Shay Knighten

Shay Knighten joined San Diego softball as an assistant coach in October 2020 and is entering her second season with the Toreros.

The two-time national champion and former All-American will work with San Diego's hitters and infielders, while being tasked with recruiting, scheduling and assisting with fundraising.

Knighten adds to the wealth of elite softball experience on the San Diego staff after helping lead the Sooners to back-to-back national titles in 2016 and 2017 in her freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively. The Buena Park, Calif. native was known for her bat during her collegiate career after hitting .360 over four seasons and tallying 247 hits and 42 home runs. In the memorable 2017 postseason run for the Sooners, she had a career-best 12-game hitting streak that covered every game of the postseason and multiple game-defining moments at the plate during the Women’s College World Series.

She started 233 of 239 career games at Oklahoma and finished her career ranked fourth in sacrifice flies (10) and sixth in RBIs (197). Knighten was named a 2016 and 2017 NFCA Second Team All-American, the Most Outstanding Player in the 2017 WCWS, the 2017 Big 12 Player of the Year, and a four-time All-Big 12 honoree.

In 2019, Knighten was selected 20th overall by the USSSA Pride who went on to win the NPF Championship later that summer. Along with her playing duties, she helped orchestrate camp activities and coached over 200 youth athletes for the organization.
The role with the Toreros will be her second stop in a coaching capacity at the collegiate level as she served as an undergraduate assistant coach for the Sooners in 2019-20.
Knighten earned her degree in human relations from Oklahoma in May 2020.