Movin' On Up

21 days ago

The news dropped yesterday that Tiffin University softball head coach Paige McMenemy will be leaving her position with the Dragons at taking the top spot at Division I Ohio University. This is a big move up for Coach Paige who started her career with the Division II Tiffin Dragons five years ago. She was a big part of the reason my niece decided on Tiffin for her university career.

When she was hired in the 2022 season, she inherited a roster of scholarship athletes with just a handful of players she had hand picked. My nieces was one of those players. Through the years, she built the Dragons into a successful GMAC powerhouse through strategic transfers and recruitment.

Her overall record is 152-108 with a conference record of 79-41. As I said before though, a lot of those early loses were with a team that wasn't fully her own. She had obligations she had to fulfill to scholarship players who didn't necessarily fit into her culture of softball. As those players graduated or transferred out, she was able to put together a tight knit group of ladies with a solid commitment and work ethic.

The teams peak came in 2025 when they had a record of 43-14 and then they had similar success in 2026 with a record of 34-16. It will be interesting to see how many players decide to move with her from Tiffin to Ohio or if she has to completely start over. Given that both schools are in Ohio, it might not be a big move for some of the players. The other thing you have to take into account is the fact that in a Division II school, your sport isn't usually your life. If some of these players are close to graduating, they might just stay so they can be done. That or end their softball career all-together.

I've had the chance to meet coach on a few occasions and she has always seemed like a wonderful genuine person who cares about her players and how they are doing more than she cares about winning. Though winning is important too. Even after she had her daughter and took a break from the team before finally retiring from softball, the coach always kept her involved and made her feel like part of the team.

That's the kind of coach you want to have, and the players at Ohio as well as the entire student body are lucky to have Coach McMenemy on their team.