Jordan Stevens completed his ninth year as the head coach of the University of North Dakota softball program in 2023. Former UND Athletics Director Brian Faison announced that the former Valparaiso head coach was named head coach at UND on July 7, 2014.
UND’s success on the diamond has continued to grow under Stevens’ tutelage, as his teams have tallied three 20-win seasons.
2020 looked to potentially be a special year for the Fighting Hawks, but saw their year come to an abrupt end at just 24 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team was looking to become the first in program history to rattle off four consecutive 20-win seasons. During the shortened season, UND picked up the first win over a Mountain West Conference school in program history with a wild, 8-5 win over Boise State. The Hawks also battled a pair of ranked opponents on the same weekend for only the second time in school history down in Louisiana. Finally, senior pitcher Nikki Pica became the first player in UND's Division I history to have both a complete-game shutout and a multi-home run game in the same season.
Off the field, the Fighting Hawks ranked fifth in all of Division I for community service hours by a softball program while also reaching the 3.0 GPA plateau once again as a team during the previous two semesters.
In 2019, UND entered The Summit League for the first time in program history, and left its mark on the league in a big way. The Fighting Hawks rattled off 22 victories, to become only the second team in program history to enjoy three consecutive 20-win seasons (2000-2002) and advanced to the Summit League Tournament with seven league victories despite being selected to finish sixth in the preseason poll. The Hawks saw two players named to the All-Summit League Second Team in Jailene Carpio and Kalyeen Schneider.
Taking on a ranked opponent for the third straight season, UND's victory over then-No. 25 Long Beach State (Feb. 8) was the first over a ranked foe in the Division I era of Fighting Hawk softball (2008-present). The Hawks then went on to nip Michigan State twice at the GCU Purple Classic in Phoenix to mark the first back-to-back victories over a major program in school history.
In 2018, the Fighting Hawks set a program record for wins for the second straight year (26) and conference victories (9) as UND advanced to the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season.
The squad was once again led by Kaylin VanDomelen, who was named to the conference's first team for the third straight year. Joining the ace with postseason accolades were Angel Love, Marina Marzolino, and Taylor Nadler as the trio were named honorable mentions by the Big Sky.
In 2017, UND ripped off a program record for wins (23) on the way to the school's first-ever Big Sky Conference Tournament berth.
The team was led by Big Sky Pitcher of the Year Kaylin VanDomelen, who became a two-time member of the all-league first team. UND charted a new program mark for Big Sky wins as well.
The 2016 season also marked a milestone for UND softball, as the team picked up its first-ever All-Big Sky First Team honoree, in pitcher Kaylin VanDomelen. Additionally, in 2016 UND earned its first ever wins against opponents from the Big 12 (Iowa State, Feb. 14) and the ACC (Virginia, Feb. 20).
In his first season, North Dakota recorded twice as many wins from the previous season. The 2015 squad also set a program record, hitting 73 doubles on the year. The team also hit 47 home runs, which ranked second all-time in program history.
Stevens spent the previous four seasons as head coach at Valparaiso, where he guided the Crusaders to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013. In his four years at the helm, Stevens posted a 131-96-1 record, as his teams never finished lower than third in either the regular season or conference tournament.
During his tenure at Valparaiso, Stevens coached 25 student-athletes to all-league honors, including eight first-team accolades and four all-region honors. Additionally, he recruited the 2012 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, the 2013 Championship Batter and Pitcher of the Horizon League Tournament, and the 2014 Horizon League Co-Player of the Year.
In his first season with Valpo, Stevens guided the Crusaders to 34 victories, including a 13-game winning streak. In Horizon League play his team went 15-7, finishing just one-half game shy of the regular-season championship. The Crusaders' 2011 success was in large part due to their record-setting offensive output. Valpo paced the league in nine separate offensive categories, setting team single-season records for runs batted in (245) and home runs (49). Individually, Stevens coached seven league leaders, while two Crusaders broke Valpo's single-season RBIs record and three topped the previous single-season home runs mark. Seven players in all earned all-league recognition, as well as one all-region honoree.
The 2012 Crusaders re-wrote the program's record books, setting 14 new team single-season records and 14 new individual records. Stevens led Valpo to 42 victories that season, setting a program single-season record, and claimed the school's first women's Horizon League championship after going 19-5 in league play. The squad had five players earn postseason honors from the Horizon League, including the league's Newcomer of the Year and four first team all-league honorees. Three players also earned NFCA all-region honors as well.
Stevens then led the Crusaders on a dramatic run to the 2012 Horizon League Tournament Championship. After falling in the first game of the tournament, Valpo won five consecutive knockout games, the last three of which came in walk-off fashion, to claim the Horizon League Championship and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, Stevens led Valpo to within one out of a massive upset at No. 9/7 Louisville in the tournament opener before a walk-off homer, while the Crusaders also had the tying run on base in the seventh inning of their elimination game against Kentucky.
For the second consecutive year, the Crusaders went on a run to the Horizon League Championship, winning five-straight elimination games after losing their opener to claim the tournament crown. Having earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for a second-straight season, Stevens led the Crusaders one step farther in 2013, as Valpo downed Central Michigan for its first NCAA tournament win in program history. Valpo won 29 games in the regular season, including a third-place finish within Horizon League play.
Prior to his time at Valparaiso, Stevens was the head coach at Union College, leading the Dutchwomen to their most successful season in program history. He led Union to a school-record-tying 32 victories en route to the team's first Liberty League regular-season title in five years and the program's first-ever league tournament championship.
Before becoming a head coach, Stevens spent a season as assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island in 2009, where he was directly responsible for the development and coaching of the pitching staff. He also served two seasons as an assistant coach at Niagara University, where he was responsible for the development and individual instruction in hitting. From 2004 to 2006, Stevens was the head varsity softball coach at Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, Ohio.
Stevens graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2004 with his bachelor's degree in sport management.
