Kathryn Bzdafka enters her third season as the head coach for the Davenport University softball program in 2023-24.
In the 2023 season, her second year at the helm of the program, the Panthers finished 13-32 with a 7-15 record in GLIAC play, entering the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed. Gabby Palazollo and Hayley Kreiger both earned All-Region honors for Davenport, while five players were named to an All-GLIAC team.
During her first season leading the Panthers, the Davenport squad claimed the highest in-conference batting average in the D2 era, hitting .316 during the campaign. The Panthers also increased offensively in batting average, hits, doubles, RBIs, total bases, and on base percentage. In the circle, the 2022 pitching staff also excelled, showing improvements in ERA, fewer runs allowed, fewer earned runs, fewer wild pitches, increased strikeouts, fewer homeruns allowed, fewer walks allowed, decreased hit batters by 50%, and increased wins. Rachel Griffin was Davenport’s first ever 2022 GLIAC Player of the Year, also earning the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award and earning second team All-Region recognition. The Panthers excelled academically as well, earning the third highest team GPA in all of Division II softball (3.789). Eighteen Panthers were named Easton/NFCA All-American Scholar Athletes.
Prior to Davenport, Bzdafka spent six seasons at Malone University, taking over a program that had only won four games the previous season. Bzdafka’s Pioneers statistically increasing every aspect of the program each consecutive year. In just her second campaign in 2017, she guided the program to a G-MAC Tournament appearance where they registered their first postseason victory since 2002. Bzdafka and Malone followed that up with a 15-19 record in 2018, the program's best winning percentage (.441) in eight seasons. That momentum carried into 2019 when Bzdafka achieved a record of 23-17, the first winning record for the program since 2002. Then, in the postseason, Bzdafka led the Pioneers to a pair of wins as they advanced to the G-MAC Tournament semifinals for the first time ever. Most recently in 2021, Malone's ascension continued with an overall record of 24-11-1, a 15-7 mark in league play and second-straight appearance in the G-MAC Tournament.
Bzdafka helped develop the 2021 GMAC Female Athlete of the year, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Midwest Regional Player of the Year, as well as one first-team and two second-team All-Region players. Bzdafka was tabbed 2021 GMAC Coach of the Year. Numerous Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week honors were also accumulated throughout her time at Malone. Bzdafka also helped mentor Malone’s first ever NFCA/ D2CCA First Team All-American as well as one of the top fifteen Schutt Sports Division 2 National Player of the Year nominees who was also ranked one of the top nine hitters in the country. Malone was the only team in the conference to earn two NFCA National Player of the Week honors in 2021. Additionally, Malone had a player receive the GMAC Elite 23 award for academic excellence as well as another player earning Academic All-American honors. As a team, Malone was ranked nationally in multiple hitting categories throughout the year, such as batting average, doubles per game, homeruns per game, scoring and slugging percentage, and on base percentage. Kelsey Byers won 22 games in the circle for Malone, striking out 223 during the 2021 campaign. She was nationally ranked for strikeouts, victories, walks allowed per seven innings, and complete games. During Bzdafka’s time at Malone, the program broke records for winning percentage, team batting average, homeruns, slugging percentage, and the first ever perfect game thrown by a Pioneer.
Prior to returning to her alma mater, Bzdafka served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio for two seasons. Bzdafka was NDC's hitting and outfield coach during the 2014-15 seasons, helping guide the Falcons to a Mountain East Conference Tournament Championship in 2015. She worked with numerous all-conference players at Notre Dame including center fielder Kelsey Coleman, who was named to the 2015 NCAA Division II All-America Team in addition to being tabbed as the 2015 Division II Atlantic Region Player of the Year.
Before the two-year stint with NDC, Bzdafka served as Fairview (Ohio) High School's varsity head coach from 2010-13 and as Elyria Catholic High School's pitching instructor from 2009-11. From 2011-14, she was the head softball coach for Cleveland RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner-cities), a community program funded by the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Baseball Federation that gives inner-city high school students an opportunity to compete at a high level of softball and gain national exposure.
Bzdafka, a 2004 graduate of Avon Lake High School and member of the Pioneers from 2005-08, was a three-time All-AMC (American Mideast Conference) selection as a shortstop and pitcher. She garnered NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) All-America Honorable Mention accolades following the 2006 season.
Bzdafka is the fourth coach in program history after spending six seasons at Malone University of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), also a member of the NCAA Division II Midwest Region.
"Kathryn has proven herself as a competitor and dedicated mentor in her previous roles," said Associate Director of Athletics/SWA/Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Ronda Varnesdeel. "Her passion for student-athletes and pride in being an ambassador for the game of softball was evident in the interview process. The Davenport softball program has built an impressive history and it was clear that Kathryn is the right leader to help to continue to build on the strong foundation that has been created."
"I would like to thank Paul Lowden and Ronda Varnesdeel for the opportunity to become a Panther," said Bzdafka. "Davenport softball has a rich tradition of excellence and I am both honored and humbled to be a part of this community. I have an incredible amount of respect for the players and coaches who built this program and I look forward to continuing to build Davenport's legacy. I'm excited to meet the players and get to work!"
Bzdafka graduated from Malone in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Integrated Language Arts and then earned a master's degree from Notre Dame College in 2015. While completing her M. Ed., Bzdafka created a technology leadership program designed to develop and empower the millennial generation of softball players.
