Kaci Vassallo cones on as Head Softball Coach & Phil Gaffney as Head Basketball Coach
Media Release | August 5, 2025
Pasco Hernando State College
Pasco-Hernando State College announces the hiring of Kaci Vassallo as the new head softball coach ahead of the Fall 2025 semester.
Vasallo, a seasoned softball coach, has a background that includes coaching both NJCAA and NCAA programs at a variety of levels (Eastern Florida – NJCAA DI, University of Charleston – NCAA DII, Bethune-Cookman – NCAA DI) and has a combined 143-152 overall record and 73-54 conference record thus far in her career.
Most recently, Vassallo was a part of the coaching staff at the NCAA Division 1 Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 2022-2025. During her tenure at Cookman, BCU had three First-Team All-SWAC selections and six Second-Team All-SWAC selections.
Vassallo was also a four-year starter at Lynn University from 2012-2015, playing a total of 194 games in her four-year career. Vassallo uses a quote by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to highlight her mission most often: “Enter to learn and depart to serve.”
She further says her goal is to “enter every institution to spread my softball knowledge and life wisdom; then for my players to depart from me to serve in their career fields, communities, or wherever their feet take them.”
“We’re excited to welcome Kaci to the Bobcat family. Her experience coaching and recruiting at the Division I level will bring a fresh perspective and a high level of competitiveness to our softball program. I’m confident she will make an immediate impact on our student-athletes both on and off the field,” said Lyndon Coleman, Athletic Director.
The PHSC community eagerly anticipates the upcoming season under Vassallo’s leadership, confident in the positive impact she will have on the team’s performance and student-athlete development.
PHSC Hires Phil Gaffney as New Head Basketball Coach
Media Release | August 7, 2025
PHSC Media Relations, Marketing & Communications
Pasco-Hernando State College announces the hiring of Phil Gaffney as the new Head Basketball Coach.
Gaffney, a seasoned basketball coach, has a background that includes coaching in both major universities and colleges from the NCAA, NJCAA, FCSAA, and GCAA.
His guidance has led to success in the junior college world with four different schools breaking their records for most single-season wins under his leadership [Georgia Highlands – 34, Guilford Tech – 28, Mohawk Valley – 27, & Columbia-Greene – 22] and three national tournament appearances over his 20+ year career. Since 2005, Gaffney has a combined 366-180 overall record, entering the 2025-26 season.
Most recently, Gaffney was the head coach at Gulf Coast State College in the Pan Handle Conference from 2019-2024, where he led the Commodores to a 78-60 overall record in the past five seasons and an NJCAA Region 8 Championship in 2020.
“I’m extremely grateful and excited to be chosen to lead the Bobcats’ Men’s Basketball Team. The positive culture Coach Coleman is creating within the athletic program makes this a great opportunity. I love the academic reputation of Pasco-Hernando State College, as well as the beautiful location,” says Gaffney.
He further explains, “the goal every year is to graduate all our student-athletes, win the Region 8 Championship, and compete for a National Championship. In our first year, we are striving to be competitive while building a winning culture.”
“Phil is a proven winner, both on and off the court, having led his previous four NJCAA programs to top-5 national rankings. We are excited to have him as part of PHSC Athletics and look forward to building a basketball program that is respected not only locally, but nationally,” said Lyndon Coleman, Athletic Director.
