Ann Barton served as Francis Marion's head coach for volleyball and softball from the fall of 1982 to the summer of 1989.
In seven seasons as head softball coach, she recorded a 219-79 mark (.735 winning percentage). Three of her teams (1986, 1987, 1988) advanced to the NAIA Softball World Series by virtue of winning the District Six championship and the Bi-District XI title. In 1987, the Patriots finished second in the nation with a 42-4 record, losing 1-0 to Kearney State College in the national championship game. The 42 wins stood as the single-season record for most wins by any FMU athletic team for 37 years until 2024.
Her softball teams also finished second in the district three times (1983, 1984, 1985). The 1989 Patriots team finished 27-12 and placed third in the District Six Tournament.
Barton earned NAIA District Six softball Coach of the Year honors in 1983 and 1987. She was also named the National Softball Coaches Association NAIA Regional Coach of the Year in 1987.
When she left, the softball team owned a 56-game home-field winning streak.
In seven seasons as volleyball coach, Barton registered a 126-122 mark (.508 winning percentage) and her teams qualified for the district playoffs six times.
Barton's softball and volleyball teams produced five NAIA All-Americans.
She came to Francis Marion from the University of South Carolina where she was a teaching and research assistant in physical education.
A 1974 graduate of A.C. Flora High School in Columbia, S.C., she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia, majoring in health and physical education. She received her master's degree from the University of South Carolina in 1982.
(5-2024)
