DENVER – MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga has announced a new, but familiar, coaching staff for the 2023 season.
 
Nicole Trimboli, Bre Milnes and Ari Valdez will serve as Van Wetzinga's assistants for the Roadrunners.
 
Trimboli has been a consultant for the program since 2018, while Milnes was a Roadrunners assistant from 2015 through 2018 and Valdez just wrapped up her career as a four-year starter for the Roadrunners.
 
"The addition of Bre and Ari to our coaching staff, along with Nicole returning, has me very excited for our student-athletes," Van Wetzinga said. "All three have a wealth of experience and knowledge that is diverse among them and will complement one another."
 
Since 2016, Trimboli has been the owner and operator of NT Athletics LLC, offering specialized training and development for softball teams, coaches and families. From 2011 through 2016 she was the head coach at Regis, guiding the Rangers to 123 wins and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament championships in both 2011 and 2015. Before joining Regis, she was a Division I assistant at Central Florida in 2010 and Portland State in 2009 – Central Florida played in the NCAA Tournament, while Portland State won a school-record 42 games. In 2008 she was on the staff when Van Wetzinga coached at Colorado School of Mines and the team won a school-record 38 games. In 2006, she was an assistant at Division I Maine, helping the team to an America East Conference championship and a school-record 35 wins.
 
Trimboli was a three-time All-Star while playing nine seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch League from 2004 through 2012, where her teams won three titles and she was the most valuable player of the 2008 Championships. As a player at Nebraska from 2001 through 2004, she was a three-time All-Big 12 Conference and All-Midwest Region selection, was part of two Big 12 champions (2001 and 2004) and played on the fifth-place team at the 2002 Women's College World Series. She was named to the Big 12's 10^th Anniversary Team in 2006.
 
"Nicole is one of the best teachers of the game, Van Wetzinga said. "She is very passionate about the game of softball and sharing her knowledge and experience."
 
Milnes helped MSU Denver go 147-79 in her first four seasons on the staff, including 44-16 overall and 28-6 in RMAC play during the 2015 season, when the Roadrunners won the RMAC regular season championship and played in the NCAA Tournament. The Roadrunners returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 as RMAC Tournament champions, capping a season in which they were 35-19 overall and 25-9 in league play. MSU Denver pitchers earned RMAC Tournament MVP in 2016 and RMAC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 2015. MSU Denver led the RMAC in ERA in 2015.

Prior to joining the Roadrunners, Milnes spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Northern State (S.D.), and three years as an assistant coach Kirkwood Community College (Iowa), where she was a member of the NFCA Midwest Region coaching staff of the year in 2011 and helped the team to three Iowa Community College Athletic Conference championships. She coached four All-America pitchers at Kirkwood and helped the team finish seventh at the NJCAA national tournament. She played two seasons at Northern State, leading the team in strikeouts (106) and earned run average (3.04) as a senior, after playing two seasons at Kirkwood and being named All-America second team in 2007.
 
"I can't wait to bring Bre back to the staff," Van Wetzinga said. "We had some very successful years when she was a part of Roadrunner Softball, and her development of the pitchers was a big part of that. Whether it was at Kirkwood, Northern State, or here, success has followed."
 
Valdez was the vocal leader of the Roadrunners during her career, and was a starter in both left field and then second base during her days as a Roadrunner. She played in 166 games for MSU Denver, starting 149, and batted .289 (103-for-356) with 23 doubles, six homers, 55 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. She batted a career-best .325 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season after batting .323 in 54 games as a freshman. She had career bests of eight doubles, four homers and 22 RBIs as a senior in 2022, and she earned an RMAC Gold Glove for her fielding prowess at second base in 2021. Her academic honors include being named an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete as well as a D2ADA Academic Achievement Award winner and a three-time selection to the Academic All-RMAC honor roll.
 
"Ari has love and loyalty for MSU Denver and Roadrunner Softball," Van Wetzinga said. "She played with that while she was a student-athlete for the program, and I'm excited for her to begin her coaching career here and continue to positively impact Roadrunner Softball."