Jen Sewell completed her fifth season as head coach and 19th season overall at Southern Illinois University in 2026 after taking over as head coach during the 2022 season, and led SIU back to the NCAA Regionals in both 2023 and 2024.

During her time at SIU, the Salukis have advanced to the NCAA postseason five times and have won four MVC Tournament titles. Most recently, Southern won the 2021, 2023, and 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, earning the program’s fifth appearance in the NCAA Regionals in seven seasons and SIU’s first-ever NCAA Regional finals appearance. The Salukis also won the program’s sixth MVC Regular Season Championship in 2025, marking the second time SIU has gone back-to-back.

Since Sewell arrived in 2008, the Salukis are 604-360-1 (.626) and have won at least 30 games 15 times.

The Salukis went 34-17 overall and 21-6 in conference play under Sewell in 2026. This marked the fourth consecutive season SIU won at least 30 games with Sewell at the helm. At the end of the regular season, six players received All-Conference recognition with four making the All-MVC First Team, one making the Second Team, and then two received specialty awards. Freshman Brooklynn Danielson was named MVC Freshman of the Year while Emily Delgado was named MVC Newcomer of the Year.

Southern Illinois went 33-20 (21-5) in 2025 and won the program’s second straight MVC Regular Season Championship. The Salukis also had a tied for program record six players make the All-MVC First Team in 2025.

In 2024, the Salukis went 44-11, the most wins in a single season since 2005 when SIU went 47-14. Southern Illinois also went 23-4 in MVC play en route to winning its fifth regular season championship, followed by its fifth MVC Tournament title. This was the second time in program history the team has won both the MVC regular season and tournament titles in the same season, with it last happening in 1991. With two wins over California, the Salukis also advanced to the NCAA Regionals Final for the first time in school history, where they fell to LSU.

Six players were named All-MVC in 2024, with Maddia Groff, Jackie Lis, and Elizabeth Warwick making the first team while Rylie Hamilton, Emma Austin, and Sidney Jones were named to the second team. Sewell, along with Mary Jo Firnbach and Katie Griffith, were named the MVC Staff of the Year. Lis was awarded the MVC Most Valuable Player crown while Groff won both Pitcher and Freshman of the Year.

Southern finished the 2023 season by sweeping four-straight games to claim the MVC Championship on its home field at Charlotte West Stadium. Entering the field as the No. 6 seed, SIU out-scored opponents, 21-6, during the tournament, including a 10-2 run-rule win over Indiana State in the championship game. Pitcher Madi Eberle was named tournament MVP, and Elizabeth Warwick, Jackie Lis and Rylie Hamilton all joined Eberle on the MVC All-Tournament team. At the NCAA Regional, the Salukis scored 18 runs and gave both Utah and Baylor all they could handle.

The 2021 season was as memorable a year as any in Saluki softball history. In a season that was made all the more challenging due to the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern set school records for both longest winning streak (25 games) and best start to a season (16-0), a run that saw the Salukis garner numerous votes in various Top-25 polls. The Salukis finished top-25 nationally in fielding percentage for the fourth time in the last six seasons and advanced to the MVC Tournament as the fourth seed. Once there, the Salukis outscored their opponents, 12-2 to bring home SIU’s third MVC Tournament title, and second in the last five seasons. In doing so, SIU advanced to its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and third NCAA Tournament appearance with Sewell on staff.

Sewell has transformed SIU into one of the best hitting teams in the MVC. In 2019, the Salukis tied the once school record for on-base percentage (.402) and posted both the second-best batting average (.303) and slugging percentage (.458) in program history. Southern led the MVC in batting average, which was its highest since 1994 while its slugging percentage was its best since 2005.

In 2018, the Salukis led the Missouri Valley Conference in runs, home runs and runs batted in and finished second in the league in walks and slugging percentage. It marked the first time since 2005 that Southern led the league in round-trippers while Southern’s second place finish in slugging percentage was it’s highest since 2011. Southern’s Maddy Vermejan led the league in on-base percentage while Katelyn Massa became the fourth Saluki under Sewell to win the league’s RBI crown, and the first to do so since Jayna Spivey in 2013.

During the 2018 offseason, Sewell was named the recipient of the NFCA’s Donna Newberry ‘Perseverance’ award, which recognizes an NFCA member coach who has demonstrated extraordinary strength of will and character in the fight to overcome a physical, mental, or social adversity that presented an additional challenge to the already demanding job of a coach. Sewell’s was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in 2011 and continues to overcome adversity and help SIU reach new heights. In 2020, Sewell was honored with the MVC's Most Courageous Award, presented to past or present student-athletes, coaches or university administrators who demonstrate unusual courage in the face of personal illness, adversity or tragedy and whose behavior reflects honor on the institution or the Conference.

