Jeff Franquet enters his third season as head coach of the JU softball team where he has literally built the program from the ground up. Franquet's hands-on approach and attention to detail has yielded immediate results. The Dolphins have been competitive in the Atlantic Sun Conference since the program's inception and play in one of the conference's top facilities. JU has also quickly established itself as one of the top academic programs in the country, while sporting one of the A-Sun's most difficult schedules, including trips to Las Vegas and Hawaii.

JU made great strides in 2004 against a schedule which featured eight top-25 teams. The Dolphins defeated No. 24 Southern Illinois and No. 10 Florida State, which eventually advanced to the Women's College World Series.

The Dolphins have also heeded Franquet's call for academic excellence, as JU ranked 14th in the country among Division I softball programs with a 3.33 team GPA during the 2003-04 academic year. Eight players received National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar-Athlete honors for having a GPA over 3.5, while seven earned Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference honors. In the past two years, 17 Dolphins have earned Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference honors and 15 have earned NFCA Scholar-Athlete accolades.

Shortstop Dianna Korcak, who was Franquet's first recruit at JU, became the first player in the program's history to earn First-Team Atlantic Sun All-Conference honors after ranking among the conference leaders with 45 hits (2nd) and 43 runs (3rd).

She also established a new NCAA Division I single-season record by belting 17 triples in 2004 and earned Second-Team Academic All-America honors for her work in the classroom. Korcak was invited to play with the Southeastern All-Stars, which competed against the Olympic Champion U.S. Softball team in exhibition play prior to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.

Prior to taking over at JU, Franquet spent two years as head coach at Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Fla., where he compiled an 87-36 (.787) record. His teams broke 104 school records and won back-to-back Florida Community College Athletic Association State Championships in 1999 and 2000 - the first championships for CFCC in softball. Franquet also coached CFCC's first-ever National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American, Kristen Keyes, along with eight Academic All-Americans and three All-South Region performers. Keyes, who was the Florida High School Pitcher and Player of the Year in 2001, also played on the NJCAA National Team.

Franquet also coached the Professional Class A Yuengling Patriots from 1997-2001, leading the Patriots to the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) National Championship in 2001. Twelve of his players earned All-America honors as Yuengling qualified for the national championships all five seasons.

Franquet began his coaching career as head coach at Freedom (Pa.) High School from 1997-99. Under his tutelage, Freedom qualified for the district championships all three seasons for the first time in school history, and was ranked in the top-10 academically among softball teams in the state. Franquet played softball for 21 years, including four years at the professional level. He earned 16 MVP Honors, played in two world championships, nine national championships, as well as 15 regional and 17 state championships. His former professional teams include the Auckland Bears in New Zealand and the Heflin Builders in Pennsylvania.

Franquet, a member of the NFCA, is a native of Lewisburg, Pa. He is married to current Dolphin assistant coach, Brooke, and they have a 20-month-old daughter, Madison.

Education
Mansfield University (1992)
B.A. in Liberal Arts

Coaching Experience
2002-present Head Coach, Jacksonville University
1999-2001 Head Coach, Central Florida Community College
1997-2001 Head Coach, Yuengling Patriots Women's "A" Softball Team
1997-1999 Head Coach, Freedom High School

Playing Experience
  Played fast-pitch softball for 21 years
  Played professionally for four years
  Two World Championships
  Nine National Championships
  15 Regional Championships
  17 State Championships

Playing Honors
16 MVP Honors
.398 career batting average