Duke University

Duke University Athletics
118 Cameron Indoor Stadium - PO Box 90555 Durham, NC 27708

Division 1 North Carolina Southeast

Private Medium National competitor

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Marissa Young

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 the helm of the Duke softball program.

Young led Duke to its strongest campaign in 2024, setting a program record with a 52-9 overall ledger, capturing its second ACC Championship, third straight NCAA Super Regional appearance and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history. Under her leadership, the Blue Devils developed three NFCA All-Americans in Claire Davidson, Aminah Vega and Jala Wright. Duke also brought home four of the five major ACC end-of-year awards as Davidson and Wright were unanimously voted the ACC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, while Vega was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Young was also tabbed the Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. Young and her staff were recognized for their efforts by being named the NFCA Southeast Region Staff of the Year for the third time in four years.

Building on their success, the Blue Devils continued to reach new heights in 2023 by earning their third-consecutive bid to the NCAA Softball Championships, hosting the first Super Regional at Duke Softball Stadium and setting numerous single-season records along the way. Freshman standouts Cassidy Curd and D'Auna Jennings became the first two Blue Devils to represent the program as top-10 finalists for the 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year. Jennings was later named one of the top three finalists for the award. Duke and UCLA were the only two programs with a pair of honorees. Jennings also garnered NFCA Second Team All-America honors after setting school single-season records in batting average (.462) and hits (80).

Young guided the program to a historic 2021 campaign, compiling a 44-12 record in which the Blue Devils won their first ACC Championship title and earned a No. 13 national seed in their first NCAA appearance. Duke was consistently ranked in the national polls every week since the preseason. The Blue Devils saw four All-ACC and three All-Region selections, while Duke had its first All-American in program history with junior Deja Davis earning All-America Second Team honors.

Before the 2020 season was shortened by COVID-19, Young’s squad saw its best start in program history with a 23-4 record. The Blue Devils ended their season at No. 25 in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, marking the first time Duke has cracked into the national polls.

Following a strong inaugural season, Duke posted a 25-31 record in 2019. The Blue Devils went 11-13 in league action, earning the sixth seed in their second straight ACC Tournament appearance. Young challenged the team to a tough non-conference schedule, opening the year at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge where they went 2-2 with wins over Notre Dame and Liberty before Duke hosted the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, traveled to California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and rounded out its non-conference slate with the Duke Invitational.

During the 2019 campaign, the Blue Devils won four ACC series, including a sweep on the road at Georgia Tech. Young coached Peyton St. George to her second ACC honor as the sophomore was named to the All-ACC Second Team after turning in a 1.83 ERA in league play. Guiding her players to success both on and off the field, George, Jameson Kavel, Kristina Foreman and Deja Davis were all All-ACC Academic Team selections.

The Blue Devils' 29 wins marked the fifth-most by an ACC program in its first season of play and made them the seventh program in league history to finishing its inaugural season with a winning record. Young's squad didn't waste time in getting the program's first win, as they defeated Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Fla., to open the season. Young and Co. turned around the following week and made major noise in their first home games in Duke softball history, sweeping Penn State and Purdue in the 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge at the Duke Softball Stadium.

Duke's 13 wins in conference play were highlighted by four series victories, including the last three of the year. Young led her team to a sweep of Boston College in the first home ACC series in program history. Her squad then added road series victories against Notre Dame and Virginia Tech before closing the ACC slate with a sweep of Virginia at home to earn the seventh seed in the conference tournament, crushing the preseason prediction that the Blue Devils would finish last in the league.

Individually, Young developed a roster highlighted by 12 players seeing their first collegiate softball action into one of the top teams in the league. Leading the way for Young's squad was sophomore Raine Wilson, who became the first player in school history to earn all-conference honors as she was named All-ACC First Team. Joining her were the first two ACC All-Freshman Team honorees Rachel Abboud and Peyton St. George.

Prior to being tabbed to build the Duke softball program, Young spent the prior two seasons across town at North Carolina, with her primary responsibilities included coaching the pitchers and catchers. In the spring of 2015, Young helped the Tar Heels to a 37-16 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament after the squad won 24 contests the prior season. Young’s pitchers posted a 3.30 earned run average with 234 strikeouts in 335.1 innings pitched.

