ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - After a historic 2025 season for Cal State East Bay softball, winning the CCAA regular season championship, head coach Claire Sua-Amundson has been named CCAA Coach of the Year.
In her ninth season in which softball was played at East Bay under Sua-Amundson's direction, the Pioneers finished 38-11 overall and finished atop the CCAA standings at 26-10. The first place finish earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CCAA Tournament presented by FloCollege, and automatically advances the Pioneers into the double-elimination segment of the tournament. East Bay is currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II West Region rankings.
Cal State East Bay Associate Vice President/Direcotr of Athletics Allison Kern spoke about the coach's recognition. "We're thrilled for Coach A to be recognized for the outstanding work she has done with Pioneer Softball," stated Kern. "The team's success this year is a testament to the culture that she and her staff have built and the student-athletes that have committed to a standard of success through her tenure. This honor may be Coach A's first, but undoubtedly not her last."
This season, seven Pioneers coached under Sua-Amundson received postseason honors from the CCAA, most notably CCAA Pitcher of the Year, Marissa Quintero. During the season, a CCAA Pitcher of the Week award was received by a Pioneer. Among the seven Pioneer players to receive postseason honors from the conference, four were named All-CCAA First Team, one was named All-CCAA Second Team, and two more were named All-CCAA Honorable Mention.
Sua-Amundson took over the program before the 2016 season. Throughout her head coaching tenure at CSUEB, the program has seen tremendous growth. In 2022, the Pioneers reached the CCAA Tournament for the first time as a conference member, and in 2024, they reached the CCAA Championship game and were awarded a berth in the NCAA Division II West Regionals.
She is one win away for 200 in her head coaching career.
And the Pioneers under Sua-Amundson will take on the lowest remaining seed in the CCAA Tournament on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. from Seawolf Softball Field in Rohnert Park, California.
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