Jessica Allister

Allister was born in 1982, when her father Derek Allister was a graduate student at the University of Idaho and assistant basketball coach at Moscow High School in Moscow, Idaho.[1][2] Allister spent her childhood in the Palouse, San Francisco Bay Area, and Reno, Nevada, when her father was an assistant men's college basketball coach at Washington State, California, and Nevada.[3] At age 11, she moved to Nacogdoches, Texas, when Derek became an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin in 1993.[3] Allister attended Nacogdoches High School from 1996 to 2000, when Derek was head coach at Stephen F. Austin.[1][4]

At Stanford University, Allister had a stellar playing career for the Stanford Cardinal softball team. Allister holds the school record for games played with 266. A three-time all-conference selection, she led her team to four appearances in the NCAA tournament and to two trips to the 2001 Women's College World Series. She was the starter for the Cardinal from day one to the end of her playing career. Allister earned second-team NFCA All-American honors and first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2004,[5][6] her senior season during which Stanford again made the Women's College World Series. Allister graduated with her name all throughout the program’s record book, including top-three in many offensive categories (including home runs and RBI) and top-ten in several others.[1] Allister graduated in 2004 with a degree in economics.[7]

Allister played the 2004 and 2005 summer seasons as a member of the New England Riptide of National Pro Fastpitch.[7] In 87 games, Allister had a .197 batting average, 12 RBI, one home run, and a .987 fielding percentage.[8]

Allister’s first coaching job was with the University of Georgia under coach Lu Harris-Champer. She spent the 2005 & 2006 seasons with the Bulldogs, helping lead the team to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances as well as an SEC championship.

Following her stint with the Bulldogs, Allister went back to her alma mater and joined John Rittman’s coaching staff at Stanford. Under Allister’s tutelage, Rose Neill won back-to-back conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008 and 2009. Allister was also a part of the 2009 West Regional Coaching Staff of the Year, as awarded and honored by the NFCA. Allister’s streak of appearances in the NCAA tournament continued, as the Cardinal made the postseason tournament in all three seasons of her 2nd go-around in Palo Alto.

Allister’s third assistant coaching position came at the University of Oregon as hitting coach, recruiting coordinator, and primary contact for admissions, compliance, and eligibility.[9]

After just one season in Oregon, Allister was hired as the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers program. She was hired on August 10, 2010. In seven seasons at Minnesota, Allister's career win-loss record is 290–107.

Following the Golden Gopher's epic 2017 season that saw them set numerous records and achieve the first #1 National ranking in program history, Allister agreed to return to her alma mater, Stanford, and revive the once proud program. 2017–18 will mark Allister's return to the Farm and signal a new chapter in Stanford softball history.

Sources:[10][11]

• Jessica Allister on Twitter