Thursday, June 9, 2022
by Western Oregon Athletic Communications

MONMOUTH, Ore. – After serving seven seasons as an assistant coach, Aly Boytz has been named as Western Oregon's interim head softball coach for the 2022-23 season.

Boytz, who pitched two seasons for the Wolves before joining the coaching staff in 2016, will be joined by two other familiar faces. Zoe Clark who was part of the coaching staff for two seasons after her playing career, will return to Monmouth as the assistant coach. Nikki Miller, currently on staff as the graduate assistant, will remain in that position for the coming year.

"After watching Aly develop as an assistant coach over the past six years, I am confident that she will hit the ground running as a head coach. Aly, Zoe and Nikki work very well together and are strong advocates for their student-athletes. The future is bright for WOU Softball," executive director of intercollegiate athletics Randi Lydum said.

Boytz has been on the coaching staff since 2016 after completing her two-year career in the circle for the Wolves. During her senior season, Boytz led the pitching staff with 25 starts, compiling a 13-8 record. She tossed 156.2 innings, carrying a 2.64 ERA on her way to being named to the All-GNAC Honorable Mention team.

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to lead this program next year. I'm really excited to continue the legacy and tradition that coach Lonny Sargent has built during his time here. I am thankful for my time with him, both as a player and on his staff, as I would not have the opportunity to lead this program without him," Boytz said. "I want to also thank athletic director Randi Lydum for the opportunity to take the role of interim head coach this coming year. I can't wait to see what the next year brings!"

A native of Eugene, Boytz graduated from Elmira High School where she earned back-to-back all-state honors for the Falcons. The multi-sport athlete also competed in basketball and volleyball. Before arriving at WOU, Boytz played at Clackamas Community College. She holds both a bachelor's degree in business administration and management and a master's degree in information technology, both from Western Oregon University.

Boytz has been a part of some special moments already as a coach for the Wolves over the years. In her first season in 2017, WOU advanced all the way to the GNAC Championships title game, compiling 29 wins that year. The 2019 year was a big year for the Wolves winning 33 games and advancing to the NCAA postseason. WOU picked up wins over Concordia (Ore.) and San Francisco State in the NCAA West Regional, advancing all the way to the regional title game. That season, both pitchers Haley Fabian and Maddie Mayer were named to the All-GNAC Team and were the only pitching teammates to earn call-onference honors. Mayer was also tabbed the unanimous GNAC Freshman of the Year. Mayer received her second selection to the All-GNAC Team this past season being named a Second Team recipient. handler Bishop earned honors in 2021 both as a pitcher and fielder.

WOU has gone 52-24 at home since Boytz joined the coaching staff prior to the 2017 season and have posted multiple strong GNAC finishes. After finishing fourth in the conference standings in 2017 and advancing to the title game, the Wolves reached the GNAC Championships as a fourth-seed in 2018 and then pushed for the conference title in 2019 coming in runner-up. WOU was in fourth in 2020 during the shortened season that saw the Wolves play just five conference games. The Wolves then tallied a win in the GNAC Championships in 2021 when WOU hosted GNAC's in Monmouth.

Clark put together a strong senior season, tying for the GNAC lead with 11 home runs. She was fourth in the league with a .599 slugging percentage and led the team with 35 RBI in 2018 to earn Honorable Mention All-GNAC accolades. She finished her career playing in 206 total games, which is the most in WOU program history. Her 196 starts rank fourth in program history. Clark finished her four-year career ranking in the top 10 in program history in RBI, home runs, hits, doubles and runs scored. Clark then stayed on to coach for the 2019 and 2020 softball seasons.

Clark, a native of Hayden, Idaho, graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School, lettering four years in softball. She also received two all-league honors, played in two all-star games and earned a letter in volleyball. She received her bachelor's degree in exercise science with a minor in biology from Western Oregon University.