Megan Matthews Buning Position: Assistant Coach / Pitchers Experience: 3rd Season Alma Mater: South Carolina, 2003

Faced with the biggest challenge of her early coaching career, all Florida State University assistant coach Megan Matthews Buning did was mentor a pitching staff that got the Seminoles to the doorstep of the Women's College World Series. Entering her third year at FSU, Matthews Buning will be the driving force behind a staff that is more experienced and can help the Seminoles get back to Oklahoma City.

Last year's pitching staff may have been one of the youngest in the country, but through Matthews Buning's guidance it more than made up for its inexperience through hard work and dedication. Not only was sophomore Tiffany McDonald the workhorse on the staff, but she was one of the most reliable pitchers in the nation. The right-hander was second in the country for innings pitched (329.1) and appearances (57) and also ranked the top 10 in wins (30) and top 20 for strikeouts (312).

McDonald's innings total set a FSU and ACC record, while her 57 appearances were second and the 312 strikeouts is an FSU sophomore record and third on the single-season charts. Through the fi rst two years of her career, McDonald has logged more innings and struck out more batters than any other FSU pitcher has in her fi rst two seasons.

In addition to her national rankings, McDonald was the ACC leader in most pitching categories after barely breaking the top ten as a freshman. She was first in innings, appearances, wins, complete games (39) and games started (42), while her strikeout total was third. Rookie hurlers Melissa May and Kayla Collins also broke into the top ten for innings pitched.

During her first season with the Seminoles, Matthews Buning guided McDonald to 2005 ACC Co- Freshman of the Year honors. Her 14 wins during her inaugural campaign was one better than 2004 USA Softball Player of the Year Jessica van der Linden had during her rookie season. In addition, senior Casey Hunter was named Second-Team All-ACC. Florida State's hurlers stacked up against the best in the ACC, leading the conference in strikeouts per game (7.98) and few home runs allowed (12), while rating second in total strikeouts (493) and complete games (43).

In addition to her duties with the pitchers, Matthew Buning also serves as a recruiting aide to Hall of Fame coach Dr. JoAnne Graf and participates in the program's summer camps.

Matthews Buning came to Florida State after an impressive SEC career as a pitcher for the University of South Carolina. She holds the school records for strikeouts, complete games, innings pitched, and she is one win shy of the all-time win record. The USC graduate was named a Third-Team All-American in 1999 and is a two-time All-SEC selection.

As a player, Matthews Buning was labeled the workhorse of the Carolina pitching staff where she recorded 101 career wins and has 1,090 strikeouts to her credit. She's also rates fourth with 194 career appearances, ninth at 16 saves and 11th with 1110.1 innings pitched. During her stellar freshman campaign in 1999, she led the nation in saves after totaling nine. In addition she is in the SEC all-time top 10 in appearances (1st), innings (2nd), strikeouts (2nd) and saves (2nd), while also rating in victories (3rd -- 101), shutouts (4th -- 32), complete games (6th -- 99) and ERA (9th -- 1.29).

A three-time All-Southeast Region team member, she was honored as the SEC Player of the Week seven times, a USC record. In 2002, Matthews Buning was selected as the USC Female Student Athlete of the Year after leading her school to the SEC Softball Tournament Championship where she was named MVP.

On top of her playing experience at USC, Matthews Buning spent 2004 as a professional softball player for the New England Riptides. She honed her coaching skills as a head coach of an 18-and-under traveling fast pitch team in 2003 and as a private pitching instructor in Asheville, North Carolina.

In April 2004, she took part in the Olympic Test event for the British National Team as a guest player and was the winning pitcher for the Gold Medal Game in Athens, Greece. In 2002, she was a silver medalist at the Puerto Rican Olympic Festival and also served as a guest pitcher for the British National Team at the Canada Cup in Vancouver.

A former All-American standout at Riverside High School in Greer, S.C., Matthews Buning was named the Gatorade Southern Region Player of the Year in 1998 and was also a three-time 3A State Player of the Year (1996-98). Furthermore, she was a conference player of the year three times, all-state four years and all-conference five times while leading her team to the 3A State Championship three years (1995-1997). For her outstanding career, Riverside High School retired her jersey in 2002.

A four-year member of the SEC Honor Roll, Matthews received her bachelor of science degree in exercise physiology with a concentration in motor development and a cognate in athletic training in 2003. Currently she is pursuing her master's degree in sports psychology.

The former Megan Matthews, she married Shaun Buning in 2003. The couple resides in Tallahassee.