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Lappin, 36, had previously been the head coach for the National Pro Fastpitch’s Chicago Bandits and an assistant at University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Lappin played for the recently retired Mike Candrea on the silver-medalist Team USA team in the 2008 Olympics. There, she was teammates with Caitlin Lowe, the Wildcats' new coach.

Lowe and Lappin were teammates again on the 2010 USSSA Pride Cowles Cup championship team.

"(Lappin's) experience as a player and coach at the highest levels will be a huge asset to our program," Lowe said in a statement Tuesday. "She has always impressed me with her ability to make everyone around her better."

At Stanford from 2003-06, Lappin was a two-time Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year ('05,'06) playing catcher and shortstop. Her career .337 batting average and 247 hits in four seasons rank eighth all-time at Stanford.

Lappin began her coaching career at Chicago's Roosevelt University in 2014 before moving on to UMSL. She was named head coach of the Chicago Bandits in 2018 and was awarded NPF Coaching Staff of the Year in 2019.

Lappin joins Taryne Mowatt-McKinney on Lowe's coaching staff.

"Caitlin Lowe is one of the best leaders and humans in our sport," Lappin said in a statement. "I feel incredibly honored to join this amazing staff to carry on the rich tradition of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Softball."