A veteran coach, who is equal parts intense competitor, master psychologist and mother hen, Veronica Wiggins has been the architect of one of the more respected mid major Women’s Softball programs in NCAA Division One.
This native of Miami, Florida recently led the program to its’ 11th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in 2015, winning the league tournament in five games in a style reminiscent of her greatest teams: great pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting and base running.
Wiggins’ clubs employs slap hitting speedsters at the top and bottom of her order, with hitters in the middle of the lineup who are either slice golfers or distance drivers producing runs in the clutch.
When FAMU transitioned from slow-pitch to fastpitch softball in the late 1980s, Wiggins was a part of that transition process as a member of the staff headed by current Louisville coach Sandra Pearsall.
Even now, she serves as a mentor to younger coaches and has developed and maintained ties within the softball coaching community, something which has served her well, as she has consistently scheduled demanding non-conference opponents to test her players and prepare them for conference play, as well as postseason possibilities.
As focused as she is on sustaining the on-field success of her program, she is equally focused on the development and maturation of her players into confident and capable young women, overseeing the team’s academic study sessions and monitoring their academic progress throughout their time at FAMU.
In addition, she gets her team involved in community service activities throughout the year, and has held several softball clinics for area youngsters, which is in keeping with her passion for helping young people which came from her formative years as the eldest sister in her family, who helped raise here younger siblings.
Winner of over 700 games in her illustrious career, Wiggins has led FAMU Softball to a 258-90 record all-time in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, while guiding her charges into postseason play eleven times (1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, she has won the MEAC Outstanding Tournament Coach Award eight (8) times, and is a four-time MEAC Coach of the Year (1993, 1997, 1998, 2006).
Three of her players are members of the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame – pitcher Amber Alford (2013), who was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2012; along with pitcher Danielle Brown and third baseman Kimberly Browning, who were enshrined in September 2014.
Wiggins holds a B.S. degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from FAMU (1990), and earned an M.S. degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from FAMU (1991).
WIGGINS CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- 13 MEAC Softball Championships (1993-94-95; 1997-98-99; 2005-06; 2009; 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
- Eleven (11) NCAA Postseason Appearances (1995*, 1997*, 1998*, 1999+, 2005+, 2006+, 2009+, 2014+, 2015+, 2016+, 2017+)
- Eight (8) NCAA Regional Appearances (1999, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
- Four-Time MEAC Coach of the Year (1993, 1997, 1998, 2006)
- Nine-Time Outstanding MEAC Tournament Coach (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015)
*-NCAA Best-of-Three Play-In Series; +-NCAA Regionals
WIGGINS BY THE NUMBERS
Year Overall MEAC
2017 23-32-1*# 14-2
2016 27-30*# 11-5
2015 18-39*# 7-7
2014 24-27*# 9-6
2013 20-32 10-4
2012 28-29 10-4
2011 26-26 8-4
2010 30-24 7-5
2009 30-32*# 12-0
2008 16-40 5-7
2007 16-46 7-7
2006 40-25*# 14-0
2005 37-33*# 11-5
2004 34-31 14-2
2003 30-27 10-5
2002 30-30 10-6
2001 23-39 10-6
2000 28-31 10-4
1999 34-31*# 13-3
1998 38-35*@ 11-3
1997 43-22*@ 9-3
1996 33-34 12-0
1995 20-32*@ 10-2
1994 34-29* 12-0
1993 34-25* 12-0
1992 9-41 ………
TTLS 718-823 258-90
*-MEAC Champions; #-NCAA Regional berth; @-NCAA Play-In berth
