EOU Softball Coach Christian and Staff Earn NFCA NAIA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year Honors

By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Monday, June 6th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

LA GRANDE – (Release from EOU Athletics) Seven programs were selected by their peers as 2022 NFCA NAIA Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year, announced the Association on Wednesday afternoon. Among the list of recipients was EOU Softball Head Coach Christian and her staff.

2022 was a historic year for EOU Softball. Eastern Oregon finished the year at 43-17 overall and as the Runner-Up of the Oklahoma City Bracket in the NAIA Opening Round after earning an at-large bid. The team’s 43 wins now stands alone atop the record books for the most victories in a single season.

Entering the 2022 campaign, EOU was picked to finish fifth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference but easily exceeded expectations. They finished third in both the regular season standings and at the CCC Tournament, registering a 24-6 mark in Cascade College Conference action.

EOU Softball ranked 15^th in the final NAIA Coaches’ Poll of the regular season and finished with five All-CCC selections. Garnering All-CCC honors for Eastern Oregon was Amanda Smith (Pitcher), Grace Gaither (Infielder), Caitlin Crist (Infielder), Shelby Starr (Outfielder), and Karsyn Zaragoza (Outfielder). Five All-CCC selections are the most under Christian.

Coach Nicole Christian also had her first pair of CoSIDA Academic All-District® selections in Kayla Berg and Taylor Dow. The senior duo were both selected to the First Team, Berg was selected as an outfielder, while Dow was selected as a Designated Player.

Nicole Christian finished her third season as head coach of Mountaineer Softball in 2022. She is supported by assistant coaches Theresa Manley, Woody Wright, Bob Christian and Volunteer Assistant Coach Taylor Smith. Christian began her coaching career in 2001 when she was named the head softball coach for La Grande High School. She was with the Tigers from 2001-03.

Prior to joining to EOU, Christian was the head softball coach and assistant girl’s basketball coach at McLoughlin Union High School (Mac-High) since 2008. In 10 seasons as the softball coach, Christian’s squad made the state tournament nine- times, all of which were consecutive. Her team also made four straight State Championship game appearances and won back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 2015. During the 2018 campaign, she also picked up career win No. 300. She was inducted into the Mac-High Hall of Fame in 2018.

Before Mac-High, Christian was the softball bench boss at Umatilla High School from 2005-08. She spent some time in the junior college ranks as the head coach at Blue Mountain Community College from 2003-05.

As a collegiate athlete, Christian is no stranger to EOU, having been a four-year starter for the Mountaineers and was a two-time All-American. She played for EOU from 1996-2000 and was inducted in the Mountaineer Hall of Fame twice. She went in with the 1999 team in 2011 and two years later in 2013, she was inducted as an individual.

She received multiple accolades in her career. Christian was First Team All-Conference selection and First Team All-Region from 1998-2000. In 2000, she was selected as a NAIA First-Team All-American. She was also selected as the 1999 Cascade Conference Softball Player of the Year and the Cascade Conference Female Player of the Year. Christian was a member of the 1999 team which placed fourth in the NAIA National Championship and a member of the 2000 team that finished fifth.