LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Softball Program and Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo finalized their coaching staff on Tuesday with the addition of Jacob Stanley.

Stanley, a native of Orlando, Florida, joins the UWA softball program as an Assistant Coach after accumulating six years of coaching experience on the high school circuit.

"I'm truly thankful for the opportunity to join the West Alabama softball family as an Assistant Coach," said Stanley. "I'm excited to help our student-athletes grow, compete, and succeed on and off the field."

Before launching his coaching career in 2019, Stanley served in the United States Air Force from 2014-2018 where he earned a handful of accolades such as the GWOT Expeditionary Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Achievement Medal. 

The Orlando native secured the first coaching position of his career with Ocoee High School as the school's Assistant Baseball Coach in 2019. At Ocoee, Stanley helped lead the program to their first District Championship in school history. Two years later, Stanley accepted an assistant baseball coach position at Olympia High School, before switching over to Softball in 2022 as he was named the Assistant Coach for the Tampa Mustangs, a travel ball team.

During his time with the Mustangs, Stanley helped produce three Division I and one Division II softball signees, while leading Tampa to multiple PGF tournament wins along with a top-three PGF Nationals finish.

Stanley's big splash came in the Winter of 2022 when he was named the Head Softball Coach at Lake Brantley High School. Once Stanley accepted this position, Lake Brantley wasn't prevalent in Softball until the young coach quickly turned things around. As Head Coach, Stanley accumulated a 92-22 record over four seasons. During his tenure, Lake Brantley reached as high as No.7 in the country along with four District Championships, two Region Championships, and a pair of Final Four appearances in 2022 and 2023. While he stacked up wins, Stanley also proved himself as a talent developer as he produced two Conference Player of the Years, 28 All-Conference Players, 16 All-State selections, and 11 college commits. 

With a multitude of High School coaching experience, Stanley is ready to take the next step in his career, by joining DeFeo's staff in Livingston.

"I can't wait to work with Coach DeFeo and Coach Richards to build on the incredible foundation and winning culture that's already been established here," Stanley closed.