BRUCE LENINGTON joined the university as the Softball Head Coach in July 2019. Lenington comes to OLLU after an assistant coach stint at Michigan State University.

During his first season at the helm, Lenington guided the Saints to an 11-14 overall record and 3-0 mark in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play before the season ended due to COVID-19. 

In his second season this past spring, the Saints ended with a 26-18 overall record and 12-6 conference record. After defeating the University of the Southwest 2-0 and LSU-Alexandria 6-0 in the opening rounds of the conference tournament, the women lost 1-0 to Texas A&M University - Texarkana and 10-4 to the University of Houston-Victoria to end their season.

Both of Lenington's teams earned NAIA Scholar Team awards.

Lenington boasts a long career at the high school, national travel ball, NAIA and NCAA D1 levels.

He joined NCAA D1 Michigan State softball head coach Jacquie Joseph in August 2018 as assistant coach and worked primarily with hitting and overall defense after spending one season at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

In 2016, Lenington, a native of the Detroit metro area, was hired as an assistant to help lead NAIA Lawrence Tech University (LTU) in its inaugural season. The Blue Devils became the first LTU program to reach the postseason conference tournament in their first year of existence finishing with a record of 22-28.

Lenington also served as the head coach at Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 1 Novi High School and led one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent memory. Prior to his hiring in 2013, Novi's last winning season was in 2001. After his hiring, the Wildcats enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons, including conference and district championships in 2014 and 2015 respectively. He also owned and operated the Michigan Lookouts, a travel softball training and recruitment service, from 2011-2017, where he assisted more than 60 student-athletes realize their dreams of playing college softball. In 2013, his 18U team finished in the top 10 at the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) "A" National Tournament in Salem, Va. - one of the best finishes for any Michigan team prior to that time.

Lenington has held camps and clinics throughout the country for players at all levels including youth and college athletes. He began his coaching career at the high school level in Filer, Idaho, in 1992, where his teams made several final four finishes and won the 1995 State Championship.

Lenington and his wife, Paula, have three children: daughters Jordan and Ashley, both former college softball players, and son Conner. The couple is also parents to four adopted dogs Maggie, Pudge and Moxy, as well as Saints' mascot Gus. Gus is in his second season as the team's mascot