Bill Hogan, Seattle University Director of Athletics, has announced that Geoff Hirai, a member of the coaching staff at three major conference schools over the past 10 years, has been named the head softball coach for the Redhawks, effective immediately.
Hirai comes to Seattle U after four years with the Oregon State softball program, including the past three seasons as the associate head coach. Working mainly with the team’s hitters, he was instrumental in building Oregon State’s offense into one of the best in school history and most consistent in the nation.
This past season, the Beavers combined for a .298 batting average, the best in school history. Oregon State also scored 300 runs, one shy of a school record, en route to a 26-26 season. The year was highlighted by road wins over No. 16 Arizona State, No. 20 Washington and California, and seven Beavers earned Pac-12 honors for their work during the 2015 season.
Hirai helped Oregon State to back-to-back 30-win seasons and berths into the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2013. Thanks to Hirai’s coaching, the Beavers set numerous offensive records over the past four seasons.
"My family and I are excited for this new adventure, and I want to thank Bill (Hogan) and (associate AD) Shawn (Farrell) for this opportunity. I am looking forward to getting started and working towards becoming WAC champions,” Hirai said.
Hirai spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia, serving as the team’s hitting coach while also aiding in the program’s recruiting efforts. During his time in Charlottesville, Virginia compiled an 83-75 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2010.
This will not be Hirai’s first coaching job within the city of Seattle, as he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Washington, with the Huskies advancing to the NCAA Tournament every year, including a berth in the 2007 Women’s College World Series. He helped four players collect five All-America honors, including two-time honoree Ashley Charters and Danielle Lawrie.
"We are thrilled that Geoff has agreed to take over as the head coach of the Redhawk softball program. His experience, especially in the Pacific Northwest at Oregon State and Washington, will serve us well as we look to build the softball team into a consistent WAC title contender," Hogan said.
Before coaching at Washington, Hirai worked as owner, instructor and coach at the All-Star Dugout in Irvine, Calif. He also coached an 18-under travel team for four seasons, providing instruction to aspiring collegiate and professional baseball players. Hirai was a scout with Cincinnati Reds from 2001-03 where he was responsible for evaluating players for the Major League Baseball draft.
Hirai was a four-year baseball letterwinner at Hawai’i-Hilo, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1998 and served as the team’s assistant coach for three seasons while working to obtain his teaching certificate in secondary education.