Marissa Young has served as the inaugural head coach of the Duke University women’s softball program since her appointment in July 2015. In just a few years she built a program from the ground up, overseeing its first varsity season in 2018. Under her leadership the Blue Devils achieved a record-breaking 52-9 season in 2024, secured their second Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, made their third straight NCAA Super Regional appearance, and reached the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history. During that year three of her athletes were named NFCA All-Americans, and the program swept four of the five major ACC end-of‐year awards.
Prior to her role at Duke, Young developed her coaching acumen as an assistant at the University of North Carolina and as head coach at Concordia University (Ann Arbor). As a student-athlete at the University of Michigan, she was a three-time All-America pitcher, named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2002 and Big Ten Player of the Year in 2003, graduated having set the school record for strikeouts and ranking second in career wins. Her journey is not just one of athletic excellence but of building culture and program identity: Young emphasizes resilience, character and the development of “great women” in addition to high-level competitors.
