TOWSON, Md. – Daniel Stockdale has been named the sixth head coach of the Towson University softball program, announced by Vice President of Athletics Dr. Steven C. Eigenbrot. Stockdale was previously the head coach of Delaware State University.

He replaces Lisa Costello, who retired after 31 seasons as head coach following the 2026 season.

"Daniel has built a strong program at Delaware State and has recruiting ties both in our region and into the southeast that will be impactful for the future of our program," Eigenbrot said. "An educator by trade, his passion for personal development in his student-athletes is something we greatly value. I really enjoyed getting to know him through this process and trust him to lead us into an exciting new chapter of Towson Softball."

Stockdale served as the head coach at Delaware State for the past five seasons. In that time, the Hornets' record improved every year after his first season at the helm. The Hornets' 54 wins over the past two seasons is the programs most in a two-year stretch since the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The 2025 season was the first year Delaware State finished with a winning record in 11 years. In 2026, the Hornets won 28 games, highlighted by a 16-game winning streak, and finished as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season runner-up, the highest conference placement since 2008.

"I have been working my entire career for an opportunity like this one," Stockdale said. "Playing against Towson the last couple years at Delaware State, the campus has always been inviting. It is a beautiful campus and our student-athletes are going to thrive here. I cannot wait to show off this place."

Before his tenure at Delaware State, he served on the Georgia State University softball staff from 2017-2019. After beginning his time with the Panthers as a volunteer assistant coach, Stockdale was promoted to assistant coach midway through the 2018 season and was assigned to primarily work in developing the pitching staff. In the 25-game stretch until the end of the 2018 season, the Cougars pitching staff dropped its ERA by over a run to 3.11.

Prior to Georgia State, Stockdale spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis, primarily working with the catchers and infielders while assisting with hitting development. During the 2017 season, the Tigers won 29 games, second most in a season in team history, and won the program's first American Athletic Conference Tournament game. The Tigers also set a new program record for hits in a season.

Before Memphis, Stockdale served as the head baseball coach at Division II Albany State University. He led the Golden Rams to a 2016 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) regular season Championship and a 2015 SIAC Tournament Championship after which Albany State advanced to its second ever NCAA DII Regional appearance. Stockdale's tenure produced seven all-conference members, two all-region members and an ABCA/Rawlings All-American honoree.

Stockdale has also previously served as the head softball and baseball coach at Pinecrest Academy from 2011-14 where he led the softball team to set the school record for wins in a season.

An Atlanta, Georgia native, Stockdale received a B.S. in Sports Administration from Reinhardt University in 2006 and an MAT in Special Education from Augusta State University in 2010. He and his wife, Amanda, have a newborn son, James.