Softball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- taylor@latech.edu
Josh Taylor has established Louisiana Tech as one of the region’s most consistent softball programs, earning Conference USA Coach of the Year honors twice, leading the Bulldogs to the 2022 CUSA regular-season championship and producing five consecutive 30-win seasons.
Taylor, who completed his fifth season at Louisiana Tech in 2026, was named CUSA Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2024, becoming the first head coach in program history to earn a conference Coach of the Year award multiple times.
His impact was immediate. In his first season in Ruston, Taylor inherited a team that finished 22-30 the previous year and guided the Bulldogs to a 39-20 record and the 2022 CUSA regular-season championship. Tech went 18-6 in league play and won its final 11 conference games to capture just the second regular-season conference title in program history despite being picked seventh in the preseason coaches poll.
Taylor was named the 2022 CUSA Coach of the Year for his efforts.
The Bulldogs followed with a 32-24 record in 2023. Tech’s pitching staff posted a 2.38 ERA, the program’s lowest since 1999, while Allie Floyd was named CUSA Freshman of the Year. Sierra Sacco, Kylie Neel and Mary Martinez also earned all-conference honors.
Taylor earned his second CUSA Coach of the Year honor in 2024 after guiding the Bulldogs to a 32-22 record and a third-place conference finish. Tech recorded victories over eventual conference champions Louisiana-Lafayette, San Diego State, McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana, along with Power Five opponents Georgia Tech and Illinois.
Taylor earned his 100th victory at Louisiana Tech on April 27, 2024, with a 7-5 win at New Mexico State, becoming the second-fastest head coach in program history to reach the milestone.
The Bulldogs continued their success in 2025, finishing 32-25 overall and 15-12 in CUSA play. Tech recorded a pair of marquee nonconference victories, defeating No. 4 Oklahoma State 6-1 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and No. 17 Auburn 5-1 at the Rocket City Showcase. The victory over Oklahoma State was the Bulldogs’ first against a top-10 opponent since 2008.
Six Bulldogs earned All-CUSA honors for the second consecutive season. Reagan Marchant set the LA Tech single-season record with 18 home runs, while Elena Heng became the first Bulldog to earn a Rawlings/NFCA Gold Glove Award when she was recognized as the nation’s top defensive left fielder.
Taylor extended his streak of 30-win seasons to five in 2026 as the Bulldogs finished 31-25 overall and 15-12 in their final season as a member of Conference USA.
LA Tech closed the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, highlighted by consecutive conference sweeps of Liberty and UTEP. The Bulldogs swept Liberty on the road, handing the Flames their first conference series sweep in 11 years, before returning home to sweep UTEP.
Tech won twice at the CUSA Tournament, defeating FIU and New Mexico State before ending the season against Western Kentucky. Heng earned her second consecutive Rawlings/NFCA Gold Glove Award, further establishing herself as one of the nation’s elite defensive outfielders.
Player development has been a hallmark of Taylor’s tenure. In his first season, Sacco was named the CUSA and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Freshman of the Year and was one of 10 finalists for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year Award. She broke LA Tech’s single-season hits record while ranking among the national leaders in several offensive categories.
Taylor has also continued to build the program through recruiting. Louisiana Tech’s 2026 transfer class was ranked among the nation’s top 20 by Softball America as the Bulldogs prepared for their move to the Sun Belt Conference.
Before arriving at Louisiana Tech, Taylor spent eight seasons at Nevada, including five as the Wolf Pack’s head coach.
Taylor led Nevada to a 27-16 record in 2021, including a program-record 16 Mountain West victories. He led the Wolf Pack to three consecutive National Invitational Softball Championship appearances from 2017-19 and developed 19 All-Mountain West selections during his five seasons as head coach.
Before Nevada, Taylor served as head coach at Feather River College in Quincy, California, where he compiled a 113-59 record in four seasons. He led the Golden Eagles to three consecutive Super Regional appearances from 2010-12 and three straight 30-win seasons.
Taylor earned Gatorade Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and was named Golden Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading Feather River to its first conference championship since 2006.
Taylor previously served as associate head coach for the Marysville Gold Sox, a collegiate summer league team, from 2008-11, where he coached multiple players who went on to earn Division I scholarships, including future major leaguers Cody Anderson and Max Stassi. He also spent the 2007-08 season as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at San Joaquin College.
A former Nevada baseball player, Taylor was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of the Wolf Pack’s 1994 team. That squad won 41 games, climbed as high as No. 6 in the national rankings and earned the program’s first NCAA regional appearance.
Taylor and his wife, Michelle, have one daughter, Madyson, a Nevada graduate.
