FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State University head softball coach Darren Mueller announced today that Gerice Olson and Beth Spoehr have joined the staff as assistant coaches to highlight a number of additions.
 
"I am very excited to welcome Beth (Spoehr), and welcome Gerice (Olson) back to our NDSU softball family," said Mueller, who enters his 16th year as head coach at NDSU with a 542-282 record.
 
"Both Gerice and Beth have been head coaches and bring a vast amount of knowledge, passion and enthusiasm," he continued. "They are both excellent fits for our program, and I am very confident they will help us continue to reach the standards and expectations of our program."
 
In addition, former graduate assistant/director of operations Kendall Grimm has moved to volunteer assistant coach. Three-time all-region second baseman Cheyenne Garcia takes over the graduate assistant/student manager position, while former players, Jenna Isbel, Logan Moreland and Jackie Stifter, will serve as student assistant coaches.
 
Olson has spent the past four years at Buffalo (Minn.) High School. She was an assistant coach for the Buffalo softball team that finished runner-up in the state tournament this past spring. The Bison qualified for the state tournament for the first time in program history in 2015.
 
"I am extremely grateful and honored to be given this opportunity to be a part of the winning tradition at NDSU," said Olson.
 
"The successes the team has had, both on and off the field, shows the commitment and dedication from the administration, coaches, and players. I am excited to be back at my alma mater and a part of the Bison family."
 
Prior to heading back to her hometown of Buffalo, Minn., Olson spent two seasons at UCF in Orlando, Fla., where the Knights compiled 61-51 record including a 26-22 ledger in Conference USA. The 2011 UCF team went 39-19 and advanced to the NCAA regional.
 
Olson spent five years (2006-10) as the head coach at NCAA Division II University of Mary, where she posted an overall record of 133-132 and led the Marauders to two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference postseason tournaments. She registered a winning record in four of the five seasons and a pair of student-athletes earned NFCA All-America honors.
 
Olson's head coaching career began at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., where she posted a 12-26 record in 2005. Olson served as a graduate assistant and then an assistant coach at South Dakota State University from 2002-04.
 
Her coaching resume includes a stop as the head girls' softball coach at Buffalo High School in 2002, while also having been a student assistant coach at North Dakota State, a two-time assistant with USA Athletes International and a camp instructor at both Fastpitch Softball Development and Triple Crown Sports.
 
Olson played softball at North Dakota State from 1997-2000 and was one of two seniors on NDSU's 2000 NCAA Division II national championship team. Olson earned a spot on the national championship and regional all-tournament teams. She was also a North Central Conference (NCC) Player of the Week for the Bison, and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic all-district second team selection, a four-time NFCA Scholar-Athlete and earned Academic All-NCC honors.
 
Olson graduated from North Dakota State in 2000 with a bachelor's of science in physical education and earned her masters of arts in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University at Irvine (Calif.).
 
Spoehr spent the past two seasons at Green Bay and compiled a 39-61 overall record and led the Phoenix to a 21-21 record in Horizon League. She also worked with Menasha Blue Jays and Appleton Rockers softball organizations.
 
"It is a tremendous opportunity to join the North Dakota State athletics family. I would like to thank Coach Mueller for providing me with the opportunity to work with such a phenomenal group of driven and passionate young women. I'm eager to work hard to continue to build upon the tradition of Bison softball and the championship culture that has been established here at North Dakota State," said Spoehr.
 
A native of Appleton, Wis., and a standout player at Appleton East High School, Spoehr went on to play collegiately at the University of Maine where she earned America East Conference all-rookie honors and all-academic accolades three times. Over four seasons, Spoehr posted a 3.77 ERA in 95 appearances with 54 starts for the Black Bears, striking out 208 over 360.1 innings of work.
 
After exhausting four years of eligibility, Spoehr spent a summer in Enköping, Sweden where she served as a pitcher and coach for the Enköping Softball Club. She also had the opportunity to travel as a volunteer assistant coach for the Sweden National Team at the European Softball Championships in Prague. 
 
Following the summer season, Spoehr returned to Maine where she served as an assistant for the softball program while completing her degree in kinesiology and physical and health education.
 
North Dakota State finished with a 39-15 record including 17-0 in the Summit League to claim its fifth straight regular season championship. The Bison won their third straight Summit League tournament title to advance to the NCAA tournament for the seventh time over the past eight seasons. The Bison reached 30 wins for the 10th straight year.