Melissa Bieman Position: Assistant Coach Experience: Fourth Season Alma Mater: Syracuse '01

Melissa Bieman enters her fourth season as an assistant coach at Stony Brook. Bieman's main responsibility is to work with the Seawolves' pitchers, a staff that has experienced unprecedented success since her arrival in 2007.

During her time at Stony Brook, the Seawolves pitching staff has averaged a 2.38 ERA and a .630 winning percentage. In 2008, Bieman guided the Seawolves to breaking two school records as Alyssa Struzenberg won 24 games and Casey Jacobs recorded four saves. Struzenberg also won the America East Pitcher of the Year award, which was a first in school history. As a staff, the Seawolves recorded a combined 340 strikeouts in 2008, the most by any Stony Brook rotation since 2002.

Prior to Stony Brook, Bieman was an assistant coach at Binghamton University, working with the pitchers and hitters, including her sister, Mia. Before Binghamton, Bieman was the pitching coach at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage from 2002-2005. Briarcliffe qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World Series in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, Briarcliffe finished third at the NJCAA World Series.

Bieman began her collegiate playing career at the Florida Community College at Jacksonville. In her freshman year at F.C.C.J., Bieman led the nation in ERA with a 0.26 along with a 23-4 record and 198 strikeouts and earned all-state and all conference honors. A preseason All-American selection, Bieman went 14-5 in her sophomore year and was chosen all-state and all-conference for the second consecutive year. Bieman transferred to Syracuse University in its inaugural season. Bieman recorded the first home run, hit and shutout in the program's history. Bieman started in all 48 games in 2000 and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Consumer Studies.

Following a stellar collegiate career, Bieman played for the Waitakere Bears of the New Zealand Women's Premier Softball League. Bieman was the Bears' MVP in 2001 and represented Auckland in the National Softball Tournament, earning All-Tournament Team. In 2002 and 2003, Bieman was selected to attend the Canadian Women's National Softball Team tryouts.

Bieman was inducted into the North Huron Community Center Wall of Fame in July of 2004. Bieman won double gold at the Provincial Women's Softball Association Championships and the Canadian Women's National Softball Championshps in Montreal in the summer of `06. Bieman won gold again in 2009, leading the Kitchner Krush to the Canadian Senior Women's Fastpitch Championship.