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Tom Spencer
Tom Spencer enters his fourth season as the head softball coach at Butler. Spencer was named the fifth head coach of the Butler softball program on December 19, 2002, and since his arrival in Indianapolis, has steadily improved the Bulldogs into a quality Horizon League contender.
Spencer has stocked his roster with young talent. In 2005, freshman Jenny Jacobs posted a school single-season record with nine home runs, while fellow newcomer Nikki Naffziger set the single-season mark for strikeouts as both were named to the league's "All-Newcomer Team." In just three seasons, Spencer has mentored nine "All-Horizon League" selections and three newcomer picks. Melissa Lemrick earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) "All-Mideast Region" first team honors following the 2004 campaign.
Spencer's best coaching job came in 2005 when he took a young Butler squad and posted 19 wins, including a 5-2 start to the league portion of the schedule. The 2005 Bulldogs included seven first- or second-year players in the starting line-up, which bodes well for the future.
Butler posted 18 wins in each of Spencer's first two seasons. The 2004 squad had a record of 10-10 in conference play, while the 2003 team's accomplishments are even more impressive since Spencer had been only the job for less than two months when the season began.
Prior to arriving at Butler, Spencer was the head coach at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio. There, Spencer led his team to three straight 20-win seasons, including a school-record 28-win campaign in 2001. Spencer's squads won nearly 60 percent of their games, as he posted a 70-52 record in his three-year stint.
He was promoted to the head coaching position after serving as the team's assistant coach from 1993-1995. During his tenure with the Yellow Jackets, Spencer's teams set or tied 19 school records and he was named the 2001 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Coach of the Year. Spencer is also dedicated to academics, as his teams consistently performed well in the classroom. His team posted a 3.44 GPA during the 2001-02 season, which was fifth in the nation among Division III colleges.
Spencer also helped develop several other successful programs at Baldwin-Wallace. He served as the school's first-ever head women's golf coach from 1997-1999, leading the team to a No. 3 regional ranking in the program's inaugural year. Spencer also served as the assistant women's basketball coach while at Baldwin-Wallace, where he helped guide the team to five consecutive NCAA appearances, including one Sweet 16 appearance and two Elite 8 appearances.
Spencer's coaching career started at Fairview Park High School in Ohio, where he was the head softball and basketball coach. He received his degree in education from Bowling Green State University and received his teaching certificate in health and physical education from Cleveland State University.
He and his wife, Lori, have two daughters, Kelly and Alana.
Tom Spencer's Year-by-Year Records
| 2000 | Baldwin-Wallace | 20-21 | (.488) |
| 2001 | Baldwin-Wallace | 28-16 | (.636) |
| 2002 | Baldwin-Wallace | 22-15 | (.595) |
| 2003 | Butler | 18-31 | (.367) |
| 2004 | Butler | 18-39-1 | (.319) |
| 2005 | Butler | 19-33 | (.365) |
| Overall (Six seasons) | 125-155-1 | (.447) |
| Butler (Three seasons) | 55-103-1 | (.349) |
| Horizon League | 25-35 | (.417) |
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