AUBURN, Ala.—Chris and Kate Malveaux (mal-VO) have been named Auburn Softball co-head coaches, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Wednesday. Both come to Auburn after serving as assistant coaches at the University of Tennessee where they helped the Lady Volunteer program to back-to-back Southeastern Conference regular season titles in 2023 and 2024 and a Women's College World Series appearance last year.
Additionally, the two helped Tennessee to 136 wins over the last three seasons, which is tied for the 10th most wins nationally and second most by an SEC team. This past season, Tennessee not only won the SEC regular season title, but posted a 44-12 overall record and made an NCAA Super Regional appearance.
"In meeting with Chris and Kate, it was obvious that their synergy was an indomitable force," Cohen said. "Their contributions to Tennessee's success over the past three seasons are undeniable. We're so excited to welcome Chris, Kate and their family to Auburn."
Recognized as one of the top offensive minds in collegiate softball, Chris Malveaux guided six Lady Vols to All-SEC accolades in 2024, including a third straight All-SEC First Team selection for McKenna Gibson, and helped All-American KiKi Milloy rewrite Tennessee's record book to become the program leader in home runs, runs scored and total bases. Three of Tennessee's top five single-season home run totals came under Malveaux.
"We are incredibly humbled and excited to be a part of the Auburn Family! Kate and I are overly thankful to Karen Weekly and the entire Tennessee family for their sacrifices, opportunities, and guidance these past three years," Chris Malveaux said. "It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead this storied Auburn program into its next stage and are forever grateful for the trust of John Cohen and his incredible staff for believing in us. We can't wait to get to work! WAR EAGLE!!"
Kate Malveaux was on staff at Tennessee for three seasons and was elevated to an assistant coach ahead of the 2024 season where she worked with the Lady Vols' catchers and baserunners. Last season, she helped lead first-year Lady Vol catcher Sophia Nugent to All-SEC honors. Tennessee catchers committed just a pair of errors in 2024. The Lady Vols stole 50 bases in each of the past three seasons under Malveaux. Since her arrival in 2022, Tennessee has ranked among the top five in the SEC in stolen bases per game.
"Chris and I are both honored and humbled to lead this new era of Auburn Softball. Thank you to John Cohen and all of Auburn Athletics for their faith in us to take on this role and support the program in such an impactful way," Kate Malveaux said. "Also, thank you to Karen Weekly, the Lady Vol Softball staff, and student-athletes for the opportunity and support of not only us, but also our family. Auburn has proved that it can compete on the national stage, and we are excited to build, develop, and grow this program into a national powerhouse."
CHRIS MALVEAUX BIOGRAPHY
Returning one of the most powerful lineups in the SEC, Tennessee led the league and ranked sixth nationally with 1.50 home runs per game average in 2024 and closed the season with 84 total, the third most in a single season on Rocky Top.
Returning for a fifth year, KiKi Milloy earned Second Team All-America honors from D1 Softball. Tennessee's all-time leader in home runs (69), runs scored (266) and total bases (534), Milloy started in 53 games in her final season at Tennessee. A mainstay at the top of the lineup, she led the Lady Vols with a .347 batting average and 64 runs scored.
Milloy tied for the team lead in hits (59) and home runs (13), while leading the squad with 12 doubles and two triples. Milloy closed out the year with 24 stolen bases as she finished with 142 for her career – the second-most in Tennessee softball history.
The Lady Vols' offense was potent in 2023 as they averaged 6.87 runs per game – ranking best in the SEC and third nationally. Tennessee pushed across 419 runs during the season - marking the first time UT broke 400 since scoring 426 in 2016. The Lady Vols scored 10+ runs 16 times in 2023 and pushed across five or more runs on 40 occasions.
Senior Milloy set a single-season school record for home runs with 25 – a mark that also led the nation. Sophomore McKenna Gibson had a breakout season as she set career-bests in average (.362), OPS (1.232), runs (36), hits (59), doubles (11), home runs (15), RBIs (60), slugging (.718), walks (39) and on-base percentage (.514). She also recorded multiple RBIs in 14 games and ended the season on a 23-game reached base streak.
Under Malveaux's leadership, Milloy earned NFCA First Team All-America honors, while Gibson took home second team accolades.
In its first year under his guidance, Tennessee boasted the SEC's third-best scoring offense with 140 runs in conference games. The Lady Vols also ranked second in the league in doubles (39), slugging percentage (.540), on-base percentage (.398), and stolen bases (22) in SEC action while finishing third in home runs (38).
Tennessee posted remarkable home run numbers in its first season with Malveaux on staff, totaling 91 long balls for the second-highest single-season total in program history. The Lady Vols averaged 1.54 homers per game, ranking third in the SEC and 12th in the country.
In its preseason list of top 10 assistant coaching hires during the 2021 offseason, Extra Inning Softball tabbed Malveaux's hiring as the No. 1 assistant coach addition in the country.
Malveaux, a Houston, Texas, native spent the 2019-21 seasons at Missouri with one year as an assistant coach and two years as an associate head coach. During his three seasons in Columbia, the Missouri offense improved each year – hitting .284 in 2019, .290 in the COVID shortened 2020 season and jumping up to .320 in 2021.
The Tigers' .320 batting average ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in 2021. The Mizzou squad finished the season with 91 home runs, 382 runs scored and 184 extra-base hits.
In 2019, Mizzou's Brooke Wilmes was named to the All-SEC first team, as well as NFCA Second Team All-Southeast Region, in her first year under Malveaux. Freshman Jazmyn Rollin was a Top 25 finalist for the NFCA/Schutt Sports Freshman of the Year that same season.
Prior to joining Missouri, Malveaux was the video coordinator at Kansas in 2018 and served as the associate head coach at Louisiana from 2016-17 – it was his second stay with the Ragin' Cajuns as he was an assistant coach with ULL from 2009-11.
The 2010 Louisiana staff was selected as the NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year after compiling a 45-18 record, making an NCAA Super Regional appearance and earning a No. 16 national ranking. In his five combined seasons at Louisiana, Malveaux was a member of five Sun Belt Conference and Tournament Championships, five NCAA Regionals and two NCAA Super Regional bids.
A 2001 graduate of Texas A&M, Malveaux served as an assistant coach at Bradley from 2012-15 and was the head coach at McNeese State from 2005-08 after being promoted from assistant coach, a title he held at McNeese from 2002-04.
KATE MALVEAUX BIOGRAPHY
Kate Malveaux joined Tennessee's staff in June of 2021 and a year ago was elevated to a full-time assistant coach position after serving the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a volunteer assistant.
In her first full season as an assistant coach, Malveaux continued her work with base running and the Lady Vols catchers. Tennessee's catchers committed just two errors over the course of the 2024 season and threw out five base runners.
A first-year Lady Vol, Sophia Nugent earned All-SEC honors with her efforts behind the dish and at the plate. Nugent totaled 42 hits, including eight doubles and 11 home runs with 38 RBI. Starting 52 games, Nugent held a .933 fielding percentage and threw out four base runners.
For the third straight season, Tennessee finished in the top five in the SEC in stolen bases per game, as the Lady Vols averaged 0.96 per game. Tennessee finished fifth in the league with 54 total stolen bases.
Over her two seasons as a volunteer assistant, the Lady Vols won 92 games and in 2023 won the SEC regular-season and tournament titles – sweeping both crowns in the same season for the first time in program history.
In 2023, Tennessee secured its first 50-win season and reached the national semifinals at the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2013. The trip to the WCWS was its first since 2015 and its eighth all-time. Primarily focused on Tennessee's catchers, Malveaux helped Giulia Koutsoyanopulos transition from the outfield to playing behind the plate in 2023. Before coming to Knoxville, Koutsoyanopulos had never been a catcher but moved into the role and started 59 games for UT.
Also working with the baserunners, the Lady Vols stole 50 bases in each of the past three seasons. Since Malveaux's arrival, Tennessee has ranked among the top five in the SEC in stolen bases per game. UT was second in 2022 with an average of 1.49, fourth in 2023 at 1.43 and fifth in 2024 at 0.96.
Malveaux—formerly Kate Singler—was a member of the Missouri softball staff for the 2020 and 2021 seasons as its director of operations.
A standout softball player at Bradley, Malveaux served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Braves in 2012. As a student-athlete, she was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and a first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete. She also earned First-Team Capital One Academic All-District V honors as a senior.
In back-to-back years as a junior and senior, she led Bradley in RBIs, becoming just the fifth player in program history to do so.
QUOTABLE
Athletics Director John Cohen Quote
"In meeting with Chris and Kate, it was obvious that their synergy was an indomitable force. Their contributions to Tennessee's success over the past three seasons is undeniable. We're so excited to welcome Chris, Kate and their family to Auburn."
Co-Head Coach Chris Malveaux Quote
"We are incredibly humbled and excited to be a part of the Auburn Family! Kate and I are overly thankful to Karen Weekly and the entire Tennessee family for their sacrifices, opportunities, and guidance these past three years. It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead this storied Auburn program into its next stage and are forever grateful for the trust of John Cohen and his incredible staff for believing in us. We can't wait to get to work! WAR EAGLE!!"
Co-Head Coach Kate Malveaux Quote
"Chris and I are both honored and humbled to lead this new era of Auburn Softball. Thank you to John Cohen and all of Auburn Athletics for their faith in us to take on this role and support the program in such an impactful way. Also, thank you to Karen Weekly, the Lady Vol Softball staff, and student-athletes for the opportunity and support of not only us, but also our family. Auburn has proved that it can compete on the national stage, and we are excited to build, develop, and grow this program into a national powerhouse."