Sarah Pauly: Softball

NCAA All American, ASA All-American National Pro Fastpitch All Pro

Photo: George Tuley for NPF

Sarah Pauly, former Islanders All-American and nine-year NPF veteran returned to her alma mater during the 2012 season to serve as the pitching coach.

As an Islander, Pauly became one of the top pitchers in the collegiate game, leading the team to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Pauly was named Big South Pitcher of the Year and Big South Tournament Most Valuable Player, while earning All-Conference First-Team honors.

In her senior year, she finished with a 37-7 record and a 0.56 ERA. Her win total was the third-highest in the nation while her ERA was good for fourth in the NCAA. She was also second in strikeout ratio with 12.08 per seven innings and was third in strikeouts with 497 during the year while leading the team to the NCAA Regional in Austin.

The Phoenix native finished her collegiate career with a 112-46 record and is third in NCAA history with a strikeout ratio of 11.6 per seven innings. She is also ninth in career strikeouts with 1,370 in just three seasons, as the team was a provisional Division I member her freshman year.

Following her collegiate career, Pauly joined the National Pro Fastpitch Stratford Brakettes in 2006 and earned NPF Pitcher of the Year and NPF Most Valuable Pitcher honors. Following a runner-up finish in the league with the Brakettes, Pauly pitched for the 2007 NPF Champions, the Washington Glory. She earned All NPF Pitcher honors with a 13-6 record, while striking out 122 batters with a 1.35 ERA, to lead the team to the NPF championship title. In 2007 she trained with the USA National Team.

In 2008, Pauly helped lead the Glory back to the NPF finals, while leading the league in ERA and striking out 112 batters. In 2010 she joined the NPF Tour that traveled to over 15 college campuses to compete. 2012 marked Pauly’s fourth season with the USSSA Florida Pride (formerly known as the Washington Glory) and in 2011 she helped the squad to a runner-up finish. In 2012, Pauly tallied an 8-2 record with the Pride while striking out 51 batters in 61.2 innings. She was named to the Combat All-NPF Team.

Pauly began her coaching career in 2006 at Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, S.C., as a pitching coach. In her two years, she helped guide the team to a fifth-place finish in the 2008 JUCO National Tournament.

In 2009, Pauly joined the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., where she spent two seasons as a pitching coach and led the Cougars to a second-place finish in conference play.

Pauly has held numerous pitching clinics and private lessons all over the U.S. She was a member of the Honda softball team in Japan in 2011.

She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2005 and is working toward a master’s in kinesiology. She was inducted into the Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Athletic Department Hall of Honor in 2012.