Current Gustavus softball coach Jeff Annis and former Gustavus softball player Sara Medved Smude were inducted into the Minnesota Softball Coaches Hall of Fame on Thursday, February 5 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Annis has been the head coach at Gustavus since the 2006 season, while Smude was a pitcher for the Gusties from 2002 until 2004.
Annis was honored for his long and successful tenure as the softball coach at Maple River High School. During his 22 years as the head softball coach at Maple River, Annis compiled a record of 463-84. He directed his teams to 21 Valley Conference titles and 15 state tournament appearances. His teams won state titles in 1992, 1996, and 2001. Annis was named Minnesota Softball Coaches Association (MSCA) Coach of the Year three times and Section Coach of the year six times. He served as secretary/treasurer of the MSCA from 1986 to 1991 and then as president from 1991 to 1993. In his three seasons at Gustavus, Annis has directed the Gusties to a mark of 93-27 and three consecutive MIAC Playoff appearances. The Gusties compiled their first 30-win season in program history during Annis’ first season in 2006 with a record of 31-9 and won 32 games in 2007 and 30 games in 2008. Since arriving at Gustavus, Annis and the team have broken numerous offensive, pitching, and defensive team records. He has coached six players who have garnered 11 all-conference honors, one two-time Academic All-American, and one overseas professional player, Joyce DeWitz.
Smude was inducted for her success as a pitcher at Totino-Grace High School from 1997-2000. During her standout career at Totino-Grace, Smude was a four-time All-Conference and All-Region performer, as well as earning All-Metro and All-State honors in both her junior and senior seasons. She played on three conference championship teams and the 1999 squad finished third at the State Tournament where Smude was selected to the All-State Tournament Team. She compiled a career high school record of 71-26 with 773 strikeouts. In addition, Smude recorded 29 complete game shutouts in her junior and senior seasons. While at Gustavus, she was a three-year starter on the mound and in the field and helped the 2003 squad win the MIAC Championship with a record of 21-1. During that season she posted a record of 10-3 on the mound, while hitting for an average of .279.