Patrick Henry Community College has named Roanoke College alum, Kari Whitney '00 as the third head coach of the college's softball program announced this week. Whitney, who also serves as the EMS paramedic program director at PHCC, will begin this summer in her additional role at the college.

Whitney knows a bit about the sport, both as a player and a coach. A former Cave Spring standout, Whitney was a two-time All-Timesland selection as a leftfielder for the Knights. She overcame a knee injury and led the Knights as team captain to the first AAA State Tournament appearance in school-history (1996).

As a member of the inaugural Roanoke College softball team (1997) Whitney was a huge part of the Maroons quick rise as one of the top programs in the country. She led the Maroons to the programs' first two ODAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances (1999 & 2000). She was the first player in the program to be named ODAC and Virginia State Player of the Year, NFCA All-South Region and NFCA Div. III All-America (Third-Team) following her senior year in 2000. For her contributions to the softball program, Whitney was inducted into the Roanoke College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, her first year eligible.

After graduation, she served as the assistant softball coach at Roanoke College (2001). In her only year at her alma mater, she guided the Maroons to their second-straight NCAA National Championship Series appearance in the programs' fifth season as a varsity sport.

The Roanoke, VA native went on to be the assistant softball coach at Radford University as well as the head coach at Radford during the 2002 season. While head coach, she posted an 11-13 record taking over midway through the season to finish strong. The highlight of that season was milestone win #200 for the Highlanders' program against Winthrop in a 3-0 victory (4/21/02).

Patrick Henry Community College is located in Martinsville, VA and is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Patriots finished 22-29 last season, claiming the Region X Tournament Championship and advanced to the District P Championship Series. Whitney inherits two first-team All-Region X selections in catcher Allison Pentony and outfielder Morgan Revels, in addition to three second-team honorees (Samantha Barton, Becca Hicks, and Lindsey Packard).