June 18, 2002

Columbia, Mo.-Newly-appointed University of Missouri head softball coach Ty Singleton moved one step closer to completing his coaching staff on Tuesday when he announced the hiring of Tom Royder. Royder, who was also at Northwestern State last year, will oversee the pitchers and catchers in addition assisting with hitting.

"Tom brings a great deal of knowledge and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to the table," Singleton said. "He will play an integral role in our program and we are excited to have him come aboard."

Royder was Singleton's top assistant at NSU last season. Under his watchful eye, the Demon pitching staff registered a 1.41 team ERA and 45 wins. The staff struck out 483 batters and allowed only a .190 batting average while registering 24 shutouts. The Demons made their third regional appearance in the past five years in 2002 and led the league in nine offensive categories, eight defensive categories and broke 12 school records. Sophomore Crista Miller tied the Demon single-season record with 21 wins while junior Amanda Ortego tossed three shutouts and took most valuable player honors at the Southland Conference Tournament under Royder's tutelage.

"We have the opportunity to continue a great softball tradition here at Mizzou," Royder said. "I would like to thank Coach Singleton and the administration for making me part of the team and we are ready to do some great things."

Prior to joining Singleton's staff at NSU, Royder was an assistant coach at the University of Oregon for two seasons. In his first season with the Ducks, Royder's pitchers slated the lowest staff ERA in six years. Two Duck pitchers earned Pac-10 conference honors with one garnering team MVP honors under his leadership.

Royder served as an assistant coach at Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash., before heading to Oregon. He began his coaching career in 1995 as a volunteer assistant at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Wash. He is a native of Baytown, Texas, and graduated with a bachelor of science in psychology from Texas A&M in 1976. He earned his masters degree in vocational rehabilitation from the University of Texas in 1979. In addition to his coaching duties at NSU, he was a career counselor and course instructor in the NSU Counseling and Career Services Office.