Head coach Erica Beach and the University of New Mexico softball team announced the hiring of new assistant softball coach Shelby Pendley in October of 2015.
Pendley, a New Mexico native, comes back to the state with four years of collegiate experience and a summer of professional softball, with the National Pro Fastpitch league, under her belt.
“UNM softball is so lucky to have Shelby join our staff this year” said Beach. “She is going to bring a wealth of knowledge to us from her playing days at Oklahoma, especially her last year and her summer in the pro league.
“She is also a local talent who has played at the top level. I am really looking forward to seeing what she is going to bring to this program and how much she is going to help us with our offense and infield. She is a great person. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and I am excited about her being a part of the Lobo family and helping us set the stage for a ground breaking year.”
Pendley had an outstanding career at the University of Oklahoma. She was a three-time NFCA All-American, three-time First Team All-Region, the 2015 and 2013 Big 12 Play of the Year and helped lead the Sooners to a national championship in 2013. She finished her career sixth in NCAA history with 84 career home runs, seventh with 269 RBIs and 11th with a .842 slugging percentage.
“I am extremely excited to come back home,” said Pendley. “This state gave me so much as a young athlete and I feel very strong with everything I have learned and bringing that back to New Mexico. I think it is only going to benefit.
“I have had the privilege of being around very intelligent people in this game and I have learned quite a bit from several different people. I feel like I can bring that knowledge to the Lobo softball program.”
For the Sooners, she finished second in career batting average, home runs, extra base-hits and slugging percentage. She is third in on-base percentage, fourth in RBIs and total bases, fifth in doubles, sixth in runs scored, walks and saves and ninth in stolen base percentage.
Following her Oklahoma career, Pendley was drafted second overall out of Oklahoma in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft by the USSSA Pride. And was named the NPF Rookie of the Year.
Prior to Oklahoma, the Rio Rancho High grad spent a season with the University of Arizona Wildcats in 2011-12, where she started all 57 games at short stop and was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team. She led the Wildcats in slugging and home runs and was second on the squad in batting average, RBIs, total bases and runs scored.