Former member of Team USA Megan Kleist joined the Bushnell Softball coaching staff as an assistant in 2021. After serving as an interim Co-Head Coach alongside Jim Patrick in 20223, she will return as Pitching Coach for the 2023 season.Â
Kleist comes to the Beacons from the University of Louisiana where she completed her collegiate career during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Prior to Louisiana she played three seasons at the University of Oregon where she was named the 2018 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. She also earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors and had a pair of NFCA All-American honors including a first-team nod in 2018.
During her career at Oregon she won at least 15 games in each season, accumulating a 59-18 record. She posted a 1.60 ERA and held opponents to a .207 average. During her remarkable 2018 campaign she led the Ducks to the Pac-12 Championship and the No. 1 seed for the College World Series after a season that included a no-hitter against eventual national champion Florida State and a one-hitter against then-No. 2 Oklahoma. She was also 12-2 with a 1.19 ERA against the rigorous Pac-12. She combined to finish her collegiate career with over 545 strikeouts in 549-2/3 innings.Â
Coach Kleist graduated from the University of Oregon in 2019 with a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Studies. She completed partial graduate degrees in Environmental Resource Science and Kinesiology and Sports Management at Louisiana. She currently works as a softball skill coach at Coaches Athletic in Eugene.
