One of the most decorated coaches in Bethany College history, head coach Jan Forsty is entering her 31th season at the helm of the Bison softball team in 2018.
During Forsty’s 30-year career at Bethany, she has built a record of 670-466-3 (.589) with the softball team, while her overall coaching record is 750-524-3 (.588). Forsty became the 15th coach in NCAA Division III history to post 750 career wins when the Bison defeated Saint Vincent 4-3 in walk-off fashion in the final game of the 2017 season.
Her players at Bethany have earned All-PAC status 160 times, won PAC Pitcher of the Year Honors 13 times and been named Most Valuable Player on 11 occasions. Forsty’s players have also been named All-Region 38 times, All-ECAC on nine occasions and four have earned All-American recognition, including Maria Vallone, who was tabbed Third Team All-America in 2012.
After a two-year hiatus from post-season play, Forsty has led the Bison to three-consecutive post-season runs from 2014-16. Their high-water mark during that stretch was in 2015, when the Green & White posted a 27-win season and earn the top seed and hosting rights for both the PAC and ECAC Championship Tournaments.
In 2016, Forsty led the Bison to a 22-20 record, and the fourth seed in the conference tournament. She coached four All-PAC selections, including first-team honorees, outfielder Kayla Kelly and pitcher Cassie Weiss.
From 2008-11, Bethany returned to the national stage with four consecutive postseason appearances, giving the program 11 all-time bids. In the spring of 2011, the Bison won 14 consecutive conference games to claim the #1 seed for the PAC Tournament. Bethany then swept through to its PAC record 13th league title with victories over Waynesburg (1-0) and Thomas More (2-1, 1-0) to win its first championship since 2008 and clinch the program's sixth trip to NCAA Regionals. The Bison finished the campaign with a 29-16 record, had five players selected for All-PAC accolades and three of those were also named All-Region.
The 2010 campaign was a record-breaking one for Forsty, as the team set a new school-record with 35 victories and finished as the runner-up in the PAC and ECAC South Region Tournaments. During the course of the season, Forsty won her 500th career game at the helm of the Bethany program with a 6-1 game-two win over Allegheny April 1. Then in the regular season finale, Forsty became just the 15th Division III coach ever to claim 600 victories when Bethany beat Washington & Jefferson 7-1 to sweep the conference doubleheader.
The two previous seasons saw the Bison win 24 games both years and earn postseason trips as well. In 2008, Bethany swept through the PAC Tournament to capture its 12th league crown in school history. Returning to NCAA Regionals for the first time in four years, BC claimed wins over Rochester and Ramapo to finish third at the eight-team Ithaca Regional.
Forsty elevated the Bison softball program to national prominence after leading the squad to its third consecutive and fourth overall trip to the NCAA Championships in 2004. Her top year came in 2002, as Bethany compiled a 32-10 record and earned its second-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, its first since 1997. The Bison went on to win the Central Region and earned a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series for the first time in program history. Forsty’s squad dropped their first two games at the Series, including a 1-0 loss to eventual national champion Ithaca, but finished the year ranked sixth in the country in the NFCA poll.
Prior to coming to Bethany, Forsty was Director of Athletics and softball coach at Wheeling Jesuit College. She started the softball program in 1982 and led the Cardinals to an NAIA national tournament berth in 1986 and a 13th place finish nationally.
In addition to softball, Forsty also serves as Bethany’s Associate Director of Athletics and serves as the College's Senior Women's Administrator. She is also Professor and Chair of the Physical Education and Sports Studies Department.
Forsty graduated from Slippery Rock (Pa.) University in 1975 with a degree in physical education and earned her master’s from SRU in 1989. She was inducted into Slippery Rock's Athletic Hall of Fame in September of 2007.
