Head Coach

Kathy Rodolph

Kathy Rodolph has spent 20 years as head coach of the New Mexico State softball team. Rodolph currently stands as  the winningest head coach at NM State with a 540-437 record with the Aggies. Rodolph has led the Aggies to six WAC Regular Season Championships, four WAC Tournament Championships and four NCAA Regional appearances. Rodolph is a five-time WAC Coach of the Year. Rodolph has had 17 players named to an NFCA All-Region team. Rodolph has helped the Aggies capture the last eight WAC Player of the Year awards and back-to-back WAC Freshman of the Year Awards. 

2021: 31-21 (14-4, WAC)

In a season unlike any other, Rodolph navigated 18 freshman or redshirt freshman to another successful season for the Aggies. Rodolph helped the Aggies to its sixth WAC Regular Season title and also won her fifth WAC Coach of the Year award. The Aggies were 31-21 in the 2021 season. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in the state of New Mexico, the Aggies played its first 21 games in the state of Florida. Rodolph navigated the Aggies through its toughest start to a season in school history where the Aggies played six nationally-ranked teams in its firs 13 games. After a 3-10 start, the Aggies rattled off six straight wins at The Spring Games. The Aggies dropped two close contests to South Florida to end its time in Florida. 

Rodolph regrouped the Aggies as they won seven straight games to get the Aggies above .500. The Aggies dropped three out of its first four WAC games, but the Aggies bounced back in a big way, winning 12 straight WAC games, the longest conference win streak in school history.

In between the 12 straight WAC wins, the Aggies got a unique experience at the Bear Down Fiesta where they played two exhibition games against the Mexican National Team and two games against No. 8 Arizona. The Aggies gave both teams all they could handle as Team Mexico needed a walk-off home run to defeat the Aggies in game one. The Aggies were tied with Arizona after four innings before the Wildcats pulled away. The Aggies eventually dropped all four games at the Bear Down Fiesta. 

The Aggies ended the conference season with a 14-4 record which earned them the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament. The Aggies dropped its first game against Utah Valley but won two straight elimination games to make the championship game for the eighth straight season. Unfortunately, the Aggies fell to Seattle U to be eliminated. 

Rodolph led Nikki Butler to her second straight WAC Player of the Year Award while leading Matalasi Faapito to the WAC Freshman of the Year Award. Rodolph helped six Aggies be named to the All-WAC teams. Faapito was named to the NFCA All-Pacific First Team while Butler was named to the third team. Faapito was also named one of 15 finalists for the NFCA/Schutt Sports Freshman of the Year. 

2020: 15-8

*Season cut short due to the Coronavirus

In a season that was cut short, Rodolph had the Aggies rolling through 23 games. The Aggies posted a 15-8 record with wins over No. 17 Arizona State, Nebraska twice and Oregon State. The Aggies had won four out of their last six including what ended up being the season finale against rival New Mexico.

The Aggies did not lack power through the season as they hit .312 and pounded 41 home runs in 23 games. The Aggies scored 154 runs during the season for and average of 6.69 runs per game. Rodolph helped guide the pitchers to 4.48 ERA on the year. Her pitchers threw four complete games and shut out UTEP and No. 17 Arizona State.

2019: 33-22 Overall, 12-6 WAC

In 2019, Rodolph guided NM State to a 33-22 overall record that included wins over Power-5 powerhouses Cal, North Carolina and then-ranked No. 17 Texas Tech. The Aggies closed out the season second in WAC play with a 12-6 record against league opponents and also finished as the runners-up in the WAC Tournament.

The Aggies swept the WAC major awards following the regular season and Rodolph claimed her fourth coach of the year accolade. Victoria Castro, Mya Felder, Nikki Butler, Samaria Diaz and Kelsey Horton earned All-WAC First Team honors. Additionally, Diaz received NM State's first ever WAC Pitcher of the Year award, Felder was named the WAC Freshman of the Year and Butler brought home the Aggies seventh-straight WAC Player of the Year accolade. Following the postseason tournament, Horton, Diaz and Casie Roberto brought home WAC All-Tournament honors. Butler and Diaz also garnered NFCA Pacific Region Third Team awards.

