Kutztown University Athletics

Judy Lawes completed her 38th season as head softball coach at Kutztown University in 2025.

Lawes has had a winning record in 36 of her 38 seasons at KU and holds an overall record of 1,175-664-2 (.639), third among active Division II coaches in victories. All-time, Lawes ranks seventh in victories entering the 2026 season.

The Golden Bears had another strong season in 2025, finishing with 43 victories, their most since 2012. They were NCAA Regional champions for the second straight season and third in the last four, advancing to Super Regionals. 

In 2024, Kutztown won at least 30 games for the fifth consecutive season and earned spots in the PSAC and NCAA DII Tournaments. KU advanced out of the Atlantic Regionals to the Super Regional for the second time in three seasons and was within one win of making it to NCAA Championships.

The Golden Bears won 30 games in 2023 and qualified for both the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments. They went 22-10 in conference and won a game in both tournaments.

The 2022 season was one of the best for KU in the last decade. The Golden Bears won their second PSAC championship in program history and advanced to the NCAA Atlantic Regional final, finishing with a 40-15 (.724) overall record, the seventh time in program history they reached 40 wins in a season.

Lawes won her 1,000th career game in a 12-1 victory at Bloomsburg on March 21, 2021. Her 2021 Golden Bears won the PSAC East Division title and qualified for the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament, winning 33 games along the way.

Lawes has led the Golden Bears to all 23 of their appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including in each of the last five seasons. She guided them to three-straight appearances in 1994-96 and then every year from 2000-13. Lawes has also directed KU to 24 PSAC playoff appearances.

Lawes is a nine-time PSAC East Coach of the Year (1989, 1994, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2021, 2022). She has won the PSAC East title nine times – a share of the title in 1994, 2010 and 2017, and an outright title in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2021 and 2022, winning the program's first-ever PSAC Championship in 2013 and bringing home the second in 2022.
 
On the regional level, Kutztown has won three Atlantic Region titles under Lawes, whose staff was named the 2012 Regional Staff of the Year after winning a school-record 52 games and 22 in the PSAC East. KU appeared at the NCAA National Championships in 2012 and 2013, including an appearance in the national title game in 2013.
 
Lawes also garnered the KU Female Coach of the Year award in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2022 - presented to the KU Coach of the Year for women's athletics.
 
Academically, Lawes' Golden Bears set a program-record in 2021 with 18 PSAC Scholar-Athletes.

In 2013, Kutztown won its first-ever PSAC Championship and its second consecutive Atlantic Region Championship. It carried a 14-game winning streak and a perfect 12-0 mark in the postseason to the national championship game. It was KU's 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the first time KU softball competed in the national title game.

Lawes won her 800th career game on May 1, 2013, in the opening game of the PSAC Championship Tournament. As of the 2013 season, Lawes was the 19th NCAA Division II coach to reach the 800-win mark. 

Lawes led the Golden Bears to six consecutive 40-win seasons from 2007-12, and set a program-record with 52 wins and a 33-game winning streak in 2012. The Golden Bears were ranked second in the NFCA top 25 poll, the highest mark in school history, before finishing the season ranked third in the final NFCA poll. KU won both the Atlantic Regional and Atlantic Super Regional. At the NCAA National Championships, Kutztown advanced all the way to the national semifinals, before falling to the eventual national champions. Coach Lawes and her staff were awarded the Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the NFCA.

The Golden Bears completed their 2012 season with a 52-7 overall record that included a 19-1 mark in conference action. Kutztown won the PSAC East and also captured the Atlantic Regional title. Lawes was named the 2012 PSAC East Coach of the Year. Lawes also notched her 750th career win on March 17, 2012, in a 7-0 victory over the University of the Sciences.

Stand-Out Players Recruited by Coach Lawes:
2022 PSAC Tournament MVP - Kate Ostaszewski
2022 East Pitcher of the Year - Bridget Bailey
2021 East Freshman of the Year - Brianna Hughes
2019 East Athlete of the Year -  Sara Keeny
2019 East Freshman of the Year - Bridget Bailey
2017 East Pitcher of Year - Savannah Nierintz
2016 East Freshman of Year - Sara Keeny
2013 East Athlete of Year - Brianna Knipe
2012 Division II Ron Lentz Pitcher of the Year – Sam Derr
2012 East Pitcher of Year – Sam Derr
2012 East Freshman of Year – Mary Kocienski
2011 East Athlete of Year – Nicole Henninger
2010 East Pitcher of Year – Kait Arbogast
2010 East Freshman of Year – Katie Lynch
2009 East Athlete of Year – Stephanie Denlinger
2009 East Pitcher of Year – Kait Arbogast
2008 East Athlete of Year – Ashley Fitzgerald
2007 East Pitcher of Year – Kait Arbogast
2007 East Athlete of Year – Stephanie Denlinger
2007 East Rookie of Year – Kait Arbogast
2006 East Rookie of Year – Stephanie Denlinger
2000 East Rookie of Year – Kellie Evans
1998 East Rookie of Year – Tara White

NCAA Statistical Leaders
2014 Colleen Smith - NCAA Division II Consecutive Walks Record
2009 Stephanie Denlinger – Holds Division II Career HR Record
1994 Lorie Erie – Division II Statistical Champion – Stolen Bases

Lawes came to KU in 1987 as head softball and women’s tennis coach and assistant women’s basketball coach. She held the basketball position until 1990 and the tennis position until 1991.

A graduate of Shippensburg University, Lawes received her bachelor’s degree in communications in 1984 and her master’s degree in counseling/student personnel from Shippensburg in 1987. In October 2001, she was inducted into Shippensburg’s Athletic Hall of Fame for her record-setting accomplishments as a softball and tennis player.

Lawes and her husband, Robert, have a daughter, Rachel, a 2016 KU graduate and alumna of the softball program, and a son, Ryan.