BOSTON, Mass. – Simmons University has announced that Head Softball Coach Brook Capello has stepped down from her role after a decade of leadership. Capello, the winningest coach in program history, will be departing to become the next head coach at Division II Bentley University.

Capello arrived at Simmons in the fall of 2015 and has since elevated the program to unprecedented heights. She reached her 200th career win in 2023 and amassed 175 victories in 10 seasons with the Sharks— the most of any coach in Simmons Softball history. Under her guidance, Simmons earned: 73 Easton NFCA Scholar-Athlete recognitions, 36 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference honorees, 11 College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selections, and nine NFCA All-Region honorees. Capello led Simmons to three GNAC Championship game appearances (2019, 2023, 2024) and secured the first two conference titles in program history in 2023 and 2024. She coached four GNAC Pitchers of the Year, in Maddie Castigliego (2022, 2023) and Piper Kinney (2024-2025). In 2019, Capello was named GNAC Coach of the Year and most recently in 2023, she and her staff earned ATEC/NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

"Brook has left a lasting positive impact on this program, its competitive identity, its academic excellence, and its culture," said Director of Athletics Erica Schuling. "Her leadership has set a strong foundation for the program's future, and we appreciate the many contributions she has made during her tenure. We wish her and her family the best in this new endeavour." 

An interim head coach will be announced in the coming days, with a national search to commence at the conclusion of the 2026 season.