Fred Batchelor took over as head coach of the Maryland-Eastern Shore women's basketball team with clear goals: To play hard, put pressure on the opposition, and get better and better as the season progresses. He keeps that goal as his top priority as he begins his fourth season at UMES.

Last season that didn't happen. The Lady Hawks posted an 11 win campaign to 20 losses. While double digit wins certainly isn't bad, it was the worst year to date for Batchelor at UMES. Some can blame injuries for the problems, as All-MEAC Rookie Team member Tiffany Reid missed the entire campaign with a shoulder injury and Defensive Player of the Year Kristi Veltkamp struggled somewhat in her junior year. They finished seventh and had a MEAC Tournament first round exit at the hands of Norfolk State. The light at the tunnel was freshmen April McBride who earned All-MEAC Rookie honors and led the team in scoring. With McBride, a healthy Reid and a reenergized Veltkamp, Batchelor sees the upcoming year as a chance to get back in the thick of the MEAC.

It was two seasons ago that UMES was the surprise of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Despite injuries, the maroon and gray finished third in the league (just one win from second place) and accumulated a 16 win season. The Lady Hawks were the first UMES basketball team to advance to the MEAC semifinals in nine seasons, wrapping up the 2005-06 season at the MEAC Tournament with a 51-41 win over the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman and a quarterfinal loss to No. 2-ranked Delaware State.

Notable wins for the maroon and gray in 2005-06 included a 37-point victory over Bethune-Cookman on February 20 and a pair of 19-point wins over Florida A&M and Howard, the latter more impressive as it sealed a third-place conference finish for the Lady Hawks. UMES also played nationally ranked Temple tough and lost to the Owls by just seven points.

During the 2004-05 season, Batchelor's inaugural year, the maroon and gray had much success as they raked in a 12-win season and finished fifth in the MEAC.

The Lady Hawks also achieved several milestones that year. They played a tough contest with Temple and defeated Hampton on Feb. 21. UMES narrowly lost to the 2004-05 MEAC Champion Coppin State on Feb. 21, just five days after their victory over the Lady Pirates.

The 5th-seeded Lady Hawks earned a bye into the second round of the conference tournament and faced off against #4-seed Howard in a quarterfinal match-up. UMES, who finished the regular season with a winning MEAC record (10-8) for the first time since '97-'98, went 12-15 overall following a 2-8 start to the season. Although they fell to the Lady Bison 54-42 in the second round of the tournament, the young maroon and gray squad took away several intangibles from their contest versus Howard.

Prior to UMES, Batchelor was the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Elizabeth City State University where he has coached for two years seasons, taking his team to a third place finish in the CIAA.

Previously, Batchelor was at the State University of New York (SUNY) school, Buffalo State College, where he was regular season champions of the SUNY Athletic Conference in 2001-2002. That year he led his team to an NCAA Tournament Appearance and was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year. The previous season he led the Bengals to a fourth place conference finish. He has a career head coaching record of 60-47 over four seasons.

Batchelor has also served as a Women's Assistant Coach at Buffalo State, a Men's Assistant Coach at the University of Buffalo and Valley Forge Christian College, and Men's Head Coach and Athletic Director at Villa Maria Junior College.

Batchelor received his bachelor's degree from Valley Forge in 1988 and a master's degree from Buffalo State in 2000. He resides in Virginia with his wife, Odette, and their two children, Trey and Tiara.