCA All-Southeast Region Second-Team her sophomore and junior years. In those two campaigns, she was tabbed the Big South Pitcher of the year.
In 2015, she was named Second-Team All-Big South, Big South All-Academic Team, NSCA All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year, and was a two-time Big South Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week. Quolas ended her senior season with a 3.37 ERA, 23 victories and four shutouts. She concluded her career by being ranked second in the program's history and third in Big South history with 91 career victories.
As a junior, Quolas was First Team All-Big South, Big South All-Academic Team, Coastal Carolina University Female Athlete of the Year and was the Big South Conference Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week five times. She ended her season being ranked eighth in the nation with a 1.19 ERA. That ranked her fourth-best in Coastal Carolina school history. She also threw her first career no-hitter against North Carolina. Quolas posted 29 victories that year and had seven shutouts.
In 2013, Quolas was named First Team All-Big South, Big South All-Academic Team and was the Big South Conference Crons Brand Pitcher of the week five times. Quolas ended that season posting a league-leading 1.94 ERA, with 22 victories and six shutouts.
As a freshman, she was selected Frist Team All-Big South, Big South All-Tournament Team, NFCA Scholar-Athlete and Big South Conference Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week four times. Quolas season ended with a 1.84 ERA, 27 victories and 11 shutouts.
Quolas graduated Cum Laude in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science from Coastal Carolina University. She earned her master's degree in gerontology from Youngstown State this past May.