Young spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, where she served as the compliance liaison, recruiting coordinator and managed team travel and the operational budget, among other duties. She helped coach five Academic All-America picks and five player of the week selections during her tenure at Eastern Michigan.

Prior to her stint at EMU, Young was the head coach at Concordia University (NAIA) in Ann Arbor, Mich., from 2008-11. In less than three years, she turned the 2-20 program to a 23-23 record, the second-most wins in a single season since an appearance in the 2002 NAIA National Tournament.

As a player, Young was a three-time All-America selection as a pitcher at the University of Michigan and was named the 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year. Young graduated from Michigan in 2003 as the all-time strikeout leader (927) and her 88 career wins became the second highest in program history. She also matched the then-program single-season home run record with 13 in 2003.

Young played two years of professional softball, one overseas in Italy and the second year with the Texas Thunder of the National Pro Fastpitch.

A native of Santa Ana, Calif., Young has four children: Braylon, Layla, Jolyna and Kayden.

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Olivia Watkins

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 third 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 saw improvement during each of her three seasons in Chestnut Hill. Watkins was particularly impactful with the development of All-ACC outfielder Ellie Mataya, who batted over .350 in back-to-back seasons. The Eagles became an active team on the basepaths, improving their numbers from 11 stolen bases in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, to 21 in 2021 and 40 in 2022.

Prior to her time at Boston College, Watkins spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College, where she coached hitting, baserunning and infield defense. During her time with the Big Green, Dartmouth took home a share of the Ivy League title in 2018.

Watkins began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Illinois for two seasons (2016-17).

Watkins has been active in promoting diversity initiatives, serving as a member of the Boston College Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. For her efforts, Watkins was awarded the 2021 NFCA Natasha Watley Scholarship for Social Change, which is awarded to a Black coach who has created educational or athletic opportunities for their community, has removed and overcome obstacles through social change, or has opened doors for growing the game of fastpitch for Black girls or women.

A 2015 graduate of Western Kentucky University with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and a concentration in science, Watkins had a standout softball career as a Hilltopper. A two-time NFCA All-Region and All-Sun Belt first team honoree, Watkins graduated as the program’s all-time leader in batting average (.380) and stolen bases (117).

Watkins also spent time in professional softball, as the first Western Kentucky alumni to sign with National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). Watkins played for the Akron Racers, Pennsylvania Rebellion and Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs.

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Taylor Wike

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 second 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 Charlotte student-athletes, including two-time Conference USA Player of the Year Bailey Vannoy. The fifth-year catcher also became the program's first NFCA All-American, after garnering second team honors in 2022.

Prior to her time at Charlotte, Wike spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach at South Carolina. During her time with the Gamecocks, Wike helped guide them to a 38-19 overall record and reach the NCAA Regional finals for the fourth-straight season.

A 2018 graduate of North Carolina with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science, Wike had a standout softball career as a Tar Heel. The Hiddenite, N.C., native led the Tar Heels to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2015 to 2017. She earned All-ACC honors in each of her four seasons, while starting a staggering 225 games. Wike was named the 2018 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She was also a finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year in 2015 and earned All-Southeast Region honors as a junior and a senior.

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Parker Staggs

Parker Staggs was named an assistant coach on July 12, 2024 and enters his first season with the Blue Devils.

Staggs joins the Blue Devil coaching staff after a six-year stint at Arkansas, where he served as a team manager from 2018-2022 before becoming a graduate student manager in 2023.

A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Staggs was tasked with various duties to assist the Razorback softball program, including setting up and breaking down practice equipment and throwing live for batting practice and scrimmages. Staggs also assisted on game day by running the Dartfish and Flightscope software to gather analytic data to help the coaching staff.

Staggs has also served as a coach for the Gators, a local softball team in Jefferson City, and is currently assisting with the Kansas City Aces Fastpitch Club. His playing experience involves several men’s fastpitch tournaments and includes an invite to the USA Junior Men’s National Team selection trials.

He attended Blair Oaks High School in Wardsville, Missouri and learned how to pitch by watching his sister, Payton, during her high school games and lessons. Staggs began his career in team management while in high school and was part of the staff that led the Falcons to the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 2 State Finals in 2016 and 2017.

A 2022 graduate of Arkansas, Staggs earned his bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management before earning his master’s in physical education in 2024.