Daugherty Announces Hirings of Assistant Coaches Burch and Hanson

BIRMINGHAM – UAB Head Softball Coach A.J. Daugherty has announced the hiring of Sallie Beth Burch and Mollie Hanson as his assistants entering the 2022-23 season.

Burch joins UAB from Jacksonville State and will serve as the Associate Head Coach. Hanson comes to Birmingham from Florida Gulf Coast and will be the pitching coach. Both have strong ties to the state of Alabama as Burch played collegiately at Jacksonville State and Hanson at Samford.

Burch reunites with Daugherty after working on his staff at Wallace State from 2016-19. Most recently, Burch was the assistant coach at Jacksonville State for the last three years. The Gamecocks were 67-58 in her time there, including a mark of 31-24 last season.

She earned an Associates degree at Wallace State in 2009 before finishing her playing career at JSU. She is a two-time graduate of Jacksonville State with an undergrad degree in Education (2012) and a Master's degree in Sport Management (2014).

As a player, Burch won a NJCAA National Championship in 2008 at Wallace State, and went on to be named First Team All-OVC in 2010 and led JSU to back-to-back OVC Championships in 2010 and 2011.

"We instantly improve with Sallie Beth's addition to the staff," Daugherty said. "Sallie Beth's passion and knowledge is undeniable. After a successful playing career, she has resolved to positively impact the next generation of players. Her growth mindset is a huge asset and we are so fortunate that she is a Blazer."

Hanson was at Florida Gulf Coast last season as the pitching coach and previously served in the same capacity at Mercer from 2017-2021. Most notably, she helped Mercer to an overall record of 33-19 in 2018.

Hanson was a standout pitcher at Samford who earned Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors in 2016 and led the Bulldogs to the Southern Conference Championship. She was the Southern Conference Tournament MVP and an NCAA All-Region selection that season. Hanson is Samford's career leader in wins (72) and ranks second in career strikeouts.

She started her coaching career at Samford as a graduate assistant before heading to Mercer for four seasons.

"Mollie is no stranger to success in the circle. She knows what it takes to compete at an elite level and has extensive knowledge about developing pitchers. Her name is all over the record books from her playing career and she comes highly recommended. We are very grateful that she will be wearing the Green and Gold.