HELENA, Mont. – Carroll College Athletic Director Charlie Gross has announced that Aspen Herndon has been appointed the position of head softball coach at Carroll College.
Herndon, a Helena native, has been an assistant coach with the Fighting Saints from 2022-26, and will transition into the top spot effective immediately.
Over the past five seasons, Herndon has assisted in a variety of roles, most notably working with the Carroll pitchers. Herndon helped guide recent graduate Kennedy Venner, a three-time all-conference selection, in her pursuit of becoming the program's all-time leader in strikeouts. In recent years, Herndon has worked closely with Carroll Sports Medicine staff to coordinate pitching conditioning, while also creating year-round workouts designed specifically for pitchers.
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"Aspen has been a part of this program for the last four years as the pitching coach," said Gross. "In that time she has built meaningful relationships with team members, developed an understanding of the team's culture, and knows the type of student that is successful at Carroll. She cares deeply about this program and is extremely motivated and committed to raising its level of competitiveness and success."
Outside of the collegiate ranks, Herndon also brings plenty of experience in the club scene. Since 2016, she has been a head coach for various local fastpitch travel squads, ranging from 10u-18u. Her structured approach to identifying each players' strengths and weaknesses, implementation of individualized practice routines, and situational expertise in-game have led to multiple tournament championships and Montana State placements at each level. A large amount of her former athletes have since gone on to play collegiate softball at multiple different levels, including NAIA and NCAA Division I.
"I'm extremely excited to have this opportunity to lead here at Carroll," said Herndon. "I'm ready to get my boots on the ground and start working hard for these girls. It means a lot to me to be able to continue to grow and build relationships with these players."
"…We have the ability to be really good. We've got to get back to the basics a little bit – we have to do the little things really well to be successful in this conference and in the big picture. These girls are some of the hardest workers that I have ever coached, and I truly think the sky is the limit for this team."
Herndon has also been a career and college counselor at Capital High School for the last seven years, providing student support for postgraduate college and career exploration while working with community stakeholders to establish work-based learning connections and opportunities. Additionally, Herndon has assisted with coaching the CHS volleyball team for the past five years and has been a coordinator for both Bruin volleyball and football game operations since 2020.
