After 10 years of being an assistant coach for five different teams and in five different states, Melissa Inouye is living her lifelong dream of finally becoming a NCAA Division I head coach as she takes over Iona College’s successful softball program.

“The transition to Iona went smoothly as I felt my previous coaching experiences prepared me well for the position,” Inouye said. “The players, athletic support staff and administration were all very helpful with the transition as well.”

The Hawaii native became Iona’s newest coach in July of 2012 after spending the previous season as an assistant coach for the Fordham Rams.

Prior to taking her coaching talents to New York, Inouye spent four seasons at the University of Southern Mississippi, three years at Kentucky, some time at Northwestern State and she was a volunteer coach at her Alma Mater, UNLV.

At UNLV, Inouye played first base and catcher. In her final two seasons, she started in every single game. Her leadership qualities on and off the field helped her become a captain at UNLV and she has further developed those attributes once she started coaching.

Inouye’s experience coaching in five different states will play a tremendous role in future recruiting.

“I have numerous recruiting contacts throughout the country that I can seek for potential prospects,” Inouye said. “I believe I will have a good impact on recruiting because of my widespread recruiting network and connections.”

The Gaels have won three-consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships and bringing a fourth to Iona is one of this season’s goals.

“Our main focus is to make it to the MAAC tournament (top 4 of 8 teams advance to the tourney) and win our fourth consecutive MAAC championship,” Inouye said. “Our ultimate goal is to win a game in the NCAA regional tournament. However, we’re keeping the process simple and playing one conference game at a time.”

Due to the Gaels’ recent winning history, expectations to perform at a prominent level are evident.

“Of course there is some added pressure taking over a successful program,” Inouye said. “But this season is a whole new team with such a different look and feel than the last few years. Our team chemistry and dynamic has been strong since the beginning of the year and that is attributed to our senior leadership and experience.”

Iona’s difficult non-conference schedule played a role in their 7-26 overall start. The Gaels spent their first 21 games on the road playing in North Carolina, Maryland, California and Connecticut.

In addition, the Gaels have had other key factors that have played a role in their start.

“Our early season struggles were partly due to us not being able to get enough repetitions outside on the dirt due to the long winter we had this year,” Inouye said. “Unfortunately, a few weeks ago we had injuries to two key players and so that has limited our lineup. But this team has done a great job playing together and finding a way to get the job done no matter who you are or [what] position you’re playing.”

With the second-half of the season well underway, the Gaels will look to pick up the pace and battle to finish off the season strong.

“We are excited for the rest of the MAAC conference season as we control our own destiny and we will compete hard to defend our title,” Inouye said.