St. Joseph, Mo. – Bishop LeBlond High School Athletics Director Michael Evans has announced the hiring of Mallory McCullough to be the school’s softball coach for the 2018-19 school year.

McCullough, a 2008 Bishop LeBlond graduate, played softball all four years of high school and was on the team that finished second in state in 2004. She had numerous All-City, All-District and All-Regional awards while at LB. McCullough earned her bachelor of exercise science/kinesiology degree from Missouri State University, completed an alternative certification program in special education through Northwest Missouri State University, and her masters in special education through NWMSU. She has been working for the St. Joseph School District the past four years and is currently a special education teacher at Coleman& Pershing Elementary Schools. She was an assistant softball coach for LeBlond during the 2017 season.

McCullough replaces Kendra Hodgin, who had coached the softball team for one season. Hodgin recently accepted the Central softball coaching position.

Evans said he is excited for the passion for the sport and Bishop LeBlond that McCullough will bring to the position.

“Mallory brings a great deal of experience to the job. She was part of a team that finished second in state, so she knows how to win. She’s also been a part of teams that weren’t as successful, but that remained true to the mission and philosophy of Bishop LeBlond to use athletics and extracurricular activities to prepare young people for whatever life throws their way,” he said. “Some of the best lessons young peoplecan learn on the playing field are teamwork, self-sacrifice, and commitment. I know Mallory will make playing softball at LB a fun and meaningful experience.”

— Bishop LeBlond Release —

The Bishop LeBlond golf team captured the Class 2 State championship on Tuesday at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield. The Golden Eagles finished with a two-round total of 599 and won the title by a state record 66 strokes over O’Fallon Christian High School. Palmyra finished third, 97 shots behind LeBlond.

Bishop LeBlond also became the first school in state history win finished 1-2-3 individually. Senior Brooks Jungbluth shot a 6-under 66 Tuesday to win the individual state title by three shots. He shot a 137, while LB junior Hank Lierz finished second with a 140 and Eagle freshman Jeff Johnston fired a 148 to finish third.

It’s the second state championship for Bishop LeBlond in the last three years as they also won the team title in 2016. The Eagles have four straight top-three finishes at state as they also finished third in 2015 and 2017.