Lisa Fernandez enters her 28th season on the UCLA Bruins coaching staff and begins her fourth season as Associate Head Softball Coach in 2026. As part of the UCLA staff over her tenure, the Bruins have posted an astounding 1,267-272-2 record (.822) and claimed five NCAA championships (1999, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2019). Fernandez has been a member of three NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year teams (2004, 2010 and 2019) and nine NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Prior to her coaching career, Fernandez enjoyed one of the most decorated collegiate and international playing careers in softball history. At UCLA from 1990–93 she was a two-time national champion, four-time NFCA First Team All-American, and in 1993 became the first softball player to win the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation’s top female collegiate athlete. She went on to represent the United States in three Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004) and won three gold medals, including setting the Olympic record for most strikeouts in a game (25) and posting the highest batting average (.545) in Olympic softball. In her current coaching role, Fernandez oversees hitting, infield play and recruiting for UCLA. In 2025, the Bruins ranked top-10 nationally in runs scored, home runs, and slugging percentage under her offensive supervision. She also led the program to success in the newly launched Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), guiding the Talons as general manager to the league’s inaugural championship in summer 2025.
