Sharonda McDonald-Kelley - Staff Directory - Michigan State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Sharonda McDonald-Kelley

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Head Coach
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Sharonda McDonald-Kelley was named the head coach at Michigan State in June of 2022 and the 2026 season will be her fourth as the mentor for the Spartan softball program.

Under McDonald-Kelley’s guidance, the Spartans have produced 23 different top-ten single-game offensive or pitching performances, and another four single-season top-15 efforts in her three seasons. In addition, 31 athletes have earned Academic All-Big Ten kudos, and 10 have captured Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. In the last two years, three athletes have earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honors: both Hannah Hawley (First Team) and Britian Beshears (Second Team) in 2024, and Kaelin Cash (Second Team) in 2025. The Spartans have produced a 50-89 overall record over the last three seasons, and she owns a seven-year head coaching record of 152-172.

McDonald-Kelley guided Campbell to a 101-81 record over her four seasons, winning Big South tournament titles with the Camels in 2021 and 2022. McDonald-Kelley’s teams went 50-19 in Big South play and advanced to NCAA Regionals in each of the last two seasons, marking two of the five times a Campbell team has reached the NCAA Tournament since 1986. In 2021, McDonald-Kelley was named Big South Coach of the Year after her team won both the Big South regular season and tournament titles.

In four seasons at Campbell, McDonald-Kelley coached 15 All-Big South honorees, including seven on the All-Big South First Team, six on the All-Big South Second Team and two honorable mentions. In 2021, outfielder Destini England earned Big South Player of the Year and Third Team All-Southeast Region honors under McDonald-Kelley’s watch.

Prior to Campbell, McDonald-Kelley spent the first 10 years of her coaching career as an assistant coach at Ohio State, Florida, Texas Tech, LSU, Ohio and Texas Southern. McDonald-Kelley also served as head coach of the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League in 2017.

During her lone season at Ohio State in 2018, McDonald-Kelley helped the Top 25-ranked Buckeyes to a 36-16 record along with a trip to NCAA Regionals. Ohio State’s 36 wins were the most for the program since 2010. McDonald-Kelley spent two seasons at Florida as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2016 and 2017, bringing in a pair of Top-10 recruiting classes while the Gators went 114-17 and made an appearance in the 2017 Women’s College World Series.

The Houston, Texas native spent one year as associate head coach at Texas Tech in 2015 following a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant at LSU. At LSU, the Tigers made consecutive NCAA Regional appearances in 2013 and 2014 with McDonald-Kelley coaching the outfield. McDonald-Kelley’s guidance helped develop A.J. Andrews into an All-American in 2013.

From 2010-12, McDonald-Kelley served as assistant coach at Ohio after getting her coaching career started at Texas Southern in 2009.

McDonald-Kelley was a four-time All-Big 12 selection as a player at Texas A&M from 2004-07, capping off her intercollegiate career with Texas A&M’s first trip to the Women’s College World Series in 20 years. McDonald-Kelley is the Aggie career record holder with 153 stolen bases, while ranking second all-time in hits (249) and runs scored (195). McDonald-Kelley is the Texas A&M single-season record holder for runs (60) and her 73 consecutive stolen bases during her time in College Station tied an NCAA record. With 48 steals in 2005, McDonald-Kelley led the NCAA and earned the Golden Shoe Award. She compiled a .338 batting average throughout her four-year collegiate career.

Following her career at Texas A&M, McDonald-Kelley played professionally for seven years, spending time with the Philadelphia Force, the Akron Racers and the USSA Pride of the NPF League. McDonald-Kelley played for Fiorini Softball Club of the Italian Professional League in 2009. A three-time All-NPF selection during her professional career, McDonald garnered the prestigious Diamond Spikes Award in 2012 after hitting .303 with 13 stolen bases for the Racers.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in kinesiology from Texas A&M in 2008.