Saint Louis University Women's Softball

Former Saint Louis University swimming student-athlete and 2024 Billiken Hall of Fame inductee Ryan McCoy was named head coach of SLU’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on Aug. 26, 2025.   McCoy brings seven years of coaching experience to Saint Louis, most recently as an assistant at Illinois State during the 2024-25 season. He spent four years as an assistant at Indianapolis after beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Eastern Illinois.   “We are thrilled to announce Ryan McCoy as the new head coach for Billiken swimming and diving, and we welcome him back to lead the young women and men in our program,” SLU Director of Athletics Chris May said. “Ryan’s record-setting Billiken career and his successful coaching stops have prepared him to guide our student-athletes to success.”   “I am ecstatic and honored to be named the head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach for Saint Louis University,” McCoy said. “I would like to thank Chris May, (Deputy Director of Athletics) Dr. Janet Oberle and (Associate Director of Athletics) Annie Reis for the opportunity to lead this great group of young men and women toward the program’s competitive future.   “As an alumnus of the program, the core values of trust, care and commitment to excellence were, and still are, the foundation of success for building a competitive team in the Atlantic 10 Conference,” McCoy said. “The well-being of student-athletes as priority number one is a value that I am happy to have seen firsthand, and I am grateful that I now have the privilege of coaching and shaping Billiken student-athletes toward their bright futures. I cannot wait to get to work and once again call SLU home.”   As the lead sprinters’ coach at Illinois State, McCoy mentored swimmers who set three school records and one who achieved an NCAA “B” qualifying standard.   McCoy’s tenure at NCAA Division II Indianapolis included the first national championship in program history and two conference titles for the men’s team as well as two national runner-up finishes and the first conference crown in 18 years for the women’s team. He helped develop Greyhound swimmers Cedric Buessing and Collins Saliboko into 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers for their native countries of Germany and Tanzania, respectively.   Eastern Illinois swimmers set eight school records during McCoy’s two seasons on the coaching staff. Prior to his second year, he served two months as interim head coach.   As a student-athlete at Saint Louis, McCoy competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle and met the NCAA “B” qualifying standard at least twice in four different events (11 times total). He collected 20 medals (10 individual, 10 relay) in A-10 Championships competition and was a nine-time conference champion (five individual, four relay), capturing at least one gold medal in each of his four seasons. McCoy was the 2015 A-10 Rookie of the Year and earned 10 league awards as either Performer or Rookie of the Week.   The Phoenix, Ariz., native was named Most Valuable Performer of the SLU men’s team in each of his four years. He held 12 school records (eight individual, four relay) at the time of his 2018 graduation; all eight individual and two of the four relay marks stand today.   McCoy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sports business at Saint Louis and a Master of Business Administration degree in applied management at Eastern Illinois.

