Softball

Follow her on Twitter! @LisaMize32

Lisa Mize is in her ninth season as Santa Clara’s head softball coach in 2017. Mize was a prominent figure in helping bring a new on-campus facility for the program that opened for the start of the 2013 season, and in 2014 Mize led the program into the West Coast Conference. In June 2012, the WCC approved softball as the conference’s 14th sponsored sport. Santa Clara leaves the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and joins BYU, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Saint Mary's and San Diego with the conference champion receiving an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

A 1996 Olympian, Mize brought a wealth of experience with her to Santa Clara when she joined the Bronco coaching staff in 2006. After two seasons as an assistant coach and serving as the interim head coach, Mize was named head softball coach July 31, 2008.

Mize has been the owner and operator of the Lisa Mize Fastpitch Academy (Los Gatos, Calif.) since 2001, where she develops specific curriculums in order to enhance a student's specified talents in softball. In addition, Mize owned the Olympian School of Softball from 1993-2001, where she gave private pitching and hitting instruction to athletes on a weekly basis.

Her coaching experience includes a three-year stint at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif., where she assisted with the softball program as a volunteer assistant from 1993-96.

A right-handed pitcher, Mize was a member of the Puerto Rican National Team from 1989-96 and competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

"The 1996 Olympics was the first time softball had been played at that level and it was very memorable," said Mize, who won a gold and silver medal for Puerto Rico at two different Central American Games. "In general being on the international circuit for 10 years, I have competed against some of the best softball players in the world and gained an overall knowledge of the game playing at the elite level." 

Collegiately, Mize played for softball power Fresno State in 1993, where she led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Regional Finals. Prior to Fresno State, she played at Colorado State University (1992) and at Chabot College (1990-1991). In 1991, Mize was honored as the California State Pitcher of the Year and helped her squad to the California JUCO Finals.