Gibson to guide Ave Maria softball
Keith Gibson is the first coach of women’s fastpitch intercollegiate softball at Ave Maria University.
Gibson, a Cape Coral resident, started the program as an informal club sport at Ave Maria late last year. He was an assistant softball coach at North Fort Myers High School and formerly coached the Cape Coral Lightning and Lee County Rage youth fastpitch travel teams and the Cape Crusaders travel baseball team.
He also held coaching positions with several Little League teams in the area and his daughter, Casey Gibson, starred at North High (2001-04) and played at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Ave Maria athletics director Brian Scanlan said Wednesday the university’s expanding intercollegiate athletics program will add baseball, softball and women’s golf next academic year.
Those three sports will bring the university’s athletic program to nine teams affiliated with the NAIA and compete in the Sun Conference in the fall.