Coaches

Sara Allen

Sara Allen joined CIU in the fall of 2017 and heads into her sixth season as the Rams' first-ever head softball coach. Upon arriving at CIU, Allen was tasked with building the softball program from the ground up. After overseeing the construction of the softball field in 2017 and 2018, Allen led the Rams into their inaugural season in the spring of 2019.


Since Allen's arrival at CIU, her teams have seen several significant achievements. Her 2020 squad was named an NCCAA Scholar-Team, while they were also honored by the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) as the AAC Women's Champions of Character team.


During the 2021 season, Allen's team made great strides on the field of competition as the Rams received their first national ranking in school history as they were tabbed as the No. 9 team in the NCCAA on March 2, 2021 edition of the NCCAA Top 10 rankings. The Rams continued a solid third season of competition as they reached their first-ever postseason as they competed in the first round of the AAC Tournament.


The 2021 season was highlighted by strong individual play as the Rams added their first NCCAA All-Americans in program history in the form of Tanaya Ellis and Shannon Patton. Patton was also named First Team All-AAC, while the Rams' Robyn Andrews was recognized by the NFCA as she was added to the NAIA Region I First Team.


The 2022 season saw the Rams take another step forward with their best season to date, posting a program-best 27 wins, winning their first NCCAA South Region title, and ending the season No. 7 in the NCCAA postseason rankings. The Rams also clinched a spot in the NCCAA Softball World Series as the No. 3 seed, where they had a magical run, finishing runner-up in their first appearance in program history.


Under Allen's leadership, three players were named to the NCCAA All-South Region team, while Allen was deemed NCCAA South Region Coach of the Year. Creel was also recognized by the NAIA as she was tabbed NFCA NAIA All-Region at third base. In addition, Haylee Wilkerson and Lauren Baker were also named to the NCCAA Softball World Series All-Tournament Team during their historic World Series run.


While 2023 saw less team success than the previous season, the Rams still went 18-24 overall and had several individual accolades. Most notably, senior Lauren Baker won the NCCAA's Deb Thompson Award, the highest honor given to an NCCAA Softball Player.


A native of California, Allen was recruited to play for the NCAA Division I University of San Diego (Calif.) softball program. A catcher for the Toreros, Allen was a 3-time All-PCSC honoree and a 3-time USD offensive player of the year. Allen finished her career at USD making 182 starts for the Toreros. She hit 159-503 (.302), with 33 doubles, 12 triples, 12 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 79 runs scored. During her senior season, Allen was named the 2006 PCSC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a 2006 ESPN Co-SIDA Academic All-American.


After her time in San Diego, Allen was a graduate assistant for the softball program at Georgia Southern University from 2006-08. After earning her master's degree from GSU, Allen accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she worked with the Braves before being drawn back west to help build a new NCAA Division I softball program.


In 2009, Allen joined the Weber State University (Utah.) softball program as the lead assistant. The Wildcats were adding softball as an NCAA program, and Allen was involved from the ground up. She was part of a process that recruited a completely new team for the program's inaugural year and was instrumental in the first two foundational seasons at WSU.

In 2016, Allen joined the Montana State University Billings softball program as an assistant coach, with her main responsibilities being the Yellowjacket's primary hitting coach.


During her time, the team ranked sixth in home runs per game in NCAA Division II; her offense was also ranked in the top 50 for total home runs, scoring, and slugging percentage. In that one season, she coached two all-region players.


During her time in Billings, Allen ran the softball program for Triple Play Academy in Billings, Mont., where she provided individual lessons and served as a youth team coach.


Allen holds a 82-138-1 record at the helm for the Rams.


Allen earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of San Diego (Calif.) in 2006 and a master's degree in social and political science from Georgia Southern University in 2008. Allen lives in Columbia with her husband Seth and their two dogs, Louie and Hank.