2014-15 Photo Gallery

Q&A with Claire Sua-Amundson

Claire Sua-Amundson joins the Fullerton softball staff after completing her third season with the Stanford softball program, and her second as the associate head coach.

"I am very excited about this opportunity to join the softball staff and I look forward to assisting coach Ford in developing the student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom," said Sua-Amundson. "Cal State Fullerton has such a rich softball history and I am eager to help contribute to our program's success. Athletic Director Jim Donovan, coach Ford and the entire Titan family have been so welcoming throughout this process and I am thrilled to be a piece of the future success for Titans softball."

Last season, Sua-Amundson helped lead Stanford to a 39-21 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the Pac-12 Conference (13-11). The Cardinal finished the season with a No. 21/22 final national ranking. Under her guidance, the Cardinal made their 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and had eight players named to the All-Pac-12 teams, including first team selections Jenna Rich and Kayla Bonstrom.

"Coach Sua-Amundson is truly a game changer for our program as we've now taken a giant step forward," said Ford. "Her championship experience will be an amazing asset for our student-athletes. Claire has an elite perspective on offense while her technical training and hitting instruction is invaluable. Her personality fits with our coaching staff and I am happy the transition worked for her and her family."

In 2012, Sua-Amundson helped coach the Cardinal to a 40-19 overall record and a No. 20/21 final ranking. Stanford advanced to the NCAA postseason and finished sixth in the Pac-12 with an 11-13 record. Sua-Amundson oversaw the 16th All-American in program history in Jenna Rich, who was joined on the NFCA All-West Region teams by a trio of Cardinals.

In her first season with the Cardinal in 2011, Stanford posted a 42-17 overall record and a No. 10 final ranking. The Cardinal made a trip to the NCAA Tournament while advancing to the Alabama Super Regional. The Cardinal also finished fifth (10-11 Pac-10) in the conference. Under Sua-Amundson's guidance, Ashley Hansen was tabbed the USA Softball National Player of the Year and earned NFCA First Team All-America honors.

Sua-Amundson also spent five seasons as an assistant coach with Cal Poly. During her time as a Mustang, the program registered a 154-98 (.611) record and twice captured the Big West Conference title (2007 and 2009) to earn the automatic berth to the postseason in those years. Over her tenure at Cal Poly, Sua-Amundson coached 35 All-Big West award winners, three NCAA All-Region selections, one Big West Player of the Year and a first team NFCA All-American.

One of the top hitters in UCLA and Pac-10 Conference history, Sua-Amundson's name dots the Bruin record book as a student-athlete. Logging a career .325 batting average while starting all 240 games she appeared in at first base, Sua-Amundson enjoyed her top season as a Bruin in 2003, belting 17 homers and collecting 51 RBIs in earning NFCA All-America, NFCA All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-10 First Teams honors. The following season, she was selected to the all-region and All-Pac-10 Second Teams after batting .297 with 10 round-trippers.

In her freshman season as a Bruin, Sua-Amundson recorded 56 RBIs en route to being recognized on the 2001 All-Pac-10 Second Team. In her sophomore campaign in 2002, she tallied another 58 RBIs, notching another spot on the all-conference team and coveting both third team All-America and all-region honors to her resume.

As a Bruin, Sua-Amundson led UCLA to a pair of Women's College World Series (WCWS) titles in 2003 and 2004. Her fifth-inning solo home run against California in the 2004 championship game broke up a no-hitter and helped propel UCLA to a 3-1 victory. Sua-Amundson was named to the 2001 WCWS All-Tournament Team after posting a .333 batting average with six RBIs during competition.

UCLA made an appearance in the WCWS during each of Sua-Amundson's four seasons while completing her tenure ranked in the top-10 in Bruin history in homeruns (50), walks (96), RBIs (196), games played (240) and total bases (410). Sua-Amundson graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and served as an assistant coach during the same season.

She and her husband, Matt, reside in Tustin, Calif. The couple has a son, Mikey, born in July 2012.