One of the most accomplished coaches in the state of Alabama will step down after a historic career on the softball field.

UAH head softball coach Les Stuedeman will retire after 30 seasons as the head softball coach of the Chargers, it was announced on Wednesday.

The veteran coach built the Chargers’ softball program after taking the helm in 1996; associate head coach Melanie Carter will step in as head coach.

Over 30 seasons as the head coach at UAH, Stuedeman finished with a career record of 1,297-453-1 and posted 40-win seasons in 27 of her 30 seasons as the leader of the program.

She leaves UAH ranked No. 14 in NCAA history for career wins and ranked third among all Division II coaches.

“If you find a job you love, you never work a day. I feel like that sums up my career at UAH,” Stuedeman wrote in a release. “There is no way to express the gratitude I feel for 30 years of getting to be a Charger. The women who have worn the UAH softball jersey have gifted me with a lifetime of memories and we built something special TOGETHER. It’s been my honor to be their coach and to watch them flourish on the field and in their lives after Charger softball.”

Under Stuedeman, UAH clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament 26 times, which includes a pair of runner-up finishes in the Division II Softball World Series.

Along with four South Region titles, she has guided the program to nine Gulf South Conference championships and has gone a league-best 81-40 in Gulf South Conference tournament games.

A 2014 inductee into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Stuedeman was named Gulf South Conference Coach of the Decade in 2010 and 2020; she is a 10-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year winner.

Stuedeman is also a member of the Vestavia Hills Hall of Fame, Huntingdon Athletic Hall of Fame and Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I am so happy for Les and excited for her and what is next,” UAH Director of Athletics Dr. Cade Smith wrote in a release. “I am sad for us as she has been awesome to work with here at UAH. She built UAH softball from the ground up and, in the process, was a catalyst to raise all of our programs.

“She made everyone better, every day. I appreciate her, who she is, what she stands for, and cannot put into words the impact she has made on UAH, softball, and most importantly, young people. She is a legend and I am just going to miss seeing her so often. I am glad she will still be around.”

Carter, the new head coach at UAH, has been an assistant on Stuedeman’s staff since the 2010 season and was a player under the now-retired coach from 2000-03.

She is a member of the Gulf South Conference and UAH hall of fames after a career that saw her claim NFCA All-American honors four times.

“We are so fortunate to have Melanie Carter as our new head coach,” Smith said. “She embodies what is means to be a UAH Charger. She has been here as a student-athlete, an assistant coach, an associate head coach, and I know she will work tirelessly to be an excellent head coach for us. I am so proud of her and can’t wait to watch her get to work in her new role.”