NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox softball program has found their next head coach.

The Bruins have tabbed Nathan Ohta to be the coach of the program ahead of the 2025 season. Ohta returns to George Fox, where he served as the assistant coach from 2017-18.

Ohta brings a wealth of knowledge to the Bruin program, having nearly two decades of experience across DI, NAIA, and DIII, with stints at Corban, Warner Pacific, and most recently, the University of Nevada. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Nathan Ohta back into Bruins gear as our new head softball coach," George Fox athletic director Adam Puckett said, "There is no doubt that Nate is the right coach to lead our program forward into the future. His proven track record of winning at every program he has coached, his commitment to academic excellence, and his dedication to fostering a strong, spiritually grounded team culture make him the perfect fit for our program. We are excited to see his positive impact on our student-athletes on and off the field."

Under his guidance, Corban improved from an eight-win team the year prior to his arrival in 2008 to a two-time NAIA National Tournament Qualifier ranked as high as #8 nationally. Ohta accumulated a  288-187 career record (nine seasons with the Warriors and two at Warner Pacific), and was named 2013 Cascade Conference Coach of the Year.

 During his tenure, the Warriors won two conference championships, made six CCC tournament appearances, while 13 players were named CCC Gold Glove winners, five were NAIA All-Americans, and 36 were CCC All-Conference award winners.

Following Corban, Ohta became an assistant at Fox under Jessica Hollen, helping lead the Bruins to an NCAA Regional in 2018 before becoming the head coach of the newly-formed Warner Pacific softball team in the fall of 2019. He led the Knights to the 2021 Cascade Conference Tournament in just their first full season (2020 canceled due to COVID-19) before joining the University of Nevada as an assistant coach for the past three seasons.

At Nevada, Ohta was responsible for the Wolf Pack's prolific offense. During his three seasons with the Wolf Pack, the program had an overall record of 88-74, finishing the 2023-24 season with a 40-17 mark, finishing 2nd in the Mountain West Conference and ranking in the top ten nationally among all Division I schools in several statistical categories including hits, avg, slugging %, home runs, stolen bases, doubles, RBI, and runs per game.

"I'd like to thank Adam Puckett, President Baker, and the rest of the administrative staff for the opportunity to lead this program," Ohta said, "Some of the best moments I have experienced in my coaching career have been here at George Fox, and I'm excited to be back home. We have a talented group of returning players coming back, and an incoming class that is going to have an immediate impact as well. There is great support for this program on campus, and I believe George Fox softball is poised for great things. I'm glad to be here to be a part of this university and program, and to have the opportunity to use the game of softball to impact the lives of our players, student body, and community for Jesus Christ."

The Oregonian returns to the northwest, where he has spent the majority of his coaching career. A 2002 graduate of Western Baptist University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and mathematics education, he earned his master's degree in education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction from Corban University. Ohta is married to Michele, and the two have four children: Caleb, Hannah, Sarah, and Daniel.