Kathleen Jacoby begins her first season as the Head Softball Coach at Blackburn College.  Jacoby is a former standout pitcher at Eastern Illinois University where she earned her bachelors and masters degrees.  This will be Jacoby's second time coaching softball at Blackburn as she served as an assistant coach from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2019.  Jacoby also served as an assistant coach at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois where during both seasons the teams recorded over 40 wins.

As a player at Eastern Illinois she garnered many awards and accomplishments, they are listed below:

2008
 300th career strikeout
 EIU all time ranking
 Second in saves
 Third in strikeouts
 Sixth in appearances and innings pitched
 Seventh in victories and games started
 Tenth in complete games

2007
 Two complete-game shut-outs
 Top OVC rankings
 Seventh in batting average
 Eighth in strikeouts
 Ninth in appearances
 Tenth in innings pitch
 EIU Single Season Rankings
 Sixth in Saves
 Seventh in strikeouts
 Eighth in appearances

2006
 Second team All-OVC
 OVC All-Newcomer Team selection
 OVC pitcher of the week (march21)
 Holiday Inn Select- Tulsa

 Festival All- Tournament Team
 Broke EIU freshman records for wins, innings pitched, appearances and games started,
pitched in more games than any other pitcher in EIU history
 Posted fourth 20-win season in program history and the first since 1988
EIU Single Season Rankings
 First in appearances
 Second in games started
 Third in victories and innings pitched
 Fifth in strikeouts
 Sixth in shutouts
 Seventh in complete games
 Eighth in saves

Jacoby was a standout player at Marian Catholic High School in the suburbs of Chicago where she achieved the following:

MVP Sweet Sixteen (34-6 record)
Individual Career Records
 Third in victories (43 in 2004-2005)
 Third in ERA (0.63 in 2004-2005)
 Sixth in strikeouts (367 in 2004-2005)
 Sixth in fewest walks (24 in 2004-2005)
 Eighth in innings pitched (325 in 2004-2005)

 Two-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference Team (2004-2005)
 MCHS was a two-time ESCC champion (2004- 2005
Individual Single Season
 Tied number one in victories (26 in 2005)
 Number two in innings pitched (201 in 2005)
 Fourth in strikeouts (227 in 2005)
 Tied for fifth in ERA (0.52 in 2005)
 Seventh in victories (17 in 2004)
 Eleventh in strikeouts (138 in 2004)
Senior Year of 2005: Star Newspapers Player of the Year, Chicago Tribune All-State, Daily
Southtown, Illinois Times and Chicago Sun-Times All-Area.
Junior Year of 2004: Honored first team all-area by the Illinois Times and Star Newspapers…
honorable mention by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Economist