Mary VandeHoef took over the helm as Hope softball coach in the fall of 2010. Over three seasons she has guided the Flying Dutch to a 59-54-2 overall record and a 30-18 mark in MIAA conference games.  Including her first three seasons at Hope, VandeHoef has 10 years of coaching experience at the high school and college levels.

VandeHoef came to Hope with a strong undergirding in NCAA Division III athletics. She played softball at Central College in Pella, Iowa and graduated with honors in 2003. She was a member of the softball coaching staff for two years (2005-2007) at Ithaca College (NY) as a graduate assistant while receiving her masters degree in sport psychology, and helped guide the Bombers to the NCAA Division III College World Series in 2006.  She then served as an assistant at her alma mater, coaching the JV program and assisting at the varsity level for three years before coming to Hope.

A co-captain of Central's 2003 NCAA Division III national championship team, VandeHoef was a four-time NCAA tournament participant, four-year letter winner, and recipient of the team's most inspirational player award three of her four years. Central compiled a 158-30-1 record during her career, with Iowa Conference titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003, third-place NCAA regional finishes in 2000 and 2002, and two NCAA Division III College World Series appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2001 and the NCAA championship in 2003.

Originally from Orange City, Iowa, VandeHoef is now in her fourth year serving as the intramural program director and the assistant Dow Center director, along with her head softball coaching duties at Hope.