Nikki Ragin - Softball Coach - University of Oregon Athletics

Nikki Ragin

Title:
Assistant Coach

Nikki Ragin, one of the best players in program history, is in her second season as an assistant coach for Oregon.

In her first season on the staff, Ragin helped oversee a Duck team that led the Pac-12 in fielding percentage (.977) and ranked 10th nationally as the Ducks advanced to the NCAA Regional Final for the second year in a row. At the plate, the Ducks scored nearly six runs a game as their run production improved 15 percent over the previous year. Oregon also led the league in stolen bases per game (1.69).

The Ducks had a league-best three players named to the 2022 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team - Allee Bunker, Terra McGowan and Paige Sinicki. McGowan, Bunker, Hanna Delgado and Stevie Hansen were all named All-Pac-12, while Hansen, Sinicki and Allison Benning made the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Additionally, McGowan, Bunker, Delgado and Hansen were all named to the NFCA All-Pacific Region team.

Ragin joined the Ducks after a successful run as the head coach at Biola University where she led the Eagles to the 2021 NCAA Division II championship series.

The Biola staff was selected as the 2021 National Fastpitch Coaches Association West Region coaching staff of the year, while Ragin was named the PacWest Conference coach of the year.

In 2021, Biola set a number of program benchmarks. Not only did the Eagles advance to the national championship series for the first time, but Biola also broke into the NFCA Top 25 for the first time ever and climbed to No. 2 in the final poll. The Eagles posted a 26-16 overall record in 2021. Along the way, The Eagles defeated Concordia-Irvine, the top seed in the West Region, 2-1 to advance to the national finals. Biola then defeated North Georgia twice and national top-seed Augustana once to move on to the championship series, before falling to West Texas A&M (two-games-to-one).

Ragin mentored three-time all-PacWest first team catcher Kayla Neff, who was named the 2019 PacWest player of the year. Ragin also coached the 2019 PacWest defensive player of the year, Missy Poti. During Ragin’s tenure, Neff and pitcher Paige Austin earned Biola's first-ever NFCA/NCAA Division II All-West Region honors.

Ragin compiled a 72-38 record in three seasons as Biola’s head coach after serving as an assistant coach for the Eagles in 2018.

As a Duck, Ragin played in the NCAA postseason all four years and was part of three NCAA Women's College World Series teams and three Pac-12 championship teams.

She was a two-time All-American, a four-time all-region selection and a three-time all-Pac-12 infielder. The Covina, Calif., native was also named to the 2014 Pac-12 all-freshman team.

In her career, Ragin hit .375 with a .599 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage. She amassed 247 hits, 35 home runs, 35 doubles and 179 RBI. Ragin also scored 196 runs and stole 35 bases. She still ranks second in UO career runs, third in hits and RBI, sixth in batting average and ninth in home runs.

Ragin graduated from Oregon in 2017 with a degree in communication disorders and sciences and a minor in special education. Following her senior season, Ragin was selected as the 18^th overall pick in the 2017 NFP Draft by the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs.

She was one of 35 competitors selected for the USA Women's National Team in 2018 and played with Team USA in games in Japan and the USA.

The former Nikki Udria and Johnny Ragin III, who played linebacker for the Duck football team from 2014-16, were married in July of 2021 and welcomed a son, Johnny IV, in October of 2022.

RAGIN'S COACHING CAREER