Lu Harris-Champer (Georgia, ret.), Judy Lawes (Kutztown), Mike Reed (UT Tyler) and Suzy Willemssen (VA Glory) were inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame on Friday evening at the Caesars Forum.

Batting leadoff at the NFCA’s premier event, NFCA President and Missouri head coach Larissa Anderson welcomed those in attendance and kicked the night off by honoring the Hall of Famers in attendance with the NFCA’s traditional Hall of Fame March.

NFCA Past President and Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan emceed the induction of Harris-Champer, Lawes, Reed and Willemssen.

At the conclusion of the event, NFCA Vice President for Awards and Arkansas head coach Courtney Deifel announced the Class of 2026:

• Ken Eriksen (University of South Florida/USA Softball)
• Denny Griffin (Alma College)
• Kirk Walker (UCLA)
• Veronica Wiggins (Florida A&M, ret.)

This quartet will be inducted on Friday, Dec. 11, 2026 in Atlantic City and bring the Hall’s total to 107.

Walker and Wiggins are entering as trailblazers, which recognizes a member that has contributed above and beyond to the sport of fastpitch softball through service, leadership, coaching and/or participation.

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Here’s a closer look at this year’s inductees and those announced for next year’s class…

Class of 2025

Lu Harris-Champer, University of Georgia

Lu Harris-Champer, who retired after the 2021 season, was the architect of Georgia softball, building the Bulldogs into a nationally recognized, championship-caliber program.

Over her 21 years in Athens, Harris-Champer steered UGA to 20 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, one SEC tournament crown, 11 NCAA Super Regionals, and five trips to the Women’s College World Series, including three trips in the last five seasons of her career.

Harris-Champer was 959-368 in her time at Georgia and finished with a career record of 1,168-432-1 in 25 seasons.

Judy Lawes, Kutztown University

Judy Lawes has helmed the Kutztown University softball program for 38 years.

During that time, she has led KU to an overall record of 1,175-664-2 (.639), third among active Division II head coaches and seventh overall heading into the 2026 season.

The Golden Bears have registered 36 winning seasons, including a school-record 52 victories in 2012 and seven more with 40-plus victories.

On the national scale, Kutztown has earned 23 NCAA Division II Tournament berths, with three Super Regionals in the last four seasons and two National Championship appearances, finishing as national runner-up in 2013 and national semifinalist in 2012.

Mike Reed, University of Texas at Tyler

Since starting the UT Tyler program in 2005, Mike Reed has steered the Patriots to unparalleled heights, leading them to three NCAA national championships, including back-to-back Division II titles in 2024 and 2025.

Under Reed, UT Tyler has posted an 876-156 record (.849) and earned 15 NCAA tournament berths, reaching the national championships (final eight) 11 times, including all four seasons as an eligible Division II program.

Following the 2025 campaign, he passed fellow NFCA Hall of Famer Sue Enquist as the all-time leader in winning percentage across all levels of NCAA softball with a percentage of .840.

Reed’s overall record stands at 981-187 in 24 seasons as a head coach, which includes three seasons at East Texas Baptist University.

Suzy Willemssen, VA Glory

Suzy Willemssen, who has over 1,300 career wins at the high school and travel ball level, is the founder and owner of 18U Glory Gold and the recently retired head coach at Bishop O’Connell High School (Va.) and the former Lee High School (Va.) head coach.

Her vision of Purpose Driven Softball started with the Glory in 2010 with the organization growing into 20 teams in Virginia and the upper Midwest.

Eight years ago, Willemssen started the annual Strikeout Cancer Camp & Tournament, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Children’s National Hospital and Cancer Research.

On the field, the five-time Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Coach of the Year guided her high school programs to five state championships and has also earned coach’s honors through the NFCA, Washington Post, WCAC and Pigskin Club of D.C. 

*** Click HERE to see the Line Drive tribute to Coach Suzy published yesterday (Friday, Dec. 12, 2025).

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Class of 2026

Ken Eriksen, University of South Florida/USA Softball

Legendary University of South Florida head coach Ken Eriksen has been a cornerstone of the Bulls softball program since 1989 and has served as just the second head coach in program history since 1997.

In addition to his longstanding success at USF, he was appointed head coach of the USA Women’s National Team in 2011, leading the squad to a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Eriksen has led the Bulls to 1,161 wins and 17 of their 18 NCAA tournament appearances, including a pair of Super Regionals in 2006 and 2012, His squad also finished amongst the final 16 teams nationally four times before the Super Regionals were introduced.

