PEMBROKE – Athletics department officials at UNC Pembroke announced on Tuesday that Clay Ardeeser has been named as the softball program's 12th head coach.
 
Ardeeser treks to Pembroke after serving the last four years (2023-26) as the head softball coach at fellow Conference Carolinas institution, Southern Wesleyan University.
 
"I couldn't be more excited to welcome Clay and the entire Ardeeser family to Pembroke," said Director of Athletics, Scott Byrd. "He is the right leader at the right time for our softball program. While his remarkable record of success speaks for itself, what impressed me most was the way our student-athletes connected with his vision and embraced his roadmap for elevating the program to new heights. Clay's passion, leadership, and commitment to excellence make him an outstanding fit for BraveNation. We truly hit a home run with this hire."
 
Ardeeser tallied 93 wins at Southern Wesleyan, improving the team's win total every year, including a jump from five wins in his first season in 2023 to a school-record 37 wins in 2026. The Warriors won back-to-back Conference Carolinas Southwest Division titles in 2025 and 2026, as well as garnering the first NCAA regional ranking in program history in 2026.
 
Across his four seasons at Southern Wesleyan, Ardeeser mentored six All-Conference selections and ten CSC Academic All-District honorees. As a team, the Warriors finished the 2026 season in the top two inside Conference Carolinas play in seven offensive categories, including leading the league in runs, doubles, home runs, and RBI. The Southern Wesleyan pitching staff finished 2026 with a 2.44 team ERA (24th in Division II) and was even better in Conference Carolinas play, logging a 1.71 ERA and leading the league with 12 shutouts while holding conference opponents to a .213 batting average.

Ardeeser's 2025 Warriors team finished fifth in Division II in home runs per game, ninth in slugging percentage, and 14th in runs per game.

Prior to Southern Wesleyan, Ardeeser spent three seasons (2020-22) as the head assistant baseball coach at Belhaven University, and in 2021 helped lead the Blazers to its first conference tournament berth since 2015, and in 2022 set a program record with 28 wins.
 
"I am extremely grateful to the Pembroke community for the opportunity of a lifetime," said Ardeeser. "UNC Pembroke is an outstanding university both academically and athletically. It has always been clear to me that UNCP is a flagship program in Conference Carolinas and a place where we can build something special. I want to thank Scott Byrd and the entire UNCP athletics department for believing in myself and family to lead their program. Go Braves!"
 
Ardeeser was a standout on the baseball diamond at Georgia College from 2012-15, earning All-Region and All-Peach Belt Conference honors three times, while also bringing home All-American honors in 2014. Ardeeser graduated from Georgia College in 2016 with a degree in exercise science and also earned a master's degree in sports administration from Belhaven in 2021. Ardeeser resides in Raeford with his wife, Mallory, and daughter, Tahlia.