Melissa "Skeeter" Gentile (pronounced gen-TIL-ee) was announced as the program's assistant coach in August 25, 2023, bringing with her 10 years of DI coaching experience with her last stop being at Eastern Michigan University.
As the head coach at Eastern Michigan University, Gentile coached EMU to one of its best campaign’s during the 2016 season. As a team in 2016, the Eagles pieced together one of the best offensive seasons in EMU history. The Green and White scored 203 runs, the second-most in Eastern Michigan history, and pounded out 69 doubles, the most since 2007. In the circle, the Eagles’ pitching staff posted the team’s best ERA since 2012 while each hurler set career-highs in strikeouts. EMU’s on-the- field success carried over to the classroom where the Green and White set a program record with 12 Academic All-MAC selections. The 12 honorees also ranked as the most in the conference.
In 2015, EMU broke the single season home run record after launching the ball over the fence on 41 occasions. In addition, the 2015 roster recorded the second-most hits all-time with 366, while it added 181 runs batted in, good for the fourth-best in school history. Academically, Gentile’s squad put eight student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC squad, while she two players to the MAC’s prestigious Distinguished Scholar Athlete list. . In her first season at EMU, she improved the Eagles’ batting average from last in the conference to sixth overall and had two rank among conference leaders in every offensive category.
Gentile, who is also a nationally recognized speaker and clinician, has spent the last four years running some of the largest collegiate softball tournaments in the country. Although Gentile is widely known on the softball field, she is also a highly accomplished life and business coach of the field. As the owner of Make It Happen Life Coaching, she has been able to impact the lives of her clients on an exceptional level earning International Coaching Federation (ICF) accolades.
In her playing career, Gentile was a four-year letterwinner for the University of Michigan and finished her tenure as the career (28) and single-season (13) home run record holder. A co-captain in 2000, she earned All-Big Ten, All-Region and All-America honors in 1998 and was the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year in 1997.
Gentile participated in two Women’s College World Series at Michigan, placing fifth in both 1997 and 1998 and was named to the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team in 1997. Along with the Big Ten Freshmen of the Year honor, Gentile earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades in 1997 as well as first-team All-Big Ten and All-Region accolades as a sophomore.
Gentile also went on to play with the USA Women’s National Team from 1996-2000 and was a member of the USA Pan-American Team in 1997 before graduating from Michigan in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She continued her playing career in the Women’s Professional Softball League (now the National Pro Fastpitch League) after being drafted by the Akron Racers in 2000. She also earned her master’s in athletic administration from Central Michigan in 2005.
A native of Wentzville, Mo., Gentile played softball at Wentzville High School (Holt) where her jersey has been retired.
Gentile and her wife, Courtney, have four daughters, Hope, Tatum, Bailee, and Addison.
Updated July 2025
