After two seasons at the helm of the Auburn softball program, co-head coach Kate Malveaux is set to be inducted into the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame, according to a release on Friday.
“I was totally shocked,” Malveaux said in the release. “I can’t believe that’s something they’re willing to do. Usually, that comes to people later in their careers. Shock at first, then complete humility.”
Malveaux will be inducted as a part of the Class of 2026, which is only its third wave of inductees. Illinois boasts one of the newer state halls of fame, as its first class came just three years ago in 2024.
The second-year co-head coach joins elite company as a new member of the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame, as the inaugural 2024 class featured two-time Olympic gold medalist Dot Richardson, Michael Jordan and Walter Payton.
For Malveaux, it was originally disbelief and maybe even some doubt, but that was followed by a wave of humility and gratitude.
“Super humbling,” Malveaux said. “At first, I was thinking I don’t even know if they’ve got the right person. It was super humbling to know they thought the things Chris and I have been able to do throughout our career, along with my playing career, were noteworthy of being in the hall of fame.”
Malveaux was born in Springfield, Illinois, and grew up about an hour away in Witt, Illinois, where she competed in three sports before playing softball at Heartland Community College.
However, unlike many college softball players in this day and age, she didn’t grow up training relentlessly and traveling the country on youth softball teams.
“I was raising cattle and grew up on a farm and missed all of that,” Malveaux said. “Super lucky that I got the opportunities I did.”
Malveaux was extremely successful at Heartland, building the program from the ground up, before winning a national championship in the team’s second campaign.
“A brand new program, inaugural season,” Malveaux said. “In our second season, we won a national championship.”
Almost every player saw the field in every game due to a shallow roster, but those few years taught her many lessons that allowed her to see future success within the industry, even long after her days in a uniform.
“We had only about 10 or 11 girls to do it,” she said. “Got a lot of really great experience and learned what hard work meant in a softball career. It springboarded and showed me a different love of the game and what really committing to it meant.
After becoming a junior college national champion, Malveaux transferred to Bradley University, where she took advantage of various opportunities that launched her into a coaching career.
The induction ceremony is slated for July 25 in Springfield, but Malveaux will not be in attendance, as she will be busy recruiting on the West Coast at the Premier Girls Fastpitch national championships in Southern California.
“It would be great to be able to be there for the event but we’re building a program,” Malveaux said. “We’ve got to find the recruits who are going to make Auburn great.”
After reaching the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament this past spring, Malveaux and Auburn look to build on the momentum generated at the end of the year — even after a less-than-desirable regular season.
The Tigers finished the 2026 campaign at 27-28 overall, causing them to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. They also went 4-20 in conference play, with their only SEC series win coming in the first series of the season against Kentucky.
However, despite the recent disappointments, Malveaux says there are many reasons to expect better results in 2027, beginning with a strong group of returners seeking to prove themselves on the Plains for another year.
“We had a senior-heavy loaded first year,” Malveaux said. “Then we had a very young team, in terms of experience, last year. We’re super excited that a core piece of that group comes back with grittiness and a hunger to go get after it again.”
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Gunner Norene, junior in journalism, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Fall 2024. Norene previously served as a Sports Writer. He is currently serving as the Sports Editor.
