University of North Carolina Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach: Hitting & Infield
Kumar joined the Carolina coaching staff September 7, 2010 and she is in her first season with North Carolina softball. Kumar, a former softball standout at Georgia Tech, joins Carolina after serving as an assistant coach for the last five seasons at the University of Tulsa.
Kumar's duties will include overseeing the infield and serving as the hitting coach. She has assisted Tulsa to their first two Conference USA Regular Season and Tournament Championships, three NCAA Regionals, and the school's first NFCA All-American. In Kumar's time at Tulsa, the softball program has set more than ten school records.
"I am excited to welcome Kirin Kumar to our staff. She will primarily work with our infield and hitters and will be in charge of our camps and clinics. I had the opportunity to coach against her in the ACC when she played at Georgia Tech. She was an outstanding player and during her career was a part of very successful run of championships there," said head coach Donna J. Papa.
"She has been a part of building a program at Tulsa and brings great energy and enthusiasm to our program. Additionally, she brings a wealth of hitting knowledge having played for and worked with two outstanding hitting coaches in Ehren Earleywine and John Bargfeldt," Papa added.
Kumar graduated from Georgia Tech in May 2005 with a degree in business management and minor in finance. She earned dean's list honors in every year of her academic career at Georgia Tech.
Kumar was a starting utility player for the Yellow Jackets for four seasons, playing a total of six positions. The Santa Ana, Calif., native assisted the Yellow Jackets to an NCAA Regional in all four years of her career. Kumar and Georgia Tech won two ACC regular season and tournament titles from 2002-2005.
In her senior campaign, starting 61 of the team's 65 games, she finished fourth on the squad with a .322 batting average with six doubles and 20 RBI. Kumar also posted a .348 on-base percentage and a .986 fielding percentage, and was the 14th toughest player in the country to strike out as a senior. During the postseason, she led the Ramblin' Wreck with a .353 batting average, including a .500 average at the ACC Tournament while earning a spot on the all-tournament team.
In her career, Kumar played in 251 games, ranking second all-time at Georgia Tech. Her senior class also graduated as the winningest class in Tech history, while leading Tech to its first two ACC titles and four straight NCAA appearances.
The Santa Ana, Calif., product also participated with the Amateur Softball Association for 10 years. Kumar earned national titles with ASA in 1994 (10U team), 1996 (14U) and 1998 (16U). Kumar won back-to-back national championships with the 23U squad in 2003 and 2004. Kumar earned first team all-american accolades in 2003 & 2004, along with the batting title in 2003.
