McCall Salmon - Softball Coach - Central Michigan University Athletics

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

McCall Salmon

Title:
Head Coach
E-Mail Address:
mccall.salmon@cmich.edu
Phone:
(989) 774-6688
Year at CMU:
7th
Hometown:
Grand Ledge, Mich.
Alma Mater/Year:
Aquinas/2007
Experience:
18th year (13th as HC)

McCall Salmon was named to head the Central Michigan softball program in June 2019.

Salmon had major shoes to fill in taking over for the legendary Margo Jonker, who led the program for 40 years (1980-2019), becoming an iconic name in college softball coaching circles.

Salmon notched her first victory as the Chippewas’ coach on Feb. 21, 2020, when CMU downed Austin Peay, 4-3, in Athens, Ga. CMU finished the abbreviated 2020 season 6-13, winning four of its final six games.

In year two, Salmon led CMU to 18 Mid-American Conference wins, including finishing the season on a tear, taking nine of the last 11 conference games. Freshman outfielder Abbey Tolmie burst onto the scene, leading CMU in batting average (.355), runs (34) and hits (54) en route to earning Second Team All-MAC honors. Another freshman, Grace Lehto, led Central Michigan in the circle, recording a team best 11 wins and 107 strikeouts in 122.0 innings pitched.

The 2022 season was a 27-win season for Salmon and the Chippewas in her third year at the helm of the program, making the Mid-American Conference for a second straight year under her leadership. Central Michigan posted a .970 fielding percentage on the season which was top 50 in the nation. Salmon was name MAC Coach of the year for the 2022 season. The Chippewas finished with a 18-11 conference record, highlighted by an 11-game winning streak from April 12 – April 26, 2023.

In 2023, Salmon led Team 45 to their third straight Mid-American Conference Tournament appearance and a 29-win season. A .977 team fielding percentage landed the Chippewas as the 14^th best fielding percentage in the country. The Chippewas finished with a 18-11 conference record, highlighted by an 11-game winning streak from April 12 – April 26, 2023.

The 2024 season brought the Chippewas back to the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the fourth straight year under Salmon and her staff. An incredibly rigorous pre-season stretch for the Chippewas was highlighted by an extra innings battle with No. 23 Arizona in Tucson. The Chippewas won 13 conference games, including handing Miami (OH) their only loss of the 2024 MAC Season.

Some freshmen standouts proved themselves in the 2024 season, most notably Carly Sleeman. Sleeman recorded 19 doubles on the season, two short of breaking the program record in just her first year. The program graduated eight seniors – two redshirt-seniors and six four-year seniors. Abbey Tolmie and Grace Lehto were among those seniors who graduated with a plethora of academic and athletic records.

In 2025, Team 47 charted milestones that set new records in CMU Softball history. The Chippewas finished with a 26-25 record, 17-8 in MAC play, and made their fifth tournament appearance under Coach Salmon – the 14^th consecutive for the Chippewa Softball program.

Salmon earned her 100^th win as the leader of CMU on February 8^th with an 8-0 (6 inn.) win over Tennessee State. The Chippewas charted two wins over power conference opponents in 2025, grabbing a win over Northwestern on February 28^th (4-2), and over Michigan State on March 26^th (4-0), in East Lansing.

The 2025 squad had an offensive season that set new records in runs scored (281), RBI (259), walks drawn (198) and sacrifice flies in a single season (19).

In the Mid-American Conference ranks for the 2025 season, the Chippewas drew the most walks, charted 81 doubles which was good for 2^nd best in the conference, and recorded a .970 fielding percentage, also 2^nd best.

The team batting average of .304 was 3^rd best in the MAC, along with their 258 RBI and the team strikeout total was also the 3^rd best in the conference (197).

In MAC play, the Chippewas had a .417 on-base percentage, which led the conference.

Individuals under Salmon’s instruction, 10 of the top 10 offensive spots for the Mid-American Conference went to Chippewa batters.

Carly Sleeman ranked in the top 10 in batting average (.373), slugging percentage (.753), on-base percentage (.483), OPS (1.238), hits (59), RBI (50), home runs (17), and walks drawn (34).

Sleeman’s 50 RBI set a new program record, and her 17 home runs tied the record set by Shannon Stein in 2022, also under Salmon’s leadership.

Allyssa Hollo’s 15 doubles ranked her 3^rd in the MAC, and also took the No. 5 spot in single season totals in program history.

Freshman, London Williams charted 10 home runs in her first year with the Chippewas, which was the 7^th most in the conference.

CMU had two First Team All-MAC honorees, Mackenzie Langan and Carly Sleeman, Grace Koenig and London Williams earned second team honors, and Williams and Maddison Diekman were named to the All-Freshman Team.

Williams is just the third player to earn All-MAC recognition and be on the All-Freshman Team in program history.

Salmon coached at Davenport University in Grand Rapids from 2014-19, posting a 235-63 record (a .788 winning percentage) and leading the program through a successful transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II.

In 2019, Salmon led Davenport to a 32-21 record and a second-consecutive runner-up finish in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. She led the Panthers to a 35-21 finish in 2018.

Prior to the move to Division II, Davenport was the preeminent program in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, winning four-consecutive conference regular-season and tournament titles from 2014-17, and advancing to the national tournament in each of those years.

Salmon guided the Panthers to an NAIA World Series berth in 2017 and she twice earned the WHAC Coach of the Year Award.

In two NCAA Division II years with Salmon at the helm, six Panthers earned First Team All-GLIAC honors and three were recognized as all-region. Prior to the move to Division II, Salmon coached five NAIA All-Americans, three players who earned the WHAC Newcomer of the Year Award, two WHAC Players of the Year, and two WHAC Pitchers of the Year at Davenport.

Salmon’s Panther squads were also strong academically, posting a team grade point average of 3.40 or better over six consecutive seasons.

Salmon served as an assistant coach at Davenport from 2008-13, working with the program from its beginnings. She helped lead the Panthers to two league regular-season titles and two conference tournament crowns.

Salmon was a first baseman/utility player at Aquinas, playing on three-consecutive WHAC championships from 2005-07. She earned all-conference honors three times in her career and served as a team captain during her final two seasons. She received the prestigious Helen Louise Brogger Award, which goes to Aquinas’ top female athlete.

Salmon earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in business administration and sport management from Aquinas. Salmon and her husband Paul have two children, Colt and Kayla.

SEASON	OVERALL RECORD	CONFERENCE RECORD	WIN PERCENTAGE
2014	38-10 (Davenport)	16-2 (WHAC)	.791
2015	42-10 (Davenport)	15-3 (WHAC)	.808
2016	39-12 (Davenport)	15-3 (WHAC)	.765
2017	49-10 (Davenport)	16-4 (GLIAC)	.831
2018	35-21 (Davenport)	17-13 (GLIAC)	.625
2019	32-21 (Davenport)	22-10 (GLIAC)	.604
2020	6-13 (CMU) * COVID	N/A	.316
2021	20-28 (CMU)	18-20 (MAC)	.417
2022	27-26 (CMU)	17-11 (MAC)	.509
2023	29-26	18-11 (MAC)	.527
2024	17-33	13-12 (MAC)	.340
2025	26-25	17-8 (MAC)	.510
CAREER	360-235	184-97	.604