To say that John Conway's first season guiding the Saint Louis softball program was a successful one would be a monumental understatement. In 2007, he led the Billikens to a program-record 29 victories and their first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship, where they finished second. Conway's first Division I squad eclipsed seven individual and 18 team school records. After being selected sixth in the league's preseason coaches poll, Conway and SLU turned some heads by posting an 11-8 ledger in conference action en route to a third-place regular-season finish. The third-seeded Billikens then mounted an improbable run to the conference championship's title game. Saint Louis enjoyed continued success during Conway's second season, compiling 23 victories for the program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons since the 2002 and 2003 campaigns. A youthful Billiken squad qualified for its second straight A-10 Championship after finishing in a three-way tie for fourth place in the league standings with an 11-9 mark. A grueling non-conference slate at the start of the 2009 campaign, including five contests against ranked foes, helped prepare the Billikens for the A-10 regular season. SLU compiled a 12-6 league record to capture third-place honors, notching more A-10 wins than any other Billiken squad in program history. For the past three years, Saint Louis has finished among the national leaders in steals per game. The Billikens swiped 1.73 bases per game in 2007 to finish 22nd, and catapulted to No. 6 with a program-best 2.14 thefts per game in 2008. SLU finished 14th with 1.89 stolen bases per game last season. Conway has mentored Kristin Nicoletti, who has been instrumental in those rankings the past two seasons. Nicoletti is one of the best base stealers in the country, finishing 18th in the nation in 2008 with 0.60 steals per game and moving up to No. 13 with 0.67 thefts per contest last season. Conway has coached three of his players to A-10 first-team honors, while three have been named to the second team and four to the All-Rookie squad. Additionally, four Billikens have earned Academic All-Conference laurels during his tenure. Nine career, 29 season and 10 game school records have been eclipsed at SLU since Conway took over the program prior to the 2007 campaign. No stranger to the St. Louis softball scene, Conway came to SLU after spending four seasons at the helm of the softball program at NCAA Division III Fontbonne. Hired as head softball coach after the 2002 team won just three games, he wasted little time turning around the Fontbonne program. During his first season in 2003, Conway led the Griffins to a 23-14 overall record and a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) championship, which resulted in the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. For his efforts, Conway was tabbed SLIAC Coach of the Year and was named the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Coach of the Year. After a second-place finish in the SLIAC in 2004, the Griffins returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 after once again claiming the SLIAC Tournament crown. For the first time in school history, the Griffins surpassed the 30-win plateau with a 33-13 overall record, which included a 10-2 conference slate. Conway led Fontbonne to yet another NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006 after his squad broke the school record for wins for the third time in his four-year tenure. The Griffins finished 34-11 overall and posted an 11-1 record in conference play, as Conway earned SLIAC Coach of the Year accolades for the second time. In four seasons at Fontbonne, Conway put together a 117-51 record, including 40 wins in conference play and two victories in NCAA Tournament action, and three NCAA Division III Tournament berths. For more than 20 years, Conway has been heavily involved at the club level of the St. Louis softball scene. He has coached the highly touted St. Louis Chaos and St. Louis Sluggers summer select teams, and his clubs have made numerous Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and National Softball Association (NSA) regional and national appearances. Conway was also the head coach of the St. Louis All-Stars team that played the U.S. Olympic Team in St. Louis during its national tour in preparation for the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Summer Games. Conway received his undergraduate degree in business management/administration from Tarkio (Mo.) College in 1989. He and his wife, Kathy, have three children and reside in Manchester, Mo. |
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