DeFeo joined the West Alabama staff in 2022 after spending eight seasons at the helm of the Mercer University softball program.
Through her first five seasons at West Alabama, DeFeo has secured 177 wins, including 74 in the past two seasons. In 2023, DeFeo guided the Tigers to 41 wins which stands as the second most wins in a single season in her career and in a single season in UWA history. 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.
West Alabama made yet another appearance in the GSC Tournament in 2025 after putting together a 30-17 record in the regular season. Defeo guided Marissa Mitchell and Taylor Clegg to All-Region and All-GSC seasons, while Mitchell was also named an All-American, GSC Top-Ten receipent, and a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. Along with Mitchell and Clegg, Pitchers Madison Wright and Eleanor De Block put together tremendous seasons in the circle. Defeo's 2024 recruiting class featured immediate impact players as Trinity Hatcher, Jessica Rose, Ella Watson and Olivia McClain Payne made 157 combined starts. Off the field, the team held a 3.62 GPA, with 20 players making the GSC Honor Roll. On top of this, Ella Watson, Riley Dismukes, Megan Roe, Katey Glass, Taylor Clegg, Madison Wright, Jessica Cross, Eleanor De Block, Cara Rankin, Ann Marie Stanbridge, and Trinity Hatcher were named All-America Scholar-Athletes.
In 2026, the West Alabama took another leap under the tutelage of DeFeo. DeFeo and the Tigers won a 44 games which stands as the most in progrsm history. Along with this, the Tigers were one game away from a GSC Regular Season Champion, before capturing their first GSC Tournament Championship in 29 years with a 5-3 win over Trevecca Nazarene in the Championship game. In their GSC Championship run, UWA defeated Valdosta State, AUM, UAH, and Trevecca Nazarene. At the Tournament's end, ShaKeria Washington was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player while Ann Marie Stanbridge, Ella Watson, Eleanor De Block were named to the All-Tournament team. After capturing the GSC Championship, DeFeo and the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the South Region. West Alabama defeated Montevallo in the First Round before their season ended in the South Regional. At the season's end, DeFeo helped guide Eleanor De Block and Ann Marie Stanbridge to First Team All-GSC Selections while De Block was also named a First Team D2CCA All-Region selection and Washington was named to Second Team. On top of this Megan Roe and Trinity Hatcher were named to the inaugural Gold Glove Team while Hatcher also secured an NFCA Gold Glove selection.
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.
