GREENVILLE, Ill. - Greenville University elevated assistant coach Ivan Estevez to his newest position as the head coach of the Panther softball program. Estevez spent the 2022 season as assistant coach for the Panther softball team that qualified for the SLIAC tournament championship game.
The Panthers concluded the 2022 season with an overall record of 22-21 and only graduated two seniors - first team all-conference pitcher Alison Klaus and second team all-conference outfielder Morgan Wendling. Greenville will feature six all-conference players - pitcher Melissa Bernal; infielders Mia Boyd, Desirae Yost, and Madi Case; utility player Jaclyn Belzer; and outfielder Emma Funk - who return for the 2023 season.
Estevez coached softball at Greenville University during the tenure of two head coaches - Brian Reinhard and Angela Sheets - and served as a head softball coach at both Bond County high schools, Mulberry Grove and Greenville, early in his teaching career. He currently teaches Spanish at Greenville High School.
Estevez has also been an assistant coach for the highly successful Greenville University women's volleyball program that qualified for four of its six NCAA Division III national tournament appearances during his tenure as an assistant coach.
Estevez is a 1998 graduate of Greenville College with a bachelor's degree in physical education and Spanish, and he received a master of arts in education from Greenville University in 2021. He and his wife Lourdes reside in Greenville, and they are the parents of Daniel, Isabella, and Sophia.
As part of the transition, Estevez appointed Stefan Neece, a former Greenville University baseball NCAA Division III first team All-American and current chief of police for the City of Greenville, as assistant coach. Neece graduated from Greenville in 2010.
Also joining Estevez on the coaching staff will be Hannah Hoffmann, a 2021 Greenville University graduate, who stood out on the softball diamond in 2020 and 2021. In two seasons competing for the Panthers, Hoffmann hit .394 with 26 RBI in 35 games and received third team all-conference honors in 2021.