Alma Mater: University of Notre Dame Graduating Year: 1994 CHRISTY CONNOYER’S SAINT LOUIS MILESTONE VICTORIES No. 1 – 1-0 vs. Southern in Hammond, La. (Feb. 11, 2011) No. 50 – 5-3 at Saint Joseph’s (April 29, 2012) No. 100 – 2-1 at SIUE (April 15, 2014) No. 143 – 7-2 vs. SIUE (April 28, 2015); became the winningest coach in SLU softball history No. 150 – 5-4 vs. LIU Brooklyn in Fort Myers, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2016) No. 200 – 5-2 vs. Chattanooga in Oxford, Miss. (March 3, 2018) No. 250 – 4-3 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (March 11, 2020) No. 300 – 12-4 vs. St. Bonaventure in Cape Girardeau, Mo. (March 18, 2023) No. 350 – 12-3 at Fordham (April 28, 2024) 2023 and 2025 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year   As she guides the Saint Louis University softball program in the 2026 campaign – her 16th at the helm – Christy Connoyer is the longest-serving head coach in team history.   Connoyer, who was inducted into the Metro St. Louis Softball Hall of Fame in March 2025, also is Billiken softball’s winningest coach. She concluded the 2025 season with a 387-372 record as the Saint Louis mentor and a 418-402 career mark.   The 2025 Billikens made history by earning the program's first Atlantic 10 Conference Championship title and first NCAA Tournament berth. SLU, which finished second in the A-10 regular-season standings to claim a first-round bye for a third straight year, won the league tournament in dramatic fashion. After losing their first game, the Bills -- who qualified for the A-10 Championship for an 11th time in 12 seasons -- registered four consecutive one-run victories, including two over Fordham on Championship Saturday. Saint Louis' 34 wins were second most in program history and included three school-record winning streaks -- 15 games overall, 16 A-10 regular-season games and 12 home games, all of which ranked among the top three longest active streaks in NCAA Division I. Combined with 30 wins in 2023 – a season that saw the Billikens capture the A-10 regular-season title – and 31 wins in 2024, Saint Louis’ 95 victories over the past three seasons are the most of any three-year stretch in program history. Individual history also was made in 2025 as Abby Mallo became the first Billiken softball player to garner A-10 Player of the Year accolades. Mallo's selection to the All-Conference first team gave Saint Louis at least one player on the top unit for a 12th straight year and 13th time in 14 seasons. She went on to become the first in team history to be named A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player. SLU collected two more A-10 postseason major awards in 2025. Chloe Rhine became the first Billiken to be named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and Connoyer picked up Coach of the Year plaudits for a second time in three seasons.   Connoyer has coached student-athletes who have earned A-10 postseason accolades (All-Conference first or second team, All-Rookie, All-Tournament) 81 times. The six seasons between 2019 and 2025 (excluding the 2020 COVID-19 season, when no All-Conference teams were chosen) have been especially fruitful, producing more than half (47) of those selections including 13 first-team nods. Connoyer also has coached A-10 major-award winners Brianna Lore (2014 Pitcher of the Year), Gabbie Kowalik (2019 Rookie of the Year) and Isabel Royle (2024 Rookie of the Year).   Billiken players have garnered All-Region plaudits 14 times under Connoyer’s watch; 2025 selections Mallo (second team) and Taylor Hochman (third team) gave Saint Louis at least one All-Region choice for a fifth straight year and 10th time in the past 11 seasons. Included in the group are first-team honorees Alex Nickel (2015) and Cami Newbanks (2024). Additionally, Connoyer has coached three players -- Kristin Nicoletti, Lore and Nickel -- who are enshrined in the Billiken Hall of Fame.   Excellence in the classroom also has been a hallmark of Connoyer’s program. SLU has achieved a top-20 grade point average among NCAA Division I softball programs every year since 2014-15 (excluding 2020), including third in 2015-16, sixth in 2016-17 and 2018-19, and ninth in 2020-21. The Billikens have achieved the A-10’s top GPA numerous times.   Billikens have earned a spot on the 10-member A-10 All-Academic team 23 times during Connoyer’s years in Midtown; 12 of those selections occurred between 2021 and 2025, including a program-record three in 2022 and 2025 (Hochman, Mallo, Natalie Sullivan). Saint Louis has placed two student-athletes on the prestigious list in seven additional seasons of the Connoyer era and has had at least one honoree in every season since 2014.   In addition, Lore (2016) and Kristi Stevenson (2022) were awarded A-10 Postgraduate Scholarships. ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF CHRISTY CONNOYER'S SLU COACHING TENURE   “We are excited to have Christy Connoyer as our head softball coach,” SLU Director of Athletics Chris May said upon Connoyer’s hiring. “Christy is from our region, she’s familiar with the St. Louis-area softball scene, and she brings a wealth of Division I coaching experience to the position. We believe she will be able to recruit the caliber of student-athletes who will allow SLU to contend for Atlantic 10 Conference titles. Christy knows what it takes to win, having been part of successful programs as a player and as a coach. Her commitment to academic excellence and passion for competitive success match our goals at Saint Louis University.”   “Being the head coach at Saint Louis University is a fantastic opportunity,” Connoyer said. “There is a tradition of excellence in academics and athletics at SLU, and I am excited for the opportunity to build on that tradition. I’m from the area and still have family close, so I’m thrilled to return to such a great city. I am passionate about softball and academics, and there is an amazing combination of the two at Saint Louis.”   A native of Bethalto, Illinois, Connoyer arrived at SLU following five seasons as associate head coach at Southern Illinois, where she contributed to a highly successful program while working primarily with the Salukis’ hitting and defense. During her tenure, SIU consistently was ranked among the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference in several statistical categories. The Salukis led the MVC with a .283 batting average in Connoyer’s first season, and they topped the league and ranked fifth in the nation in fielding percentage (.976) in her second year.   SIU made two NCAA Championship appearances (2006 and 2007) during Connoyer’s tenure and earned the highest NFCA ranking in school history (No. 18 in 2008 and 2009). In 2010, Connoyer and her colleagues received MVC Coaching Staff of the Year accolades after leading the Salukis to the league’s regular-season title.   Prior to her stint at Southern Illinois, Connoyer spent one season as head coach at Tulsa. She guided the Golden Hurricane to a 31-30 mark in 2005, becoming the first coach in program history to compile a winning record in her first season. Two of those wins were against in-state rival and perennial power No. 5 Oklahoma, the highest-ranked opponent Tulsa had ever defeated.   Connoyer’s first foray into collegiate coaching was at Purdue, where she spent eight seasons as an assistant coach. She assisted with the Boilermakers’ hitting and defensive instruction.   International coaching experience also appears on Connoyer’s resumé. She served as an assistant coach for the USA Athletes International team that won the championship of the 2011 Softball Australia International Challenge Series in Sydney. The tournament was played at the Sydney Olympic Softball Centre, site of the 2000 Olympic softball competition. In addition, Connoyer was on a USAAI staff that coached an American squad in the Netherlands in 2018 and 2019.   In addition, Connoyer has been heavily involved in collegiate softball off the field. She served on the NFCA All-America Selection Committee as the Mid-Atlantic Region voting representative from 2013-16, and she was Chair of the All-America Committee from 2015-16. From 2017-23, Connoyer was the A-10’s representative on the NFCA Head Coach Committee. She also has delivered presentations at NFCA clinics in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Louisville and Portland.   Before making the move to Purdue, Connoyer was head varsity volleyball coach and assistant varsity basketball and softball coach at Loyola College Preparatory in Shreveport, Louisiana. She led the new volleyball program to a pair of state tournament appearances and helped the softball team win the 1996 Class 2A state championship.   A shortstop in her playing days, Connoyer was a four-time first-team All-Conference selection at the University of Notre Dame. She received team Most Valuable Player honors in 1993 and was voted team captain in 1994. Her playing career culminated with an Olympic Level II tryout in 1995.   Connoyer graduated from Notre Dame in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in government and international studies. She went on to earn a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Portland (Notre Dame, Indiana) in 1996.

