Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
defeo, stephanie

Stephanie Defeo

DeFeo joined the West Alabama staff in 2022 after spending eight seasons at the helm of the Mercer University softball program.

Through her first three seasons at West Alabama, DeFeo has secured 103 wins, including 75 in the past two seasons. In 2023, DeFeo guided the Tigers to 41 wins which stands as the most wins in a single season in her career and the most victories in a single season in UWA history since 2008. West Alabama made an appearance in the GSC Championship Game that year, before making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. Under DeFeo’s tutelage, Ann Marie Stanbridge and Madison Wright were named First Team All-GSC while Kelsie Gilliam and LP Trammell were selected to the Second Team. While securing a First Team All-GSC nod, Stanbridge was also named the GSC Freshman of the Year.

With Defeo as the Program Leader, West Alabama’s dominance continued in 2024 as the Tigers went 34-20, making back-to-back appearances in the GSC Tournament and the NCAA South Regional. Starting Shortstop, Marissa Mitchell, turned in one of the greatest individual seasons in school history, putting together a stat line of .426 BA, 23 Home Runs, 82 RBIs, and a 1.453 OPS. Mitchell led the country in RBIs and RBIs per game while ranking second in the GSC in Home Runs. Mitchell was named the GSC Player of the Year, a First Team All-American, and First Team All-Region while Taylor Clegg picked up a Second Team All-GSC nod.

While at Mercer, DeFeo was the winningest coach in program history with a 217-195 record and was the only coach to win 200 games.

Since taking over the Bear's program in 2014, DeFeo coached four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 2015 SoCon Pitcher of the Year Kirsten Stevens, and the 2018 SoCon Freshman of the Year Micayla Rood. She also instructed 50 all-conference performers, with 14 landing on the first team, 11 second team selections, 13 all-freshman team honorees, and 12 student-athletes who garnered all-tournament team honors. Under her direction, the team finished top-3 in the SoCon Tournament five times, including the team's only championship appearance in 2015.

Before Mercer, DeFeo served as an assistant coach at several institutions, including Purdue University, the University of Buffalo, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Southeastern Louisiana University. She also had stops as head coach or associate head coach at Ball State University, University of North Carolina Greensboro, and East Tennessee State University.

As a student-athlete, DeFeo attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was an All-American and completed a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.