The Paula U'Ren Story

Paula U'Ren completed her 14th season as head coach of the St. Cloud State University softball team in 2011 and has an impressive 493-288 overall career mark after 14 seasons. In U'Ren's tenure the Huskies have qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament six times and have won the North Central Conference playoff championship three times (including the 2003 and 2004 NCC titles).

U'Ren continues to have the best winning percentage in SCSU softball history at .631 in 14 years.

St. Cloud State completed the 2011 stint 25-26 overall and ninth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 10-16 tally. The highlight this season for U'Ren was coaching junior transfer Chris Saiz to 2011 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II All-Central Region Second Team recognition.

In 2010 the Huskies tabbed a 21-27 overall record with an 8-18 mark in the NSIC, good for 10th place. Heading into the 2010 season, U'Ren's 447-235 career record at SCSU ranked 34th all-time among NCAA DII coaches for best winning percentage at .655. Her 447 career victories also ranked 35th among active DII coaches.

A National Fastpitch Coaching Association member since 1995, U'Ren has served on several committees with the NFCA: the All-American Committee in (1998-present), the Top-25 Committee Poll (2010-Present) and the Education Committee (2010-present).  She has been a guest speaker at various clinics throughout the Midwest and served as the featured speaker at the Minnesota High School Clinics. In 2009, she was inducted into the Minnesota High School Hall of Fame. That same year she garnered the Legacy Award from the North Central Conference.

In the past 13 years, U'Ren has coached five All-Americans, two players (Brooke Gentzler & Jenny Gensch) who took part in the National Pro League tryouts and 33 NFCA All-Academic winners. Even more importantly, U'Ren's teams have averaged a 3.0 grade point average in each of the past 13 seasons, as well as a remarkable 100% graduate rate of any player who has been on the roster for two or more years.

The Huskies completed the 2009 season 21-38 overall and finished 10th in their first year of competition in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with an 8-18 mark.

On Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, Coach U'Ren reached a milestone, garnering her 400th career coaching win against the University of Minnesota, Crookston, by a score of 9-1.

In her first year with the program in 1998, U'Ren and the Huskies brought home SCSU's first North Central Conference championship. The Huskies also advanced to the championship round of the NCAA Division II North Central Regional Tournament before ending their season with a then-record 42 wins (42-14 overall).

In 1999, SCSU posted a 44-14 overall record and also advanced to the championship round of the NCAA regionals. In 2000, the Huskies chalked up their third consecutive 40-win season with a 41-10 record that included another trip to the NCAA regional tournament. The following year in 2001, the Huskies did not receive an NCAA bid but they did post a solid 37-15 overall record and placed second in the always rugged NCC.

The Huskies returned to the dance in 2002, with their fourth NCAA bid under the leadership of U'Ren. SCSU placed second in the league once more and charted a 44-13 overall record. In 2003, SCSU claimed its second NCC title and went on to gain a runner-up spot at the 2003 NCAA Division II North Central Regional. U'Ren also gained personal recognition in 2003 after being awarded the 2003 Ole Odney Award, which is presented each year by Augustana College (S.D.) for outstanding achievement in coaching by an Augustana graduate.

History was made during the 2004 season, as U'Ren led SCSU to a first place finish at the NCAA Division II North Central Regional tournament. At the 2004 NCAA Division II National Championships in Altamonte Springs, Fla., U'Ren's troops marched to a third place finish - thus marking the highest finish at the national level in team history.

From 1998-2004, U'Ren ranked 41st among active NCAA DII coaches for career wins.  In fact, no other NCAA DII coach with eight or less years of coaching experience has had more wins than U'Ren.

In 2007, the Huskies went 28-30 overall record and 5-7 in the NCC. This past year, the 2008 Husky squad produced the best record since the 2004 season finishing 35-21 overall. In the final NCC Tournament, SCSU went 1-2 to finish in fifth place in the league. Some marquee wins from the 2008 season included an 8-5 victory on March 29th over 24th-ranked Lewis University, and a 4-3 win on April 9th against 7th-ranked Southwest Minnesota State University.

In her career, U'Ren owns an impressive 493-288 (.631) record as a collegiate coach. She is a 1995 graduate of Augustana College (S.D.), where she majored in Fitness/Exercise Physiology. U'Ren received her M.S. in exercise sports science from St. Cloud State University. As a graduate student at SCSU, U'Ren served as a graduate assistant coach under Dr. Sue Becker. As a collegiate player at Augustana, U'Ren was named a three-time All-Region, All-NCC and NCAA Division II All-American selection in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and finished among the top 10 players in NCAA Division II softball in batting average, home runs and RBIs. In her tenure at Augie, the Vikings posted a 207-45 record - including a 57-7 record her junior season. In the all-time NCAA Division II records, U'Ren ranks fourth for career RBIs with 192, sixth with 32 career homers and 15th with 41 career doubles.

She is a native of Mapleton, Minnesota.

Year	Overall	NCC	NSIC
2011	25-26	X	9th (10-16)
2010	21-27	X	10th (8-18)
2009	21-38	X	10th (8-18)
2008	35-21	5th
2007	28-30	4th
2006	33-24	3rd
2005	34-25	2nd
2004	42-15	1st*/3rd in the nation
2003	46-16	1st*
2002	44-13	2nd*
2001	37-15	2nd
2000	41-10	3rd*
1999	44-14	2nd*
1998	42-14	1st*
Totals	468-262	(.641)
*-NCAA tournament participant

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