Tina Deese completed her 17th and final season as the head cocach of the Auburn Tigers in 2013. She is the program record holder for most wins by a head coach with an all-time record of 562-458-1. She led the Tigers to nine NCAA Regional appearances and was named the 2002 SEC Coach of the Year.
The 2012 Tigers tied the program record with a 15-game winning streak and notched wins over No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 23 Georgia Tech, No. 14 UCLA and No. 8 Georgia. The 2012 Tigers also reached a high of 19th in the NFCA Top 25 and 17th in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25.
In 2012, Auburn hosted and took the tournament championship in the first SEC/ACC/Big 12 Challenge. Playing at Jane B. Moore Field, the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners, No. 15 Oklahoma State Cowgirls, No. 23 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Virginia Tech Hokies and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide participated in the weekend tournament.
The 2012 Tigers earned the program's 500th win and Deese's 500th win as Auburn's head coach, in a 6-0 season-opening victory over Alabama State on Feb. 9. Deese earned another milestone when the Tigers defeated Syracuse 5-0 on March 2, giving Deese her 800th career win.
A pitcher at Florida State from 1984-85, Deese's work with Auburn pitchers was evident in 2012 as the Tigers' staff set the program record for fewest walks (100) and the second-lowest opponent's batting average (.204). The 2012 Tigers also notched the third-best single-season ERA (2.01).
The 2012 team continued the success of 2011 which saw the Tigers jump back into the NFCA Top 25 and register series wins over No. 4 Georgia and No. 18 Kentucky. Auburn posted seven wins over top 25 teams in 2011, including wins over No. 19 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Tennessee and No. 3 Florida in the SEC Tournament.
Auburn's win over the Gators put the Tigers in the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2005. Auburn lost to eventual tournament champion Tennessee by a score of 2-1.
Playing in the SEC routinely pits the Tigers against top 25 teams. The rugged conference schedule has not kept Deese from scheduling some of the nation's best in non-conference play.
Since 2010, the Tigers have played national champions Washington, Arizona State, UCLA, California, Michigan and Oklahoma. Auburn has also featured nationally prominent foes Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Florida State and Louisville in the last four seasons.
The Tigers' current streak of five consecutive NCAA Regional bids added to the success Deese established with a run of three straight from 2004-06. Deese put together one of her strongest Auburn teams in 2005 as the Tigers rolled to a program-record 50 victories and hosted its first-ever NCAA Regional.
Deese was also responsible for starting the softball program at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala.
In her eight seasons at Huntingdon, Deese amassed a 286-123 record. She led her teams to seven straight winning seasons and third-place finishes in the NAIA in 1992 and 1994. In 1992, Deese was named NAIA District 27 Coach of the Year.
Prior to her arrival at Huntingdon, Deese served as a pitching coach at her alma mater, Florida State, from 1985-86. Deese began her playing career in 1982 as a member of Golden West College[apos]s (Calif.) Varsity Softball team. She helped lead the team to the California State Championship in 1983 and was named the California State Championship Most Valuable Player.
Her accomplishments at Golden West led her to Florida State where she once again was greeted with immediate success. In 1984, her first season with the Seminoles, Deese led the nation in strikeouts per seven innings at 11.6. As a result, she was named the Lady Seminoles Most Valuable Player while helping lead the team to the Florida State Championship. She was also named to the All-Southeast Region First Team -- a feat she duplicated her second season and final season at Florida State.
Deese received a Bachelor of Science degree in leisure services and studies from Florida State in 1986. She later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Huntingdon College in human performance and kinesiology in 1994. She completed her master of arts in teaching from Troy State University in 1995.
Deese and her husband, Allen, have one son, Kyler and daughter, Jessi.