Auburn University announced a unique hire for its college softball team on Wednesday morning. Instead of hiring just one person to serve as the lone head coach, the Tigers hired a literal married couple to serve as co-head coaches!
The unusual move comes after Mickey Dean stepped down at the conclusion of the 2024 season after some controversy involving former players.
Believe it or not, this kind of coaching move is actually not super uncommon in college softball. Tennessee famously had both Ralph and Karen Weekly at the helm from 2002 to 2021.
And that is also where Auburn’s new head coaches came from!
Chris Malveaux and Kate Malveaux, formerly Kate Singler, worked with the Vols in each of the last three seasons. The former was the hitting coach. The latter worked with the catchers and was in charge of baserunning.
In meeting with Chris and Kate, it was obvious that their synergy was an indomitable force. Their contributions to Tennessee’s success over the past three seasons are undeniable. We’re so excited to welcome Chris, Kate and their family to Auburn.
— Auburn AD John Cohen
Even though this kind of co-hire is not ground-breaking, per say, it is still rather unusual from an outsider’s perspective. Having a husband and wife working together as co-head coaches is a weird concept, even if it technically isn’t weird for the sport. Their symbiotic relationship is too strong to separate! Where one goes, so does the other.
Chris Malveaux is considered one of the top offensive minds in collegiate softball. Six Lady Vols earned All-SEC accolades last season. All-American KiKi Milloy became Tennessee’s leader in home runs, runs scored and total bases. Three of the school’s top five single-season home run totals were mashed under the Malveauxs’ guidance.
Kate Malveaux joined the staff in Knoxville as a volunteer assistant, which is also (unfortunately) common in college diamond sports. She was elevated to her full-time role prior to this past season. First-year catcher Sophia Nugent earned All-SEC honors. All of the team’s catchers committed only two errors all season, combined. Meanwhile, the Lady Vols stole at least 50 bases in all three of the last three seasons.
Auburn announced that Chris and Kate Malveaux will take over for Dean on Wednesday. Dean had been accused of mistreatment by his former players in the past. It is unclear as to whether his decision to leave the school was related to past allegations and the controversy they created.
Either way, the Tigers went from having one head coach to two head coaches!