Steve Kittrell retired from the University of South Alabama after the 2011 season, having compiled a record of 1,052-644-1 (.620) in 28 seasons with the Jaguars. Kittrell won his 1,000th game in 2009, making him the 50th coach in NCAA baseball history and 37th NCAA Div. I coach to reach that milestone.
Across his 28 seasons with the Jaguars, Kittrell was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year six times, won 14 Sun Belt regular-season championships, eight league tournament titles and reached the NCAA Regionals 18 times. Six times he directed his program to within one win of the College World Series.
Also during his tenure, Kittrell’s student-athletes were named All-America 22 times, All-Region 41 times and All-Conference 79 times. That group included five Sun Belt Players of the Year as well as the conference's Pitcher of the Year in 2006. He also coached a pair of Academic All-Americans. More than 100 of his former players have signed professional contracts, 17 of whom reached the big leagues.
Kittrell served seven years on the ABCA All-America Committee. In addition to the ABCA Hall of Fame, Kittrell is also a member of the University of South Alabama Hall of Fame (1993), Mobile (Ala.) Sports Hall of Fame (2004) and Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2007).
Kittrell returned to his alma mater, South Alabama, in 1984, following several coaching stints in Florida and Alabama. He got his head coaching start at Niceville High School (Fla.) before moving on to University Military School (Ala.) where, in 1978, he led the Bulldogs to school’s first-ever state championship in any sport.
After a stop at Enterprise State Junior College (Ala.), Kittrell took over at Spring Hill College (Ala.) where he led the Badgers to an NAIA District 30 championship and a berth in the 1983 national tournament and earned multiple Coach of the Year honors. Kittrell posted a combined 215-98 (.687) record at his four coaching stops prior to rejoining the South Alabama program.
Following his graduation from South Alabama in 1971, Kittrell played one season in the Boston Red Sox organization. His No. 3 jersey is retired by the Jaguars, where still holds the program record for four-year players with a .368 batting average. He later earned a master’s degree in physical education from South Alabama while serving as the program’s graduate assistant coach for one season in 1973.
Currently, Kittrell is serving as the head softball coach at Spring Hill College (Ala). In 2018, Kittrell’s Badgers went 23-14 overall and 18-1 in conference play. In 2019, Kittrell led his team to a 30-21 overall record and the Badgers went 17-2 in conference play. That same year, the Badgers would end up winning the SIAC West Championship and qualified for the NCAA Div. II Regional Tournament. Since taking over the program in 2018, Kittrell’s record stands at 61-42 and the Badgers are 39-3 in conference play.
