Saile Named Assistant Softball Coach

EUGENE, Ore. – Former NCAA champion Shannon Saile (pronounced SALE), who helped lead Central Florida to the 2026 NCAA Super Regional round, will join Oregon's staff as an assistant coach, head coach Melyssa Lombardi announced Tuesday. Saile will primarily be in charge of the Ducks' pitching staff.

Allowing less than six hits per game (5.92), a figure that ranked second in the Big XII and 14^th nationally, UCF clinched just the second NCAA Super Regional appearance in school history by winning the 2026 Tallahassee Regional. The Knights allowed just five runs over four games in the regional, defeating Jacksonville State (2-1) and Stetson (10-1) to advance to the regional final against ninth-seeded Florida State. UCF dropped a tight, 2-1 decision to the Seminoles in game one, but bounced back to upset FSU 4-2 in the second game to advance to the round of 16.

UCF pitchers Isabella Vega and Ava Stuewe both ranked in the Big XII's top five in fewest hits allowed in 2026, while Vega led the league with five saves. Vega was named to both the NFCA All-Region team and the All-Big XII first team after being an NFCA National Freshman of the Year top 10 finalist in 2025.

"I am so excited to welcome Shannon to Eugene," said Lombardi. "She flat out knows how to pitch and win on the highest stage – the WCWS. She has an excellent understanding of pitch development, in-game strategy and the mental toughness it takes to win championships. I can't wait to see the impact she will have on our athletes. Shannon's unique ability to connect, develop and mentor will breed tough competitors on the mound for us."

"I'm thankful for the opportunity to join the Oregon softball family," said Saile. "Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to learn from great coaches and be part of championship caliber programs, and I'm excited to bring those experiences to Eugene. I'm passionate about developing student-athletes, building genuine relationships, and helping our players become the best versions of themselves. I can't wait to get started."

Shannon Saile

Saile spent a total of four years on UCF's staff – two as a graduate assistant (2023-24) and two as a full-time assistant (2025-26) – and helped the Knights reach the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons.

During her tenure, UCF pitchers posted four consecutive seasons with a sub-3.30 team earned run average. Saile coached five NFCA All-Region selections and three All-Big XII Conference honorees.

In Saile's first year overseeing the Knights' pitching staff (2025), UCF was among the most dominant teams in the Big XII, ranking among the top four in the conference in WHIP (1.34, third), shutouts (11, third) and ERA (3.07, fourth).

Vega was named to two national Freshman All-America teams (D1 Softball and Softball America) and garnered NFCA All-Gulf Region first team, All-Big 12 Conference first team and Big 12 Conference All-Freshman team honors in 2025.

Prior to joining UCF as a graduate assistant, Saile enjoyed tremendous success throughout her five-year collegiate career. She started college at Florida International, posting a 1.71 ERA in 389.1 innings pitched with 507 total strikeouts between the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Following her second season at FIU, Saile transferred to Oklahoma, where she won a pair of national championships, the first as a pitcher in 2021 and the second in 2022 as a graduate assistant.

With the Sooners, Saile earned selections to the 2021 NFCA All-Region first team, 2021 All-Big 12 first team, 2021 Big 12 All-Tournament team, and 2019 All-Big 12 second team.

She finished her career ranked second in Oklahoma's program history in strikeouts per seven innings (9.75) and saves (11), and sixth in lowest career batting average-against (.172).

Saile posted an ERA below 2.00 in each of her three seasons in Norman with 347 strikeouts, three shutouts and 11 complete games..

She made three appearances in the 2021 Women's College World Series, throwing a season-high eight innings against James Madison in the Sooners' tournament opener. She also saw action in the second game against the Dukes as well as in one game versus Florida State.

After college, the Land O' Lakes, Fla., native played two seasons in the AUSL. She compiled 898 leaderboard points in her inaugural season of 2022. She followed that with 618 points in 2023.

Saile received her undergraduate degree in communication and media studies from Oklahoma in 2021 and earned her Master's degree in multi-/interdisciplinary studies from UCF in 2024.

University of Oregon Athletics

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