Talladega College Athletics and Head Softball Coach D'Maria Matthews have announced the hiring of Megan Choate as the program's new Assistant Softball Coach.
Choate joins the Tornadoes with an impressive background as both a championship-winning student-athlete and collegiate coach, bringing experience at the NCAA Division I, Division II, and NJCAA levels. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the field while helping programs achieve success through strong recruiting, player development, and a culture built on integrity, accountability, and servant leadership.
"I couldn't be more excited to welcome Coach Megan Choate to the Talladega College softball family," said Head Coach D'Maria Matthews. "Megan brings a wealth of experience in player development, recruiting, and offensive success. Her passion for helping student-athletes grow both on and off the field is exactly what we were looking for in an assistant coach.
"As a former Division I student-athlete herself, Megan understands the game from the players' perspective and has a unique ability to build meaningful relationships that inspire confidence, accountability, and growth. She is a tremendous addition to our staff, and I truly believe she will play a major role in helping us build the championship culture and program we envision here at Talladega College."
A native of Montesano, Washington, Choate was a four-year starter at the University of Toledo, where she helped lead the Rockets to a Mid-American Conference regular-season championship and the program's first Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship. That historic season earned Toledo its first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. During her playing career, Choate earned National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) All-Tournament Team honors, Second Team All-MAC recognition, and Academic All-MAC honors.
Following her collegiate playing career, Choate began her coaching career as a Graduate Assistant at Southern Arkansas University. While working with the Muleriders, she helped the program capture a Great American Conference regular-season championship and advance to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
Choate then spent four successful seasons as an assistant coach at Pensacola State College, where she played a key role in recruiting and developing one of the nation's premier junior college softball programs. During her tenure, the Pirates produced multiple NJCAA All-Americans, NFCA All-Americans, NFCA All-Region selections, Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes, NJCAA All-Academic honorees, FCSAA State Players of the Year in consecutive seasons, Panhandle Conference Players of the Year, FCSAA All-State and All-Region selections, and numerous All-Panhandle Conference performers. She also helped prepare countless student-athletes to continue their academic and athletic careers at four-year institutions.
Most recently, Choate served on the coaching staff at Grambling State University, where she worked as the program's primary hitting and infield coach, further strengthening her experience at the NCAA Division I level.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the Talladega College softball program and become part of such a respected institution," Choate said. "I'm excited to begin building relationships with our student-athletes and investing in their growth as players, students, and people.
"I look forward to working alongside Coach Matthews as we build a championship culture and help our student-athletes compete at a high level while representing Talladega College with pride, integrity, and excellence. I'm honored to be part of the Tornado family and can't wait to get to work."
Choate earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Marketing from the University of Toledo before completing a Master of Science in Kinesiology of Coaching from Southern Arkansas University.
With the addition of Choate, the Talladega College softball program continues to strengthen its coaching staff under Matthews' leadership while building a championship culture centered on competitive excellence, academic achievement, and the holistic development of its student-athletes. Choate's experience at every level of collegiate softball and her passion for mentoring young women make her an outstanding addition to the Tornado family as the program continues to move forward.
