More than 100 members of the Irish softball family gathered on the grounds of Melissa Cook Stadium for Saturday's special ceremony.
Awards & Honors 2002, 2004 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year 2002, 2004 NFCA Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year
Arguably the best all-around catcher in Irish history, Kris Ganeff is now in her 10th year of work with the Notre Dame softball program, this season on the sidelines as an assistant coach. Ganeff spearheads the recruiting efforts for the Irish, which annually attracts the top players from across the nation. In addition to being the program's recruiting coordinator, she also runs and directs Notre Dame's camps and clinics.
A key member of the 2002 and 2004 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, Ganeff works closely with each player on hitting and defense while specializing in the development of the Irish catchers. In fact, she helped mold catcher Mallorie Lenn into an all-BIG EAST performer in 2004 - a season in which the Irish also finished with a 49-20 record and took home the conference championship. Then in 2008, the Irish were without a catcher when starter Sadie Pitzenberger's season was cut short due to injury. Ganeff took freshman utility player Erin Marrone, who had never played catcher before in her career, under her wing and to call the shots for all-region pitcher Brittney Bargar. Marrone saw action in 55 contests for Notre Dame that season and did not commit a single error in the field or behind the plate.
Ganeff has been a pivotal cog in aiding the development of the Irish bats and batteries as Notre Dame has posted seven school records since her first season on staff. The 2002 team set a school mark for runs (318) and home runs (54); the 2003 team posted the highest fielding percentage in school history (.974); the 2004 group logged a program-best 52 complete games and 22 double plays, and the 2005 squad set marks for strikeouts (547) and strikeouts per seven innings (8.74).
The Irish went on to rewrite the record books during their 2009 BIG EAST Championship-winning campaign: runs (2nd - 310), doubles (3rd - 90), home runs (1st - 66), RBI (1st - 282), total bases (1st - 748), slugging pct. (1st - .501), walks (1st - 152), on-base pct. (2nd - .371) and complete games (3rd - 46).
Yet again in 2010, Notre Dame posted another landmark season with the help of Ganeff aiding the Irish sluggers. Notre Dame finished 2010 with a 47-12 mark and set single-season program records with a nation-leading batting average (.343), runs (369), doubles (103), home runs (75), RBI (337), total bases (878), slugging pct. (.590) and on-base pct. (.409). The Irish were second among NCAA teams with 1.75 doubles/game and fourth in slugging pct. In regular season BIG EAST play, the Irish ranked first in slugging percentage (.635), runs scored (150), RBI (134), doubles (46), home runs (31) and total bases (330).
What's more, defenders under Ganeff's watch produced a .978 fielding pct. in 2010, the nation's fifth-best mark which was also good for a school record.
Ganeff completed her Notre Dame career by earning all-BIG EAST and all-NFCA Mideast Region honors in 1999. She hit a career-high seven home runs in her final season while snagging out 16 attempted steals from behind the plate.
Ganeff was drafted by the Virginia Roadsters of the Women's Professional Softball League after graduating from Notre Dame in 1999, though the former Irish team captain and MVP instead chose to head into the coaching ranks by taking an assistant position at UNLV.
Prior to the 2006 season she was promoted to the first assistant position with the Irish.
The shift paid off well for all parties involved - Ganeff would assume full control of the team during the first three weeks of the season and led the team to a 7-6 record while head coach Deanna Gumpf was on maternity leave.
"Moving Kris into the first assistant position was an easy decision because of her coaching strengths and love of the team and University," said Gumpf.
"Kris and I complement each other well. We see things from different angles and have the ability to find a common ground. She has a strong desire to help our program get to the highest level possible."
A native of Westerville, Ohio, Ganeff earned a bachelor's degree in history from Notre Dame and completed her master's degree in physical education from Ball State in 2009. The former Kris McCleary has been married to John Ganeff since 2002, and the couple resides in South Bend with their daughters, Deven and Hayden.
