Moon Township, Pa. – Head Coach
Jexx Varner of the RMU softball program announced Monday that Samantha Santillo '15 has been named an assistant coach with the Colonials.
"I'm beyond thrilled to bring Sam back to RMU and add her to our coaching staff," Varner said. "I honestly believe this is a great example of what we are building here and what a great place RMU is, as we now have three alums on staff. Sam's energy will be a great fit for the program. Her expertise and experience are valuable assets that this team will soak up and thrive off of."
Santillo returns to RMU after spending the last four years in New Rochelle, N.Y., as head coach at Monroe College, an NJCAA Division I program. In her first season at the helm in 2019, the Mustangs finished with an overall record of 24-16 (.600), establishing a program single-season record for victories. Monroe earned an 11-6 victory over No. 6 seed USC Sumter in the first round of the 2019 Region X Championship Tournament.
Prior to taking the head coach position with the Mustangs, Santillo, a native of Ellwood City, Pa., served as head coach for a pair of Pittsburgh, Pa., high schools, including Carlynton (2015-16) and North Catholic (2016-18). She also serves as a private catching instructor, tutoring student-athletes in the mechanics of blocking, throwing and framing.
Santillo was a four-year letterwinner for the Colonials from 2012-15, helping RMU amass an overall record of 115-87-1 (.569) during her time as a student-athlete. The Colonials claimed three Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championships (2012, 2013, 2015) during that span, and Santillo was named the NEC Golden Glove Winner each of the first three years the conference handed out the award (2012, 2013, 2014). She remains the only three-time winner of the NEC Golden Glove in league history.
"Sam's love and loyalty for this University and this program are unmatched, making her the perfect addition to help push us to the next level," Varner said. "Her former teammates and coaches rave about her game sense as well as her passion, and those are on display every time she steps on the field. Sam's work ethic and game IQ will be a huge help as she leads our pitching staff through the next stages of development. I'm very excited to see this great pitching staff grow under her tutelage."
Named to the 2012 All-NEC Second Team as a rookie, Santillo is the last member of the Colonials to post a perfect fielding percentage during a season, tying the single-season mark of 1.000 in 2014. She also owns RMU career records for putouts (1,110) and fielding percentage (.994), as Santillo made just seven errors in 1,213 total chances during her career. In one of the finest defensive seasons in program history as part of her perfect 1.000 fielding percentage campaign in 2014, Santillo threw out 15 of 16 baserunners trying the steal.
Led by Varner, RMU posted an overall record of 31-21 (.596) during the 2022 season, including a mark of 16-9 (.640) in the Horizon League, and advanced to the championship game of the 2022 #HLSB Tournament. It marked the first 30-win campaign for the Colonials since 2013.
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