The Fort Lewis College Department of Athletics has promoted Paige Adair to be the softball program’s new head coach, the school announced June 14, after a successful season on staff with the Skyhawks.
“I’m so thankful and excited for the opportunity given to me to be able to lead Fort Lewis College softball,” Adair said. “I’m thankful for the trust that Director of Athletics Travis Whipple has in me and the vision we both share of turning the softball program into a championship-caliber team year in and year out.”
Earlier in the week, on July 10, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs announced that FLC’s head coach for the past two seasons, Dwight Sanders, had been hired to lead the Mountain Lions. Sanders is a native of Fountain. Ricki Rohbauer Stubbs resigned as UCCS’ head coach after eight seasons on June 5.
During his two-year stint at FLC, Sanders steered the Skyhawks to a 43-57 overall record and a 41-41 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, leading the program to the 2022 RMAC Tournament. UCCS went 14-37 overall and 11-31 in the RMAC in 2023.
Adair spent the 2023 season on FLC’s staff as an assistant coach, primarily working with the pitching staff in addition to her day-to-day duties. Under her guidance, the staff improved its earned run average to 4.34 – a three-run improvement from the previous season. Sophomore Amiee Shanks nearly sliced her ERA in half from her freshman campaign, going 16-8 in the circle with 17 complete games en route to all-conference honors. Freshmen Caydee Farnworth and Labraida Tenorio rounded out the staff and combined for seven wins. Tenorio also threw the program’s first no-hitter since 2019.
Adair had an illustrious playing career at Colorado Mesa University from 2019-22. She was named RMAC Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and 2022 to go along with a pair of First Team All-Conference honors. Adair was also a two-time member of the All-South Central Region team and was the region’s pitcher of the year in her final season. In her final season as a Maverick, Adair boasted a 1.30 ERA with 17 wins and 130 strikeouts while allowing just 53 hits in 108 innings of work.
Adair also led nearby Aztec High School to back-to-back district titles and was an all-state selection in New Mexico as a senior after posing a 0.66 ERA with 224 strikeouts.
“This opportunity is even more special to me because of how close I am to my hometown,” she said. “Being able to lead a program with my family so close means the world to me. My first year at Fort Lewis was great and we had a lot of success, but I am extremely ready to grow from what we did last year and compete with this great group of girls we have.”
“We are thrilled to have coach Adair leading our program moving forward,” Whipple said. “From Day One, she has made a major impact on Skyhawks softball and is committed to enhancing the student-athlete experience. She is well respected, competed at a high level as a student-athlete, has a lot of passion for our community, and is extremely knowledgeable about the game. It’s a great day to be a Skyhawk, and we look forward to supporting coach Adair as she continues graduating champions.”
