Southwestern Oklahoma State Athletics

Kim Maher is in her fourth season leading the SWOSU Softball program after being named the Head Softball Coach on June 2, 2016. She has used her wealth of experience from the collegiate, professional and international levels of softball to help rebuild the Bulldogs program within the Great American Conference.

Maher (pronounced 'Marr') took over at SWOSU prior to the 2017 season and guided the Bulldogs to two 11th-place finishes in the GAC before breaking through and returning the program to the GAC Tournament in 2019 for the first time since 2013. The Bulldogs finished 21-33 overall and seventh in the conference standings with a 20-24 mark in league play, earning Maher the GAC Coach of the Year award.
 
In her previous collegiate coaching position, Maher spent eight seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division I Purdue University, leading the Boilermakers to 240 victories from 2006-13. While at Purdue, Maher led her team to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009, the first and only tournament appearances in program history. Her teams posted a record of .500 or better seven times, including six 30-win seasons, and they defeated nine teams ranked in the Top 25. In 2008, Maher and her staff were named the Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year and she coached 18 players who earned All-Big Ten honors, eight All-Mideast Region honorees and two Academic All-Americans.
 
The first coaching job for Maher came as an assistant coach at California-Berkeley, where she helped guide the Golden Bears to the Women’s College World Series in each of her six years from 2000-05. While Maher was on staff, California won the 2002 National Championship and finished as the national runner-up in 2003 and 2004 and they were named the NFCA/Speedline Coaching Staff of the Year in 2002 and the NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in 2003.
 
Maher played shortstop at Fresno State from 1991-94, earning second team All-America status in her senior season and she finished her career as the Bulldogs’ all-time leader in home runs (31), RBI (181), runs (162) and doubles (49). Maher was a four-time all-conference and two-time all-region honoree while helping Fresno State to three College World Series appearances (1991, 1992, 1994), including third-place finishes in her first two seasons. In 1993, Maher led the Western Athletic Conference in slugging percentage, runs, hits and home runs, helping her earn Fresno State’s Female Athlete of the Year award.
 
During her college years, Maher also played for the Redding Rebels, which won the Amateur Softball Association’s (ASA) Major National Championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. She set the ASA national home run record with five at the 1994 National Championships and she garnered ASA Women’s Major First Team All-America honors four times (1993, 1994, 1997 and 1998) while being named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1994.
 
After graduating from Fresno State, Maher founded Extreme Hitting, a company that conducted softball clinics for youth of all ages, including individualized lessons and workout programs intended to enhance performance. She also continued to compete on the international level as a member of the USA Olympic and National Teams from 1994-99. Maher participated in several international competitions and won an Olympic Gold Medal as a member of the 1996 USA Softball team. She also earned gold medals at the 1995 Pan American Games and the 1998 ISF World Championships.
 
In addition to competing on the international stage, Maher helped launch the Women’s Professional Softball League (WPSL) and she competed professionally from 1994-99. Maher played for the Florida Wahoos and helped the team to the league title in 2000 while also being named to the league’s all-star team.
 
Since leaving Purdue, Maher moved to western Oklahoma to be near her family and she returned to school to earn an Education degree from SWOSU. Most recently, she has served as a Physical Education teacher at Washington Elementary in Clinton, Oklahoma.
 
A native of Ventura, Calif., Maher earned her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Fresno State University in 1995 and she also holds a master’s degree in Education from SWOSU, earned in 2015.
 
THE MAHER FILE

at SWOSU	Won	Lost		Pct.	Finish
2019	21	33		0.389	7th / GAC; GAC Tournament First Round
2018	13	38		0.255	11th / GAC
2017	18	33		0.353	11th / GAC
Totals (at SWOSU)	52	104		0.333
at Purdue	Won	Lost	Tied	Pct.	Finish
2013	23	32		.418	T-9th / Big 10; Big Ten Tournament
2012	31	22		.585	T-6th / Big 10
2011	30	18	2	.620	5th / Big 10
2010	27	27		.500	6th / Big 10
2009	31	20		.608	6th / Big 10; NCAA Regional Champ. Game
2008	35	23		.603	5th / Big 10; NCAA Regionals
2007	33	32	1	.508	5th / Big 10
2006	30	30		.500	9th / Big 10
Totals (at Purdue)	240	204	3	.540
Totals (Overall)	292	308	3	.488

Coaching Career
2017-Present: SWOSU (Head Softball Coach)
   Record: 52-104
2006-13: Purdue University (Head Softball Coach)
   Record: 240-204-3
2000-05: University of California-Berkeley (Assistant Softball Coach)
1996-2000: Extreme Hitting (Founder)

Coaching Awards
2019: Great American Conference Coach of the Year
 
Playing Career
1994-99: USA Softball
   Olympic Gold Medalist (1996)
   ISF World Champion (1998)
   Pan American Gold Medalist (1995)
   Three-time ASA All-American (1996, 1997, 1998)
 
1994-99: Women’s Professional Softball League (WPSL)
   WPSL Championship (2000)
   WPSL All-Star Selection & Tour (2000-01)
 
1991-94: Fresno State University (Shortstop)
   Second Team All-American (1994)
   Three College World Series appearances (1991, 1992, 1994)
   Fresno State Female Athlete of the Year (1993)
   Four-time all-conference selection (1991-94)
   Two-time all-region selection (1993, 1994)
 
Education
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
   Masters of Education, 2015
 
Fresno State University
   Bachelors of Physical Education, 1995