ASHLAND – For the fourth time in her 10 seasons at Southern Oregon University, Jessica Pistole was announced as the NAIA Softball Coach of the Year on Friday by the national office.
The honor was no surprise after Pistole's Raiders made history by going through the length of the elimination bracket at the 2025 NAIA World Series, adding another piece to a national championship trophy collection that already included hardware from 2019, 2021 and 2023.
"Jess has created a remarkable program with a foundation of grit, love and wisdom," SOU Director of Athletics
Matt Sayre said. "She has a competitive drive seamlessly connected to selflessness. SOU is proud to call her 'our coach,' to celebrate her team's accomplishments, and watch her student-athletes flourish under her mentorship."
Pistole was selected through a vote by head coaches representing every conference and all eight World Series quarterfinalists. On Thursday, she and her assistants were also named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's NAIA Staff of the Year.
The Raiders went 55-9 overall and spent more time at No. 1 in the Top 25 poll than any other team, though they entered the postseason ranked No. 4 after sharing the Cascade Conference regular-season title with Oregon Tech.
Including the Opening Round, SOU won 10 of 11 national tournament contests – taking its only loss in 12 innings on the first day of the World Series. With their backs against the wall, the Raiders went on to eliminate each of the other top-four seeds in Georgia.
Pistole's record with SOU stands at 469-142. Her winning percentage of .768 is the second-highest among active NAIA coaches with at least 400 victories. The Raiders had never advanced to the World Series when she started her third season; since then, they've qualified seven times in eight years and won over 80% of their games.
Most impressive during the stretch has been their performance under pressure. The Raiders are 31-5 in national elimination games with Pistole at the helm after going 7-0 this season, and they've never lost back-to-back NAIA playoff games. In 35 all-time World Series outings, they have a plus-92 run differential.
Only one team, Oklahoma City, owns more championships than SOU. The Raiders have defeated OCU twice in the final round and eliminated the Stars three times in the last seven years. They knocked off OCU in back-to-back championship-round games this season.
Three Raiders have become NAIA Players of the Year during Pistole's tenure, and this season she produced an NAIA Pitcher of the Year in Ayla Davies. The freshman was also the World Series MVP and among three Raiders who attained All-America status.
Through 15 total seasons as a collegiate head coach, Pistole is nine wins away from 600.