Sewell’s hitters have earned 28 first-team All-MVC selections, 31 second-team All-MVC honors and 29 MVC All-Tournament Team selections. In 2010, Sewell helped the Salukis win the regular-season MVC championship and was a member of the conference’s Staff of the Year. In 2012, Sewell coached Mallory Duran-Sellers to MVC Most Valuable Player honors after the senior set an MVC record with 61 runs scored and posted a .363 batting average, .502 on-base percentage and .503 slugging percentage. In 2017, Sewell coached the Salukis to the MVC Tournament Championship and Southern advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 11^thtime in program history. Southern again advanced to the NCAA Tournament, this time as an at-large in 2019. After a shortened 2020 season, the Salukis returned to the diamond in 2021 and won the program's third MVC Tournament title to advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history.

The top five RBI producers in SIU history- Jenny Jansen, Shaye Harre, Jayna Spivey, Taylor Orsburn and Katelyn Massa - all thrived with Sewell’s guidance. Most recently Jenny Jansen broke the career RBI record at SIU with 171 total. In 2015, Kalyn Harker led the conference with a .466 batting average against league competition and was named first-team All-MVC, first-team Academic All-America, and the MVC’s Dr. Charlotte West Aware recipient, which goes to the female student-athlete in the MVC who best exemplifies excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Southern led the league in on-base percentage for a sixth-straight year in 2014 and scored the second-most runs in the league. The squad broke a program record with 78 doubles on the season, and Spivey earned her fourth-straight All-MVC honor. Shaye Harre earned second-team All-MVC honors after hitting .329 and recording 43 RBIs, second-most among freshmen in SIU history.

In 2013, SIU finished first in the MVC in runs scored with 274 and RBIs with 252. Under Sewell’s direction, Morgan Barchan was named first-team All-Conference after recording 62 hits to tie for first in the Valley, becoming the first-ever Saluki to lead the league in hits. Jayna Spivey was also named a first-team selection after a productive offensive season in which she tied the MVC lead with 44 RBI and ranked second in the league with 38 runs scored.

2012 was a terrific season for the Saluki offense as SIU led the league in on-base percentage, runs, hits and walks and ranked second in batting average and RBI. SIU’s 307 runs in 2012 broke a school record and ranks fourth in MVC history. The Salukis’ .290 batting average in 2012 was the program’s best since 1997.

SIU also had a solid year offensively in 2011 under Sewell, finishing second in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored and RBI. Duran-Sellers posted the third-most hits in SIU history (65), with the fifth-best batting average in school annals (.398) en route to being named an All-MVC First Team selection.

Sewell earned a championship ring in 2010 as the Salukis took the MVC regular season title and finished second at the conference tournament. The SIU coaching staff was recognized that season as the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. Sewell helped mentor the battery of MVC Pitcher of the Year Danielle Glosson and second-team All-MVC catcher Cristina Trapani. Sewell served as a volunteer assistant during the 2009 season before joining the staff full-time in 2010.

Prior to SIU, Sewell spent five seasons at Kansas (2004-2008), as a hitting and infield coach. During her time on staff, Sewell helped KU win its first-ever Big 12 postseason championship and made back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances. She also guided the Jayhawk defense to a program-best .973 fielding percentage, which ranked 14th in the nation in 2005. That same year, Sewell coached the team to a single-season home run record and single-season fielding percentage record of .973 which ranked No. 14 in the nation. Sewell coached Big 12 Player of the Year and Second Team All-American Serena Settlemier to single-season marks for home runs and slugging percentage while becoming KU’s fastest assistant coach to reach 100 wins.

Sewell got her start as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Princeton for four seasons. During her four seasons at Princeton, Sewell coached seven All-Ivy League selections, an Ivy League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, as well as a two-time Ivy Pitcher of the Year. During the 2002 season, the Tigers set a program record for single season wins earning Speedline/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Coaching Staff of the Year (Northeast Region). Under Sewell’s direction, Princeton won back-to-back Ivy League championships and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003.

Sewell earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Ohio University in 2000. Sewell was a four-year letterwinner for the Bobcats from 1996-2000. Sewell served as co-captain and was an All-Mid American Conference Second-Team selection at catcher. She was a member of the OU Dean’s List from 1997-2000, Team MVP in 1998, and recipient of the 2000 OU Alumni Scholar Athlete Award.

In addition to her softball background, Sewell was also the co-founder of the Women’s Intersport Network (WIN) of Southern Illinois.

Name	Title	Email Address
Jen Sewell	Head Coach	siusoftball@siu.edu
Dr. Megan Brown	Associate Head Coach	megan.m.brown@siu.edu
Mia Trejo	Assistant Coach

Scoreboard

Southern Illinoise University Athletics

2026-27 Softball Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff