Softball Coaching Staff

Head Coach Kelly Lovato

Kelly Lovato begins her 1^st year at Moorpark College. Before coming to Moorpark College, Lovato coached two years at L.A. Mission and two years at Royal High School.  Lovato started the program at Mission College and finished her second year with a winning record and third place finish in the Western State Conference-Blue Division.  At Royal, Lovato took a struggling program into, at the time, the most successful program in the school's history with 25 wins, Co-Champions of the Marmonte League, and leading Royal to the CIF Div I Quarterfinals. Lovato and her assistants were named Coaching Staff of the Year for Marmonte League while Los Angeles Times named Lovato as the Coach of the Year for Ventura County.
 Lovato has also succeeded as a player at many levels. Upon graduating high school at the age of 16, Lovato attended Moorpark College and was a first team all-Western State Conference her freshman year as well as her sophomore year at L.A. Pierce College. Meanwhile, in her sophomore year, she was named Most Valuable Player for WSC, 1^st team all State, and California Community College Pitcher of the Year while pitching all 40 games. She continued her pitching career at Sacramento State and in her senior year, 1999, was named Pitcher of the Week in the Big West Conference four times and was an All-Big West selection.  She only pitched two years at Sac State, yet she still ranks among the University's record holders in all seven career pitching categories. Lovato earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education/Kinesiology in 1999. 

More recently, Lovato has played professionally in Europe four times.  In 2000, Lovato played for Bussolengo, Italy while also playing against USA and Italy in their pre-Olympic tour for Sydney. In 2003 and 2004, Lovato played for Antorcha, in Valencia, Spain.  Both years she competed in the European Winners Cup in Valencia and in Moscow.  In 2004, she led her team in pitching and hitting in route to a third place finish in Moscow and was named the Best Pitcher in the Spanish League.  In 2005, Lovato played for Ch emie in Prague, Czech Republic as well as Rivas, in Madrid, Spain. In 2006, Lovato will head coach internationally, for the first time, for the Dynos, a second division team in Verona, Italy.

Lovato, a local product, will emphasize the importance of education while instilling the winning traditions that have been a hallmark of her playing and coaching careers.  When Lovato is not coaching the Moorpark Raiders, she is giving pitching lessons and working with travel ball teams.  Off the field, she is currently working on her Master of Science in Kinesiology at CSU Northridge.

Darrell Fitzpatrick - Assistant Coach