Tairia Flowers has completed her sixth season as the head coach of Loyola Marymount University’s softball program, compiling a 430-401 overall record as a head coach while continuing to elevate the Lions as a competitive force within the West Coast Conference and on the national stage.
In 2026, Flowers guided LMU to a 33-19 overall record and a third-place finish in the WCC with a 10-8 conference mark. The season was highlighted by the best 15-game non-conference start in program history at 13-2, as the Lions earned national recognition with seven consecutive weeks in the D1Softball Mid-Major Top 25 rankings and also received votes in week three of the NFCA Top 25 poll. Flowers reached significant career milestones during the season, recording her 400th career victory on February 7 against North Carolina and her 150th win at LMU on February 22 with a victory over No. 23 Washington. Under her leadership, LMU produced the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in Avery Francis, along with four All-WCC First Team selections, three Second Team honorees, and three All-Freshman Team selections. The program also continued to excel academically, earning three All-WCC All-Academic Team selections and six honorable mentions.
During the summer of 2026, Flowers will also serve as the head coach of the AUSL Portland Cascades in their inaugural season, an opportunity that highlights her leadership at the highest levels of the sport while contributing to the growth of professional softball.
In 2025, her fifth season, Flowers guided a young Lions squad to a 22-31 overall record, including a 7-8 mark in WCC play. The season featured signature wins over No. 6 Oregon and No. 75 Saint Mary’s. Eight Lions earned All-WCC honors, while seven were recognized on All-Academic Teams.
In 2024, her fourth season, Flowers led the Lions to a second-place finish in the WCC with a 9-7 conference record and a 28-25 overall mark. Highlights included a 4-0 victory over No. 14 Oregon and a championship at the Spring Fling Tournament in Hawaii, where four Lions were named to the All-Tournament Team.
In 2023, Flowers guided LMU to a 28-22 overall record and a 12-3 conference mark, finishing first in the WCC. The Lions advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament, competing in the regional round against Florida and Long Beach State.
During the 2022 season, LMU posted a 37-17 overall record and a 13-2 conference mark, tying for first place with BYU. By winning their final series against Santa Clara, the Lions secured the WCC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament. LMU defeated Ole Miss 4-2 in the opening round before concluding its postseason run, marking the program’s third regional appearance in school history.
In her first season leading the Lions in 2021, Flowers guided LMU to a 22-21 overall record and a 10-5 conference mark, earning a second-place finish in the WCC.
Following her first season at LMU, Flowers served as an assistant coach for Team USA Softball at the Tokyo Olympics, where the team earned a silver medal.
Flowers is an Olympic gold medalist, having helped lead the USA Softball National Team to a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She is also the second-winningest coach in the history of the CSUN softball program.
Prior to LMU, Flowers compiled 259 Division I victories during her 10 seasons at CSUN. In 2015, she was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Matadors to an outright conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
“I’m thrilled with the opportunity to lead the LMU softball team and eager to build upon the success and tradition of the program,” Flowers said. “I have great respect for the prestige of the university and the vision of LMU Athletics, and I’m looking forward to coaching some very talented student-athletes.”
As a student-athlete at UCLA, Flowers helped the Bruins to four consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances and a national championship in 2003. A two-time All-American (2001, 2003), she batted .373 with 61 home runs, 59 doubles, seven triples, and 228 RBIs. She ranks among UCLA’s all-time leaders in home runs, games played, RBIs, and total bases, and was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. She was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in November 2019.
Flowers competed with the U.S. National Team from 2001-08, winning gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and gold medals at the 2002 and 2006 World Championships.
She graduated from UCLA with a degree in history in 2005. Flowers and her husband, Jason, have three children: daughters Jasmine and Tristyn, and son Jayce.
Coach Flowers in the Media