With Rodolph at the helm, the Aggie batters posted a .288 batting average while the pitchers bolstered a 3.42 ERA. Diaz led the pitching staff with a league-best 228 strikeouts during her 177.0 innings pitched. The junior right hander also posted a record seven saves, which also tied Celisha Walker's career record for saves with 11 for her career.

2018: 29-24 Overall, 11-4 WAC

The New Mexico State softball team had another successful season under Rodolph's guidance in which the Aggies finished the year at 29-24 overall and 11-4 in Western Athletic Conference play. NM State picked up its fourth-consecutive WAC regular-season title and added its second-straight WAC tournament title during the 2018 season.

The Aggies opened their 2018 campaign with back-to-back victories over then-ranked No. 17 Kentucky for the program's first win over a ranked opponent since April 6, 2015. Overall, Rodolph's team came away with four wins against Power-5 opponents as NM State took down Big 12 foe Texas Tech on the road and eventual Big Ten tournament champion Minnesota at the NM State Softball Complex.

With Rodolph at the helm, the Aggies posted a .506 slugging percentage to rank eighth in the NCAA. The team's 1.09 home runs per game put NM State in 13th nationally while the .311 batting average ranked 18th. New Mexico State averaged 1.47 doubles per game, which put the squad 22nd in the nation and the team's .391 on base percentage was good for 25th nationally.

Under Rodolph's guidance, the Aggies ranked first in the conference for batters struck out looking (73), runners picked off, (2), saves (6) and walks allowed (90). The team also posted a league-low 14 wild pitches.

At the conclusion of the regular season, six Aggies earned all-conference honors with Rachel Rodriguez and Victoria Castro earning All-WAC Second Team honors while Nikki Butler, Kayla Green, Fahren Glackin and Kelsey Horton made the All-WAC First Team. Horton was also named the WAC Player of the Year for a second-straight year and earned NFCA All-Pacific Region First Team honors during the 2018 campaign.

After securing the program's second-straight WAC tournament title, four of Rodolph's players were named to the all-tournament team. Butler, Rodriguez, Horton, and Kennedy Johnson walked away with the honor while Horton took home the coveted Most Valuable Player award.

Individually, Horton closed out her junior season ranked in the top-25 in several statistical categories and even led the country in home runs (25) and home runs per game (0.49) heading into the NCAA tournament. She finished the year second in homers and home runs per game (0.47), third in the NCAA for RBI per game (1.21) and total bases (154), seventh in slugging percentage (0.911) and 22nd in runs per game (0.98).

2017: 29-25 Overall, 11-4 WAC

Rodolph led the Aggies to their third-straight regular season title and their third WAC Tournament title in 2017. Overall New Mexico State recorded a 29-25 record and a 11-4 record in league play.

With Rodolph's leadership, NM State compiled  470 hits, 80 doubles, 52 home runs, 65 stolen bases, 294 RBI and 724 total bases. In the circle, New Mexico State posted a 4.48 team ERA and pitched six shutouts over the course over the season. The Aggie pitchers also tallied seven saves and 151 strikeouts.

New Mexico State closed out the season ranked ninth nationally in batting average (.325) and 10th in both on-base percentage (.414) and slugging percentage (.501). New Mexico State was also 16th in scoring (5.93), 23rd in doubles per game (1.48) and 25th in home runs per game (0.96). On defense, the Aggies averaged 0.41 double plays per game which ranked 47th in the country.

In addition to the national rankings, NM State finished first among Western Athletic Conference teams in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs (52), RBI (294), runs scored (320), and stolen bases (65). Kelsey Horton led the league in batting average, slugging percentage, total bases, RBI, home runs and runs scored (52). Fahren Glackin led the conference with 30 walks and Nikki Butler was hit by a pitch a league-high 13 times. Haley Nakamura put down nine sacrifice bunts and Rachel Rodriguez recorded 22 stolen bases.

At the conclusion of the regular season, Victoria Castro, Kayla Green, and Glackin were named to the All-WAC Second Team while Butler, Horton and Rodriguez were named to the All-WAC First Team. Horton was named the WAC Player of the Year. The sophomore was also named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Pacific Region Second Team.

After winning the conference tournament for the second time in three seasons, Samaria Diaz, Misty Hoohuli, Castro and Rodriguez were named to the all-tournament team with Rodriguez receiving the coveted most valuable player award.