Alma Mater: Mercer University Graduating Year: 2017 Associate head coach Maxine Rodriguez, who works with the Billiken pitchers, serves an eighth season on Christy Connoyer’s staff in 2025-26.   The 2025 Billikens’ pitching staff finished third in the Atlantic 10 Conference and among the top 22 percent nationally with a 3.23 ERA under Rodriguez’s watch. Saint Louis’ 2.55 ERA in conference play ranked second in the league. The performance helped SLU post 34 wins (second most in program history), finish second in the A-10 regular-season standings, claim its first A-10 Championship title and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance.   Combined with 30 wins in 2023 – a season that saw the Billikens capture the A-10 regular-season title – and 31 wins in 2024, Saint Louis’ 95 victories over the past three seasons are the most of any three-year stretch in program history.   Among the pitchers Rodriguez has tutored at SLU are Taylor Hochman, who earned second-team All-Conference and third-team All-Region plaudits and led the A-10 with 16 victories in 2025; Chloe Wendling, whose two All-Conference selections included a first-team nod in 2023; and Isabel Royle, the A-10 Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-Conference honoree in 2024. Rodriguez came to SLU after spending one season as an assistant at George Washington, where she was the Colonials’ pitching coach. She has been a private pitching instructor since 2013.   Rodriguez helped guide George Washington to a school-record 33 wins and an A-10 Championship berth in 2018. Under her tutelage, Sarah Costlow earned two A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards and Sierra Lange was named to the league’s All-Rookie team.   A California native, Rodriguez began her collegiate career at DePaul. She played two seasons with the Blue Demons and garnered Big East Conference All-Academic plaudits both years. Rodriguez completed her career at Mercer, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in elementary education and was a two-time Southern Conference All-Academic selection.   At Saint Louis, Rodriguez earned a master’s degree in student personnel administration.   “We’re excited to welcome Maxine to the Billiken family,” Connoyer said upon Rodriguez’s appointment. “She brings experience, energy and a passion for developing a champion’s mentality with student-athletes. Her technical skills in working with pitchers complement the competitive mental-game knowledge she will bring to our pitching staff. Our pitchers, as well as our position players, will be greatly influenced by Maxine’s work ethic and respect for the game.”

Former Billiken swimmer Madi Baylor serves as the graduate assistant for the Saint Louis University swimming and diving program.   A native of Austin, Texas, Baylor graduated from SLU in 2025 with a bachelor's degree in communication. She competed in nearly 40 meets during her collegiate career, including the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships all four years.   Baylor made the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll every year, and she received SLU’s Hardest Worker Award for the 2023-24 season.

Cortney Teague is in her second season as the Saint Louis University diving coach. Teague most recently spent five seasons as the diving coach at Lindenwood University, where she mentored Summit League Diving Championship MVP David Molina-Fregenal and Great Lakes Valley Conference women’s co-Diver of the Year Katie Werkema. The Columbia, Mo., native also is head coach at Clayton Diving Alliance. In addition, she has served coaching stints at Eureka, Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools and with the Columbia club team. Teague was a four-year member of the University of Missouri swimming and diving team. She twice was named the Tigers’ Most Improved Diver and was a four-time Academic All-Conference honoree. Teague also was a four-time All-State diver at Hickman High School.