Since Eriksen’s first year at the helm of USF’s winningest program, the Bulls have made 17 NCAA postseason appearances, two NCAA Super Regionals, a College World Series berth (2012) and won seven conference titles (in three conferences: SASA, BIG EAST, and The American).

USF has produced nine NFCA All-Americans, 38 NFCA All-Region selections and numerous Academic All-Americans and all-conference players under Eriksen’s leadership.

Eriksen’s teams won conference championships in 1997, 1998, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019. He produced one 60-win season, five 50-win seasons, 10 40-win seasons and six 30-win seasons. 

On the international stage, Eriksen has been part of the USWNT program since 2002 and as the head coach led the Eagles to two WBSC World Championship gold medals (2016, 2018) and two silver medals (2012, 2014), a Pan American Games gold medal in 2011 and silver in 2015.

Denny Griffin, Alma College

Denny Griffin entered his 43rd year at Alma College in the fall of 2025 and has been the Scots’ head coach since 1989 after two years as an assistant.

This coming spring will be his 38th year leading the program. In his time as head coach, he has amassed an overall record of 1,032-432, ranking him 20th in victories among active NCAA head coaches, and third among active Division III coaches.

Griffin is tied for sixth all-time in wins among Division III head coaches, and tied for 48th among the NCAA’s winningest softball coaches of all-time.

The coach won his 1,000th game with a 1-0 shutout of Eastern University on Feb. 27, 2024, becoming the 51st NCAA softball coach to reach the milestone, and just the seventh Division III softball coach to reach that plateau.

Griffin’s teams have won a record 15 MIAA softball championships, plus 11 MIAA Tournament titles, six NCAA regional championships, and one NCAA super regional crown. In addition, the Scots have made it to the NCAA World Series six times. 

On the national stage, Griffin has coached 97 NFCA All-Region players (50 first-teamers, 32 second teamers and 15 third teamers), plus 19 NFCA All-Americans (six first team, six second team and seven third team).

Kirk Walker, UCLA/Oregon State

Kirk Walker, one of the most visible and vocal advocates for diversity and inclusion in sports, retired after 24 years of service to the UCLA softball program on Aug. 31, 2025.

Walker was instrumental in building the foundation for the UCLA softball dynasty, winning a total of seven NCAA Championships and making 18 Women’s College World Series appearances as an assistant coach from 1984-94 and 2013-22 and associate head coach from 2023-24.

He spent his final season in 2025 in a support role as the Director of Softball Administration. 

During his 23 years on the Bruins staff, Walker and UCLA posted an 828-156-1 record (.840), 11 conference regular season titles and one Pac-12 Tournament championship in addition to UCLA student-athletes receiving 61 NFCA All-America awards, three Honda Cups, 10 Honda Sport Awards, two USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards, one NFCA National Player of the Year award, and numerous Pac-10/12 recognitions.

In between his stints at UCLA, Walker coached 18 seasons at Oregon State from 1995-2012 and still stands as the all-time winningest coach in program history with 594 victories.

The Beavers experienced their greatest stretch of success with Walker at the helm, registering eight seasons of at least 40 wins and making the postseason 10 times.

Two of Oregon State’s most prolific teams in 2005 and 2006 were inducted into the Oregon State University Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Walker led the Beavers to their first WCWS appearance as Oregon State posted a school-record, 28-game winning streak and reached No. 5 in the national rankings with a 43-16 mark.

In 2005, he was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career (1999) after guiding Oregon State to a 43-16 record and its first Pac-10 Championship, which was also the first regular-season Pac-10 title for any Beavers women’s sports program. 

Veronica Wiggins, Florida A&M

Legendary Florida A&M head coach Veronica Wiggins let the Rattlers’ softball program from 1990-2020.

Wiggins led FAMU to 726 wins in in her illustrious career, including a sterling 281-90 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

Wiggins’ teams would dominate the MEAC in the 1990s, winning six of the first seven MEAC Championships and won a total of 13 MEAC championships (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017).

Wiggins, a five-time MEAC Coach of the year (1993, 1997, 1998, 2006 and 2017) took over the Rattlers softball program in 1992 and coached the team to their first winning season in her second season with a 33-25 record and the program’s first MEAC Championship.

She coached the Rattlers to 12 30-plus win seasons and two 40-plus win seasons. The 1997 team holds the program record for most wins in a season with 43

Inducted into Florida A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, FAMU’s home field was named the Veronica Wiggins Field in 2024.