2016: 38-21 Overall, 14-1 WAC

After guiding the Aggies to a 14-1 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) record and back-to-back regular season titles, Rodolph was named the WAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and the third time overall. Overall, NM State compiled a 38-21 record, which is the fourth consecutive year the team has won 30 or more games. The Aggies also tied a program-best winning streak with 11 games from Apr. 15-May 11.

With Rodolph’s guidance, the team racked up 104 stolen bases over the course of the season. This breaks the previous single-season record of 96 stolen bases, which was set in 1998. The team had 48 more stolen bases than any other team in the WAC.

The Aggies were ranked No. 7 in the nation in batting average (.343), No. 11 in on-base percentage (.427), No. 2 in slugging percentage (.508), No. 24 in stolen bases (1.76) per game, No. 27 in triples per game (0.25), No. 29 in scoring (5.95), and No. 50 in win/loss percentage (0.644). The pitching staff, led by head coach Kathy Rodolph, was ranked 59th in the nation in team ERA.

In addition to the national rankings, the Aggies led the WAC in team batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBIs, triples, home runs, total bases, total plate appearances, at bats, walks, stolen bases, ERA, batters struck out, batters struck out looking, wins, fielding percentage, putouts and fielding double plays. The Aggies had nine players named WAC Hitter and WAC Pitcher of the Week.

In addition to the major awards, eight Aggies were named to the All-WAC Teams. Karysta Donisthorpe, Makayla McAdams, Fiana Finau and Horton earned All-WAC First Team honors, while Corrin Green, Victoria Castro, Rachel Rodriguez and Tatum Reedy were named Second Team All-WAC. Emma Adams, Rodriguez, Reedy and Donisthorpe were also selected for the All-Tournament team during the WAC Tournament. Finau and Adams were chosen for the NFCA All-Region Third Team as well.

Under Rodolph’s tutelage, Finau became the first Aggie in program history to be named National Fastpitch Coach’s Association (NFCA) National Player of the Week. This honor was given after Finau went 11-for-19 with three doubles, three home runs and five runs scored to help the Aggies’ to a 4-2 record for the week. Finau also became the fourth consecutive Aggie to be selected as WAC Player of the Year.

In addition, Kelsey Horton became the first Aggie to be named a Top 10 finalist for the Shutt Sports / NFCA National Freshman of the Year. Horton, who was the second consecutive NM State player to be named WAC Freshman of the Year, led the league and the team with 13 home runs.

During game two of the CSU Bakersfield series, Adams amassed her 10th double of the season and the 43rd of her career to break the record for career doubles. The previous record of 42 doubles was set by Kristi Randall from 2006-09. Adams finished her career with 46 doubles.

2015: 47-16 Overall, 14-1 WAC

Rodolph’s team had the best season in program history in 2015. The Aggies amassed a program-high 47 wins overall, which included a 6-4 win over No. 19 Arizona State on Apr. 6. After leading NM State to a 14-1 league record, their best in program history, Rodolph was named WAC Coach of the Year. The squad went on to capture the WAC Tournament title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to breaking the program record in wins, Rodolph’s Aggies broke the single season team record in slugging percentage (.602), on-base percentage (.445), run scored (465), hits (589), doubles (100) and home runs (103). The Aggies also turned the first triple play in program history during the second inning of game two against No. 17 Arizona on Mar. 21.

Rodolph’s teams are known for power, which was showcased during the 2015 WAC Tournament. The Aggies went 4-1 in the tournament that was hosted at the NM State Softball Complex. After dominating Utah Valley 13-3, the squad dropped their second contest of the tournament to CSU Bakersfield.

Rodolph then guided her team to three straight wins en route to the WAC Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The final game of the tournament was an 18-10 victory over CSU Bakersfield where the Aggies amassed eight home runs, which is a program record for home runs in a single game. Emma Adams, S. Rodriguez, Dodd and McBride were named to the All-Tournament team, with Adams being chosen as the Tournament MVP.

As a team, Rodolph’s Aggies placed five on the All-WAC First Team (Staci Rodriguez, Dallas McBride, Kelsey Dodd, Fiana Finau and Haley Nakamura) and one on the All-WAC Second Team (Karysta Donisthorpe). McBride was also selected as Freshman of the Year.

