Duke University Softball

After being named the first head softball coach at Duke University on July 29, 2015, Marissa Young has put together a 265-106 record in her seven years at th...

SoftballSkip AdJohnson, EmilyJohnson, EmilyMaulden, LisaMcCort, ErikaNakagi, RyotaWatkins, OliviaWike, TaylorWright, JalaYoung, Marissa

Erika McCort joined the Duke University Olympic Sports Performance staff in July 2022 as the Sports Performance Coach for fencing and softball. Prior to Duke...

SoftballSkip AdWright, JalaJohnson, EmilyMaulden, LisaMcCort, ErikaNakagi, RyotaWatkins, OliviaWike, TaylorWright, JalaYoung, Marissa

Lisa Maulden was named the director of player development on August 1, 2024 and enters her second season with the Blue Devils. Maulden joined the program after serving as an assistant coach at her alma mater Seattle University for the 2023-2024 campaign. During her time with the Redhawks, she worked with both the offense and defense, kept charts and assisted with catching in the bullpen. She returned to Seattle after spending nine years playing professionally overseas across Asia, Europe and Australasia. The Maple Valley, Washington, native excelled in one the world's top leagues, including earning two All-League "Best Nine" awards at designated player during her time in Japan. Maulden brings over nine years of experience coaching at the professional, collegiate and youth levels, including serving as a coaching coordinator for the Hibiscus Coast Softball Club in Auckland, New Zealand in 2020. A 2015 Seattle University graduate, Maulden left her mark on the program and the Redhawks' record books. She currently ranks fourth in career doubles (34), sixth in home runs (20), seventh in slugging percentage (.539) and eighth in RBIs (103). The four-year starter earned All-WAC First Team and All-Tournament Team honors in 2014 after recording a career-best .359 batting average with 52 hits, 12 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Maulden also holds the stat for first home run after the 2013 renovation of Logan Field. Last Updated: June 1, 2025

Olivia Watkins was named an assistant coach on July 5, 2022, before being promoted to associate head coach on July 10, 2024. She enters her fourth season at Duke and will continue to coach the defense and slappers, while overseeing baserunning and the short game. In her second season with the Blue Devils, Watkins was instrumental in guiding the Blue Devils to another record-setting season in 2024. Under her leadership, the Blue Devils developed three NFCA All-Americans in Claire Davidson, Aminah Vega and Jala Wright. As a team, Duke set a program record with a 52-9 overall ledger, captured its second ACC Championship, made its third straight NCAA Super Regional appearance and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history. With her assistance, the Blue Devils were stout on defense, holding opponents scoreless in 20-of-61 games during the 2024 campaign. The 20 shutouts ranked first in the ACC and fifth nationally. In 2023, Watkins was particularly impactful in the development of NFCA All-American D'Auna Jennings, a lefty slapper, who set single-season school records in batting average (.462) and hits (80). For their efforts, Young and her coaching staff were named the 2024 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Southeast Region Staff of the Year. Watkins comes to Durham after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Boston College, where she worked on the defense, baserunning and slap-hitting. Under Watkins’ guidance, the Eagles sa

Ryota Nakagi began his tenure at Duke in 2022 as an Athletic Training Fellow and was promoted to Assistant Athletic Trainer for track & field in 2023 before ...

Taylor Wike was named an assistant coach on July 1, 2023, before being promoted to associate head coach on July 10, 2024. She enters her third season at Duke and serves as the team's hitting and infield coach. In her first season with the Blue Devils, Wike was instrumental in guiding the Blue Devils to another record-setting season in 2024. With her guidance, the Blue Devils developed three NFCA All-Americans in Claire Davidson, Aminah Vega and Jala Wright. As a team, Duke set a program record with a 52-9 overall ledger, captured its second ACC Championship, made its third straight NCAA Super Regional appearance and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history. She played a crucial role in the Blue Devils' success on offense in her first season. Under her guidance, Duke maintained one of the nation's best batting averages (.322) and averaged 6.52 runs per game, which ranked eighth in the NCAA. For their efforts, Young and her coaching staff were named the 2024 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Southeast Region Staff of the Year. Wike joined the program after a four-year stint at Charlotte as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in 2022. During her time with the 49ers, Wike played an important role in leading the program to its first ever Conference USA East Division title in 2021 and first appearance in the national polls in 2022. Wike's coaching and leadership led to the development of many Charlot