Amber Barker will be entering her third season at the helm of the Albany State University softball program. She previously held the same position Darton State College where she complied a 41-54 overall record.
Last season (2018), Coach Barker guided the Golden Rams to their first SIAC Championship and subsequent playoff berth since 2013. ASU also finished the year with a perfect 19-0 record in conference play, the first such accomplishment in school history.
Barker is a former softball player and assistant coach from Louisiana Tech University. As a student-athlete, Barker was a four-year varsity starter for the Lady Techsters and set a record for most hits in a single season. Regarded as one of the top outfielders in the Western Atlantic Conference, Barker earned all-league honors twice and ended her playing career as one of the top three base stealers in the program's history. She also excelled as a student and was a four-time All-WAC Academic selection.
Barker held a role as assistant softball coach of Louisiana Tech for five years before taking a position at The University of Texas-Dallas in 2012. At Texas-Dallas, she held a dual role as assistant softball coach and academic advisor. Much of her duties as an assistant coach centered on working with outfielders and left-handed batters, recruiting, scheduling and fundraising.
Barker also has international coaching and playing experience, having the opportunity to travel to Asia in both 2010 and 2014.
Barker holds a master's degree in counseling & guidance and a bachelor's degree in journalism, both from Louisiana Tech University. She is a graduate of the 2018 NCAA Women Coaches Academy class #44 that was held in Denver, CO. The NCAA Women Coaches Academy, hosted in partnership between the Alliance of Women Coaches and the NCAA, is a 4-day educational training available to NCAA coaches of all experience levels, and is designed for women coaches who are ready to increase their individual effectiveness by learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
