Head coach Melissa McElvain enters her 18th season with San Diego in 2019. With a career record of 361-476 (.431), she is USD's all-time wins leader.
In 2016 she was named WCC Co-Coach of the Year and notched her 300th career victory on March 8, 2016 when the Toreros beat Pittsburgh 6-5 on a walkoff single.
During her tenure at USD, McElvain has coached 74 all-league honorees, including the 2011 PCSC Coastal Division Player of the Year (Taylor Hensley), two PCSC Freshmen of the Year (Jennifer Ellenbeck; 2007 & Rebekah Bradford; 2004), the 2014 WCC Pitcher of the Year (Cassidy Coleman), and two WCC Freshmen of the Year (Kailey Hill, 2015 and Lauren Kane, 2016).
McElvain's has helped guide four players to six NFCA All-West Region honors: Taylor Hensley (2010 & 2012), Cassidy Coleman (2014), Mary Grabowski (2016), and Taylor Spence (2016, 2017).
Along with the on-field success, McElvain's squads have featured 88 Toreros who have earned PCSC Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition and nine players who have claimed 14 WCC All-Academic Team honors since joining the conference in 2014.
In 2006, McElvain coached catcher Sara Mason was named an ESPN The Magazine third-team Academic All-America, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and PCSC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2010, Jennifer Ellenbeck took home ESPN Academic All-America honors as well.
USD recorded its fourth straight top-three finish in WCC play during 2017 and eighth top-three finish in the past nine years. The Toreros participated in the postseason for the first time in program history, competing in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship. McElvain helped guide Taylor Spence to her second consecutive NFCA All-West Region honor and five Toreros to the All-WCC teams.
The Toreros produced the best offensive numbers of the McElvain era in 2016. Along with setting a school record for doubles in a single season (75), USD scored the most runs (224), had the highest batting average (.300), and the best slugging percentage (.419) of any McEvlain-led team.
McElvain led the 2015 squad to 29-23 record, the most wins of any Torero team under her tenure. With a 17-5 home record, the Toreros tied a school record for best winning percentage at the USD Softball Complex.
The Toreros finished in second place in the WCC in 2015, giving them their fourth second-place finish in the past five seasons. USD had the lowest ERA in the WCC, marking the third consecutive season in which the Toreros led the league in team-ERA.
USD's six seniors combined to win 105 games during their four-year careers, the most of any recruiting class under McElvain. The 2015 season also saw the Toreros knock off No. 16 Arizona State on the road, their fourth win against a ranked team in program history and only their second time doing so on the road.
In 2014 Melissa McElvain led the Toreros to a 26-win season, which at the time, tied a career-high for her. After going 10-5 in the WCC, the Toreros earned a second place finish. The 2014 team also set a school record with a .967 fielding percentage.
In 2013, the Torero pitching staff set a school record with a 1.83 team ERA (13th in the nation).
Highlighting the 2012 campaign was a 3-1 victory over No. 23 Houston on Feb. 24, USD's first win over a NFCA Top-25 team since 2003. The Toreros also set a new team record for home runs in a season with 28. McElvain became USD's all-time coaching wins leader with her 213th career victory in USD's 7-5 victory over Sacramento State on Apr. 28, 2012.
In 2011, McElvain led the Toreros to a record of 24-19 (14-6 PCSC), matching the 2007 season (24-26) for the most overall wins and marking the first winning season for the Toreros since she took over prior to the 2002 campaign. USD's second place finish in the PCSC Coastal Division standings was also the team's best finish during her tenure.
A 1999 graduate of Oklahoma State, McElvain (formerly Turley) earned All-Big XII honors while playing catcher and second base, as well as conference honors. She graduated ranked in the Top-20 all-time at OSU in several categories, including games played, hits, total bases, doubles, RBI and stolen bases.
McElvain led the Cowgirls to three post-season appearances and a third place finish in the 1998 Women's College World Series. While at Oklahoma State, she earned All-Big XII academic honors while attaining a Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Marketing.
She earned the OSU Community Service Contribution Award (1997-98); the NCAA Leadership Award (1998); and was a four-year SAAC Representative, serving as SAAC President in her senior year.
McElvain completed her Master's Degree in Leadership Studies in 2006 from the University of San Diego.
Prior to her appointment as softball coach she was Assistant Sports Information Director at USD for a year-and-a-half.
A native San Diegan, McElvain attended nearby Patrick Henry High School. McElvain, her husband Ryan, and their daughters Mia and Kamryn reside in San Carlos.
