Softball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- cplimpto@buffalo.edu
- Phone:
- 716-645-6517
Chelsea Plimpton was named the 11th head softball coach in school history on May 13, 2025. Plimpton was elevated to the position after spending last season as an assistant coach on the UB staff.
In her first season as head coach in 2026, Plimpton and her staff reached 24 wins, their most since the program's 30-win season in 2014. Her very young squad which included a nation's most 13 sophomores went on to rewrite the record books as they set 20 program records and a total of 68 top-10 individual season and career records, as well as single season program records. The Bulls also took home a program record four All-MAC honors as both Bri Delaney and Nicole Allen were named to the First Team and Abbey Nagel and Reagan Terwilliger earned Second Team honors. Nicole Allen's program record 80 hits in a single season propelled her to earn National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First-Team All-Northeast Region honors. She is just the fourth Bull in program history to receive such honors.
A Western New York native and standout at Williamsville South High School, Plimpton served as pitching coach for the Bulls for the 2025 season. She was instrumental in recruiting and developing a talented freshman class, led by outfielder Emily Gorman who was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team after hitting .395 to rank fourth in the conference.
Plimpton came to Buffalo after serving as an assistant coach at Villanova from 2019-23. While at Villanova, the Wildcats went 120-74 (.619). They won back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament titles in 2021 and 2022. She helped the program reach their fourth consecutive BIG EAST Tournament title game in 2023. In their 2022 title run, the Wildcats' pitching staff became the third staff in the BIG EAST Tournament to not allow a single run in the conference tournament. In league play, the Wildcats were 49-15 (.766) and went 9-3 in the BIG EAST Tournament in three seasons.
Prior to Villanova, Plimpton spent three seasons at Massachusetts. While at UMass, the Minutewomen went 90-60 (.600), including 21-0 in Atlantic 10 play in 2018. In that season, she worked with Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year in freshman Kiara Oliver who won the league's pitching triple crown with 18 wins, 173 strikeouts and a 2.37 ERA.
Plimpton began her coaching career as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence during the 2011-12 academic year. She went on to hold assistant coaching positions at Marist (2012), Fordham (2013) and Towson (2014-16) before her stint at UMass.
As a player, Plimpton was a standout pitcher at Fordham from 2009-11. She was a member of the Rams 2010 and 2011 teams that advanced to NCAA Regionals. Plimpton ranked third in school history in strikeouts and shutouts and was part of a pitching staff that led the entire nation in ERA with a 1.34 mark for the season. She went 11-2 with a 1.58 ERA in 93 1/3 innings in 2010, then recorded 17 wins with 149 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA as a senior in 2011. She began her collegiate career at St. John's and pitched 33 1/3 innings as a freshman during the 2007 season.
Plimpton graduated from Fordham with a degree in communications in 2011.
The Williamsville South grad played for the Billies from 2003-07. To this day, she still holds 11 top-15 New York State records.
