Roya St. Clair enters her first season as an assistant coach for Miami softball in 2018-19.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Roya St. Clair to our RedHawk family,” said head coach Clarisa Crowell. “Her highly decorated resume speaks volumes about her impressive pedigree, and experiences as both a player and a coach. As a student-athlete at the University of Michigan, Roya was a part of several teams that experienced much success, and she knows what it takes to build a championship program. As a coach, Roya is someone who is highly respected for her work ethic, her ability to teach and develop players, and she is also known to be a tireless recruiter. I firmly believe that she will be a great addition to our staff!”
St. Clair comes to Oxford from Piscataway, New Jersey, where she served as an assistant softball coach at Rutgers for the past two seasons. At Rugters, St. Clair worked with the hitters and outfielders. She also served as the recruiting coordinator, managed the team calendar, analyzed film and was the contact for the student managers.
“Roya fulfilled and surpassed my expectations for the position of an assistant coach,” said former Rutgers head coach Jay Nelson. “She has a tireless work ethic and will be a great asset in the office, on the field, and on the recruiting trail. Her experiences and success as a division one athlete helped her guide our athletes on a path of success both on the field and in the classroom. I believe Roya’s best asset is her dedication to excellence. No matter what is going on around her she is committed to putting in the hours to do a job correctly. She has an old school work ethic and leads by example. She is loyal to the coaching staff, athletes and institution. Her love of the game and competitive spirit drives her to be the best she can be, and she will work as hard as necessary to achieve the goals set for the program.”
Prior to coaching at Rutgers, St. Clair was an assistant coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago for one season. She worked with the hitters and outfielders in addition to serving as recruiting coordinator, planning practices, purchasing team equipment, creating a monthly newsletter, analyzing film and running youth softball clinics.
“Roya is a tremendous person who has an expansive knowledge of the game,” said former University of Illinois at Chicago head coach Michelle Venturella. “Every student-athlete that has the opportunity to be coached by Roya will be a better person and softball player because of the time spent with her. She’s professional, creative, and has a passion for softball that is contagious. I am confident Roya will be a great addition to the staff.”
Before coaching at the University of Illinois Chicago, St. Clair was an assistant coach at the University of Memphis for three seasons. She worked with catchers, outfielders and hitters. St. Clair also planned practices, served as the academic liaison, ordering softball team apparel, managed student assistants, ran softball clinics and operated the video analysis system.
“I’d like to thank Coach Crowell for the opportunity to be a part of the Miami University softball program,” said St. Clair. “I am excited to be a part of a program that is committed to building champions in the classroom and on the field. Most importantly, I am looking forward to getting to know and work with our student-athletes here in Oxford.”
St. Clair played professionally for the Akron Racers and in the A1 Italian Softball League as a catcher and at third base.
St. Clair, a Livonia, Michigan native, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management from the University of Michigan in 2010. She primarily played catcher, but also spent some time at designated player. St. Clair was a two-time all-conference player, being named to the first team her junior year and the third team her senior year. She was also named to the academic all-conference team twice.
While playing at the University of Michigan, St. Clair went to the post season all four years. Michigan won the Big 10 conference three times (2008, 2009, 2010) and went on to play in the World Series in 2009.
In 2010, St. Clair posted two multi-hit games in the NCAA Regionals. She hit 3-for-4 and four RBI against No. 25 Notre Dame in the regional finals - highlighted by a three-run home run in the seventh inning. In 2009, St. Clair recorded three hits and three RBI against No. 6 Georgia in the World Series. She took a career-best six-game hitting streak into the NCAA Super Regional, batting .438 (7-for-16) over the stretch. St. Clair also drove in the winning run with a single in the sixth inning against No. 25 Notre Dame in the NCAA Regional Championship game. In 2008, St. Clair picked up an RBI in regionals. She recorded a three-hit game in the NCAA Super Regionals against No. 8 Baylor as a freshman in 2007.
