Success, hard work, dedication and leadership are the hallmark of Sandy Douglas and her now 27-year career as head softball coach at Mount Union.

Those four qualities all rang true for the Purple Raiders in 2008 as Douglas led the squad to a school-record 38 wins, an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title and advanced to the semifinals of an NCAA Regional.  

On the softball diamond, she has led Mount Union to 18 seasons of 20 or more victories with six NCAA Tournament appearances, an OAC regular season title in 1998 and OAC Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and 2008.  She is one of only 16 active coaches in the country with over 500 career victories (598-361, .623).  

Douglas also had a 19-year run (1986-2005) as head volleyball coach at Mount Union where she compiled a 338-310 overall record.

As impressive as her leadership has been on the field, it is equally impressive off the field as she is a lecturer in the department of human performance and sport business, senior women’s administrator within the athletic department and past president of the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Douglas has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Salem (W. Va.) International University in 1981 and a master’s degree in sport psychology in 1983 from Syracuse (N.Y.) University.

 “I have been very fortunate to spend a good deal of my adult life working at Mount Union,” noted Douglas.  “This is an excellent Division III environment – both from a classroom and student-athlete standpoint.  I have had the pleasure of coaching many outstanding athletes, who have excelled on the field, on the court and in their chosen field of study.  Hopefully, I can continue to contribute to the Mount Union community for many years to come.

Meghan Simons enters her second year as an assistant softball coach at Mount Union.

Simons is very familiar with the Purple Raiders as she started 122 games for Mount Union wrapping up as the team's top hitter (.415 batting average) in 2010 on her way to All-OAC First Team and All-Central Region honors.  She also was part of a 2008 squad that set the school single-season win record, won the OAC Tournament and made it to the semifinals of an NCAA Regional.

The Minerva, Ohio, native also lettered in basketball at Mount Union before graduating with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Ed Vargo is in his first season as an assistant softball coach at Mount Union.

Vargo spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Erie College after a successful 15-year stint at Walsh University which included four conference championships and three NAIA regional titles.

Serving as the Cavaliers’ head coach from 1994-2009, Vargo led his team to the NAIA National Championships three times, including a seventh-place finish in 2000. He helped develop seven NAIA and NFCA All-Americans during his tenure and was named conference coach of the year four times and regional coach of the year in 2000.

Prior to coaching at Walsh, Vargo served as an assistant coach at Malone College and started the softball program at Jackson-Milton High School where he won a pair of league championships. He also served as an assistant at South Range High School.

Vargo earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Kent State, specializing in computer science. He went on to earn a master’s degree in education from the University of Akron and served in the United States Navy. He and his wife, Pat, reside in Akron.