Alex McKeon
MJ Knighten

MJ Knighten

 The Knighten File

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Twitter: @CoachMJKnighten
Year in Coaching: 9th
Year at USD: 7th
Hometown: Buena Park, Calif.

EDUCATION

University of Nebraska (2017)
Bachelors of Journalism, Broadcasting

Wichita State (2020)
Master's in Sports Management

PLAYING EXPERIENCE

Nebraska, Third Baseman (2013-2017)

COACHING EXPERIENCE

San Diego
2020 - present: Head Coach
2019-20: Assistant Coach

Wichita State
2018-19: Graduate Assistant

Nebraska
2017-18: Undergraduate Assistant Coach
























































 

Building a winning culture from the ground up, MJ Knighten enters her seventh season as the head coach of San Diego softball in 2027.

The sixth head coach in program history, Knighten is the first Black female head coach of any program at USD Athletics and was the youngest active softball head coach in NCAA Division I when she was hired. She served as an assistant coach for the Toreros in 2019-20 before being elevated to lead the program the following season.

SEASON SIX (2026)
San Diego finished the 2026 season 21-30 overall and 7-11 in West Coast Conference play. The Toreros ended their own Reggie Smith Invitation with a three-game winning streak before the USD/SDSU Co-Host tournament, where they matched up against a nationally ranked, then-undefeated No. 20 Grand Canyon squad, and closed out non-conference play with an eight-inning, 3-2 win over Sacramento State behind senior pitcher Kelsey Tadlock. Freshman infielder Abrielle Diaz was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team, while pitcher Kaitlyn Bartlow, utility player Taylor Johnson and outfielder Kaitlyn Wynia each earned All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition.

SEASON FIVE (2025)
The Toreros went 20-29 overall and 4-11 in WCC play in 2025, a season defined as much by a new address as the games on the field. On April 5, San Diego opened the Reggie Smith Softball Complex, a $14.5 million rebuild of the team's home, with a doubleheader against Santa Clara. "It's with immense pride that we gather here today to celebrate the opening of a new chapter in the University of San Diego softball program," Knighten said at the unveiling. "Today we're excited to open a new state of the art facility that will support current players, celebrate the program's history and set the stage for our future success." On the field, McKenna Braegelmann threw a no-hitter on the road at LMU and came back to throw a complete game the very next day, and Taylor Johnson's nine home runs were San Diego's most in a season since Lauren Kane also hit nine in 2016. Johnson earned All-WCC Second Team honors, leading the Toreros in home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. Sophia Pinedo was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team, and McKenna Braegelmann, Alyssa Hernandez, Shawnese Hogue-Lacy, Kelsey Tadlock and Kaitlyn Wynia each earned Honorable Mention recognition.

SEASON FOUR (2024)
Knighten's fourth season produced an 18-38 overall record and a 6-10 mark in conference play. Utility player Taylor Johnson led the WCC in batting average and was named to the All-WCC First Team alongside infielder Amanda Limon; pitchers McKenna Braegelmann and Courtney Rose earned Second Team recognition, and Joecellia Roberts, Carly Ruiz and Arisa Tovar picked up Honorable Mention honors.

SEASON THREE (2023)
San Diego went 23-29-1 overall in 2023 and finished 8-7 in West Coast Conference play. Infielder Izzy Owen was named WCC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks in March, and she and pitcher Madison Earnshaw were both named to the All-WCC First Team, with outfielder Mikalyn Emanuelli earning a Second Team selection. Emma Giaime and Courtney Rose each picked up Honorable Mention recognition.

SEASON TWO (2022)
The Toreros posted a 20-34 overall record and went 5-9 in conference play in 2022. San Diego participated in the Triple Crown Classic in Norman, Oklahoma, outlasting Sam Houston 7-6 in 11 innings — the team's longest game of the year — on a walk-off double from Lauren Hendrickson, then squared off against top-ranked Oklahoma for the first time in program history. Center fielder Alexia Torculas started all 54 games and anchored the lineup, capped by a two-home run game against LMU. Utility player Izzy Owen and pitcher Courtney Rose were named to the All-WCC Second Team, while first baseman Joecellia Roberts and Torculas earned Honorable Mention recognition.

SEASON ONE (2021)
In her first season at the helm, Knighten guided San Diego to a 13-29 overall record and a 5-10 mark in WCC play. The non-conference slate was no soft landing: during a 15-game homestand, the Toreros faced two teams that had finished the previous year ranked in the top 20 nationally in RPI, Washington and Cal State Fullerton. The pitching staff generated one of the program's strongest seasons in the circle, recording a 2.95 team ERA — its lowest since 2014 — and earning two WCC Pitcher of the Week awards along the way. Infielder Sophia Bjerk and pitchers McKenna Braegelmann and Madison Earnshaw were all named to the All-WCC Second Team, and freshman infielder Amanda Limon earned All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition.

BEFORE TAKING THE HELM
Knighten joined USD's staff in 2019-20 as hitting coach under Jessica Pistole, helping develop San Diego into an offensive power — the Toreros ranked 21st nationally in doubles and posted a 15-12 record in the pandemic-shortened season, the program's best start since 2013.

A former All-American third baseman at Nebraska, Knighten rewrote the Huskers' record books, ending her four-year career ranked in the top-10 in 10 different statistical categories. She started 228 of 229 games at third base, was named an NFCA All-American in 2016, and became the first four-time All-Big Ten selection in program history while helping Nebraska to three postseason appearances and a Big Ten regular-season title in 2014. She was also a Senior CLASS Award finalist and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Knighten was picked 25th overall by the Scrap Yard Dawgs in the 2017 NPF Draft and won an NPF Championship with the club that summer. She played two seasons in the NPF before moving into coaching as an undergraduate assistant at Nebraska in 2018, then a graduate assistant at Wichita State in 2019 under head coach Kristi Bredbenner, helping the Shockers to a 12-9 mark in the American Athletic Conference and an AAC Tournament semifinal appearance.

She returned to Southern California in September 2019 to join Pistole's staff at USD. When Pistole stepped down, athletic director Bill McGillis turned to Knighten. "MJ played a key role in resetting a new foundation for USD softball last year, and I want to remain on that trajectory," McGillis said in announcing the hire. "She has the trust and respect of our entire team because of who she is as a person and who she was as a player." Knighten said her goal was "to become a force on the West Coast, while at the same time empowering strong, beautiful women so that they can succeed after graduation."

Knighten earned her bachelor's degree in journalism, with an emphasis in broadcasting, from Nebraska in 2017, and her Master's of Education in Sports Management from Wichita State in 2020.

Six seasons later, Knighten's goal hasn't changed — now with a brand-new home at the Reggie Smith Softball Complex to help build it.