West Virginia State University Athletic Director
Nate Burton announced Allison Rager as the Assistant Softball Coach on July 28, 2020. Rager is an Elkview, W.Va. native that played softball at Herbert Hoover High School before going on to compete at NCAA Division I Morehead State for three seasons and DII Carson-Newman University for her senior year.
"[Allison] is very knowledgeable in the game of softball," said Interim Head Coach Nip Anderson. "She will have a big impact on our pitchers from day one."
Rager was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-State in all four of her years at Herbert Hoover. When she was named Player of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association in 2014, she recorded a .500 batting average, .564 on-base percentage, 53 runs, 20 doubles and 10 home runs while managing a 24-5 record, 0.95 ERA and 178 strikeouts in the circle.
Rager went on to play for D-I Morehead State after high school and made an immediate impact during her freshman campaign. She was named to the All-OVC Newcomer Team in addition to being selected for the All-OVC Tournament Team after allowing only three runs in 19.1 innings pitched. She was also named OVC Pitcher of the Week after throwing shutouts versus UT Martin and Southeast Missouri.
As a sophomore, Rager was selected First-Team All-OVC and named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. She was also named OVC Player of the Week after hitting .467 (7-for-15) with three home runs.
In her junior season, Rager played in 51 games with 50 starts, including 20 starts in the circle. She finished the year with a .262 batting average and posted a 10-10 pitching record with a 2.85 ERA.
Rager transferred to D-II Carson-Newman for her senior year and racked up the accolades. She was named South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-SAC in addition to being selected for the All-SAC Tournament Team, the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association First Team, and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Second Team.
Rager graduated from Carson-Newman with a 3.67 cumulative GPA, earning a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Sport Management. She joined the softball coaching staff upon graduation as a Graduate Assistant and Pitching Coach. She was working on a Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing before getting the call up to be a full-time assistant on the West Virginia State coaching staff.
