Title: Head coach, Creighton
Sport: Fastpitch Softball
Career Record:

The architect of the most successful softball program in the Missouri Valley Conference over the last decade is Brent Vigness. Now in his 16th season at the helm of one of the Midwest’s finest programs, he has guided the Bluejays to five MVC regular-season titles (1998-2000, 2007-08), five MVC tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007), six NCAA regional appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08) and a place on the national scene, earning top 25 notice in recent years.

The Creighton softball team has captured more combined MVC regular- season and tournament titles since 1998 than any softball program inthe conference with 10 titles in that span. In both 2007 and 2008, Vigness led his teams to the MVC regular-season championship, while leading the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in both seasons. The longest tenured head coach in the Creighton athletic department, Vigness is among the top-40 active coaches in NCAA Division I softball with the most wins.

Under the leadership of Vigness, over the past 11 seasons Creighton’s winning percentage in conference play is an impressive .690. Since the beginning of the 1998 season, the Jays have gone 172-77-1 in league play, won five regular-season Valley titles and appeared in seven of the last 10 MVC tournament championship games. The 2008 team set a school record with 21 conference victories and in 2005 became just the second team in league history to win three consecutive tournament titles.

Vigness was tabbed the MVC Coach of the Year in 1998, after capturing the first of three straight MVC regular-season crowns with a 16-2 mark in Valley play. After claiming the 1999 MVC tournament title and an NCAA tournament appearance, Vigness again guided his team to a share of the 2000 regular-season title.

Vigness arrived in Omaha after leading Division II Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., to a 148-71-1 (.675) mark between 1989 and 1993. Vigness left as the winningest coach in Assumption College history. He guided the Lady Hounds to three consecutive 30-win seasons. Named the Northeast 10 Conference “Coach of the Year” in both 1989 and 1991 after leading the Lady Hounds to the league regular-season title, Vigness’ 1992 Assumption squad led all Division II teams in batting average, by hitting an amazing .370 for the season. From 1986 to 1988 Vigness served as a student assistant softball coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he graduated in 1988 with a bachelor of science degree in physical education and recreation. A two-year letterwinner in football at Central College, Vigness lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track at Nesco High School in Zearing, Iowa. As a senior, he was the captain of both the football and basketball teams and earned all-conference honors in both football and baseball.