Under Rodolph’s tutelage, senior center fielder Staci Rodriguez was named the WAC Player of the Year for the second time in her career. S. Rodriguez is the only player in NM State history to earn the honor twice. S. Rodriguez broke the program’s single season record for runs scored with 73 and sacrifice flies with six. In addition, she ranked No. 3 in the record books for single season doubles and on-base percentage with 16 and .529, respectively.

Overall, S. Rodriguez finished her career with a program-best 194 career runs scored and a program-high 12 career sacrifice flies. She also ranked second in career home runs (56), RBIs (192) and on-base percentage.

With Rodolph’s guidance, Fiana Finau tied the all-time single-season program record with 24 home runs. Additionally, Finau broke the all-time single season RBI record with 74 and ranked third in the record books in single-season slugging percentage with a .792.

2014: 31-23 Overall, 10-4 WAC

In 2014, Rodolph reached two important milestones as she earned her 300th win with the Aggies as well as her 500th win overall in her coaching career.  Following the 2014 season, she held a 518-396 overall record and a 322-303 record at NM State with the Aggies going 31-23 overall and 10-4 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The 2014 team saw success not only in WAC play, where the Aggies finished second to Grand Canyon (12-3), but also in nonconference play with wins over seasonal foes Texas Tech (2/16) and UNLV (3/1).  The team opened the season with the 24th Annual Troy Cox Classic and faced Florida State and Nebraska, teams both ranked in the top-10 nationally.

The Aggies received the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament in 2014 after being named the top preseason pick. With wins over No. 3 Seattle U and No. 2 Kansas City, the Aggies were eliminated from the tournament after a two losses to No. 4 Utah Valley.

In the WAC series finale versus Bakersfield (4/12), the Aggies stamped a new conference and NM State record for most runs scored in a single inning with 17. The Aggies’ 17 runs shattered the previous WAC record of 13 runs in a single inning set in 2010 by Hawaii against Nevada.  The Aggies recorded 11 hits, five walks, two hit batters and 15 RBI in the inning.  On 11 hits in the inning, NM State only recorded one extra base hit, with the remainder coming as singles.

NM State had eight players selected to the All-WAC team in 2014 including WAC Player of the Year Lacey Rother.  In 125 at bats, Rother averaged a .376 batting average, slugging at .648 and averaged a .512 on base percentage. Rother was seen hitting in the top-5 for NM State, recording 12 multi-hit games, nine multi-RBI games and reached base 18 times, which was her longest streak. In WAC play, Rother was the top hitter for the Aggies averaging a .462 as she went 18-for-39 in conference play.  The Aggies also had seven players claim the WAC Hitter of the Week award and two players named WAC Pitcher of the Week.  For the 2014 season, the Aggies had the most players win Player of the Week as well and had the most players named to the All-WAC teams.

Rodolph guided the Aggie pitching staff to lead the conference in nearly every pitching category and a team ERA of 3.93 with two shutouts and five saves. Her pitchers held the opponents to a .289 batting average while striking out 67 batters looking.

2013: 37-20 Overall, 16-5 WAC

In 2013, Rodolph led the Aggies to a second-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference with a 37-20 season record. Her Aggies were 16-5 in conference play and held the longest winning streak in program history with 11 wins. The record-setting win for NM State came against No. 17 Arizona (4/9). The feat topped the team’s previous record of 10 that was set during the historical 2011 season when the Aggies won the WAC title and made their first ever NCAA appearance.

Rodolph guided her Aggies to lead the conference for much of the 2013 season as senior pitcher Alex Newman marked a career-high 24 wins to finish her career with 58 wins in 91 starts. Under the tutelage of Rodolph, Newman finished the season with a 1.88 ERA, which was second in the WAC. Newman topped off her Aggie career with a First Team All-WAC selection and All-Tournament honors.

Rodolph and her staff also saw success from their hitters as sophomore Staci Rodriguez finished the year as the 2013 WAC Player of the Year with 20 home runs, which led the conference and tied for 10th best in the nation. The 2013 team produced six All-Conference players, two NFCA All-Pacific Region accolades and five weeks of WAC Pitcher/Hitter of the Week honors.