SAN DIEGO -- Victoria Hayward has been named an assistant coach for the San Diego State softball team, head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz announced Thursday. Hayward recently represented Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has been a member of the Canadian Senior National Team since 2009.
"I could not be more excited for Victoria Hayward to join our Aztec Softball family," Nuveman Deniz said. "She possesses an incredible skill set, both technically and in the arenas of leadership and culture development. Vic's passion for the game is palpable and, as someone still playing the game professionally, will be tremendously relatable to our current and future Aztecs. I have no doubt her impact on SDSU Softball will be powerful and immediate."
Hayward has nine years of experience in the college ranks, most recently serving as the director of operations at UCF in 2019 and as an assistant coach at Maryland in 2018.
Prior to Maryland, Hayward helped guide UMass to back-to-back winning seasons in 2016 and 2017. UMass was one of the top hitting teams in the Atlantic 10 in 2017, finished second in regular-season standings and advanced to the A10 title game. At UMass, Hayward helped nine batters/position players earn all-conference honors and three Minutewomen hitters garnered NFCA All-Region selections during her tenure.
Hayward spent the 2015 season as a graduate assistant at LSU under head coach Beth Torina. The Tigers opened the year with 25 consecutive victories and spent three weeks as the top-ranked team in the country, before ending the season with a 52-14 record and a third-place finish at the Women's College World Series (WCWS). LSU's coaching staff was named the Division I South Region Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
As a player, Hayward made the Canadian squad in 2009 at 16 years old, becoming the youngest player ever to join the senior team. Hayward has been a mainstay in the outfield and has won numerous medals in international competition. She was the 19th overall selection in the 2014 National Pro Fastpitch Draft by the Pennsylvania Rebellion.
In college, Hayward starred at national power Washington, helping the Huskies to four NCAA tournaments. Hayward was a 2014 All-American, a four-time all-Pac-12 selection and a three-time Academic All-Pac-12 honoree (2011-14). UW won four NCAA Regional Championships during her career and advanced to the Women's College World Series in 2013. She finished her Washington career ranked seventh in runs (176), 10th in triples (7) and 12th in average (.351), while stealing a league-best 28 bases as a senior without committing an error.
Hayward joins a program that has won a Mountain West-record seven regular-season titles. Last year, SDSU finished with a 28-16 record, its best winning percentage (.636) since the 2015 squad went 38-20 (.655) before falling in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional final to UCLA. It was also the ninth-best record in program history.