Mountain West Regular Season Champion (2025)
Mountain West Coach of the Year (2025)
NFCA All-American and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Victoria Hayward wasted no time positively impacting Nevada Softball and the Mountain West in her debut campaign of 2025. The first-year head coach guided the Wolf Pack to a 41-14 record and a dominant 18-4 mark in conference play to capture the program's first regular-season Mountain West title.
Her efforts were recognized by her peers as Hayward was voted Mountain West Coach of the Year. The Wolf Pack thrived under the tutelage of Hayward and her staff as the team batted .321, slammed 61 home runs, scored 324 runs and slugged .530. Behind those numbers, Nevada was one of the top offensive teams in the Mountain West, and ranked in the national top 50 in such statistical categories as stolen bases (15th), slugging percentage (27th), batting average (30th), doubles (40th), hits (41st), home runs (48th), and runs per game (49th).
Senior Aaliyah Jenkins capped her Wolf Pack career by being named Mountain West Player of the Year, having a career year in what was already an illustrious career, batting .446 with 17 home runs, 17 doubles, 74 hits, 60 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .916 and an OPS of 1.462.
Hayward was named the sixth head coach of the Nevada Softball program on May 22, 2024.
With a decade of collegiate coaching experience and a storied playing career, Hayward has brought a profound respect for the sport and an infectious love of the game to Nevada. She spent the 2024 campaign as an assistant at her alma mater, Washington, where the Huskies elevated their play to a 32-15 overall record, finishing third in the Pac-12 and making the program’s 30th consecutive NCAA Regional.
Before her impactful return to Seattle, Hayward was a leader on the San Diego State staff for two seasons (2022-23), serving as associate head coach in her final year. Under her guidance, the Aztecs soared to the Mountain West tournament title and came within a game of the Women’s College World Series. San Diego State captured the Los Angeles Regional with three-straight wins and battled valiantly in the Salt Lake City Super Regional. Over Hayward’s tenure, the Aztecs achieved a remarkable 78-33 overall record, won two Mountain West titles (2022 regular season, 2023 tournament), and reached two NCAA Regionals and a Super Regional.
Hayward's coaching pedigree is built on a foundation of success at the sport's highest levels. The 2014 first-team All-American began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at LSU under the mentorship of head coach Beth Torina in 2015. During her time there, the Tiger unit was named the Division I South Region Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) following a stellar 52-14 season and a third-place finish at the Women’s College World Series. Hayward was again recognized as part of an award-winning staff in 2023 when the San Diego State staff earned the NFCA West Region honor.
At San Diego State, Hayward’s expertise helped propel Mac Barbara to NFCA third-team All-American status, all-NFCA first-team west region honors, and the title of Mountain West Player of the Year in 2022. Barbara's impressive stats under Hayward’s tutelage included a .395 batting average, 18 home runs, and a .802 slugging percentage.
Hayward's coaching journey also includes valuable stints at UMass (2016-17), Maryland (2018), and UCF as director of operations in 2019, further showcasing her ability to elevate every program she joins.
On the field, Hayward's legacy is equally impressive. She holds the distinction of being the youngest person named to Canada’s Senior National Team at just 16. Born in Toronto and raised in the United States, Hayward’s international career began early and included standout performances at the 2009 World Cup of Softball and the 2010 WBSC Junior World Championship. She earned silver medals for Canada at the 2011 and 2019 Pan-Am Games and was a key player on Canada’s 2020 Olympic Team, which earned a bronze medal in Tokyo.
At Washington, Hayward’s collegiate career was marked by excellence, earning All-Pac-12 honors each of her four seasons, including first-team accolades as a junior and senior. In 2014, she was named to the NFCA All-America First Team, leading the Pac-12 with 28 stolen bases and pacing the Huskies in batting average (.408), at-bats (157), runs (47), and hits (64) while starting all 52 games. Her leadership helped the Huskies win four NCAA Regionals and reach the WCWS in 2013.
