Softball Coaching Staff
Tim Hill
Head
Softball Coach
hill3383@pacificu.edu
In his sixth season as head coach of the Pacific softball program, Tim Hill has succeeded in rebuilding the Boxers into a title contender within the Northwest Conference.
Hill led the 2007 edition of the Boxers through a season of adversity to their best campaign in a decade. Despite not playing a home game due to construction of their new facility at Lincoln Park, Pacific posted a 25-13 record, which included a 14-game win streak and a run of 24 wins in 26 games. The Boxers’ 25 wins and their third place Northwest Conference finish were the best for the team since joining NCAA Division III in the 1999 season.
The campaign also yielded seven All-NWC selections, including first team pitcher Miranda McNealy and all but one member of the Boxers’ infield. During his five-year tenure with Pacific, Hill has had over 20 players named to All-Northwest Conference teams, which has included seven first team picks.
Since arriving at Pacific, Hill has seen the Boxers improve by 16 wins over 2002. His teams have won 20 more games three of his five seasons and finished with 15 or more conference victories twice.
The 2001 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year and national champion club coach is excited to be a part of Pacific's strong softball tradition. "While we’ve been successful in re-establishing a winning program at Pacific, our goal is to elevate the program to where we will compete conference championships, as was Pacific’s tradition in the past," Hill said.
Hill came to Pacific in the summer of 2002 after two seasons at rival George Fox University. He is credited with turning around the Bruin softball program despite a limited number of players. Hill amassed a 25-31-2 record in his two seasons, including a 16-14-2 record and a fourth place NWC finish in 2001. The improvement netted Hill the conference's Coach of the Year honor.
In addition to Hill’s seven years of college coaching experience, he also has over 25 years of success as a coach at the high school and club levels. Hill has coached seven of his Amateur Softball Association (ASA) teams to Oregon state championships and guided 14 teams to the ASA National Tournament.
Hill retired in 2004 as the head coach of the highly successful Oregon Sun Supply ASA team. In his 25 years with the program, Hill led Sun Supply to a 1029-326 record. In 2002, Sun Supply captured the U-16 national championship with an 8-0 record at the ASA National Tournament. Sun Supply also garnered a fifth place national finish in 1995 and third place finishes in 1997 and 2001.
In 2005, Hill and Pacific softball assistant coach Paul Sabah were inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the American Softball Association Hall of Fame in recognition of their work with the Sun Supply program.
Prior to his stint at George Fox, Hill served one season as an assistant softball coach at Beaverton High School. He is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association and the Oregon State Softball Association.
Hill is a 1968 graduate of Portland State with a degree in Business Administration and Accounting. He retired in 2000 after a 30-year career with Willamette Industries. He lives in Beaverton with his wife of 35 years, Elaine, and has two grown children.
Dennis Keller
Assistant
Softball Coach
Assistant coach Dennis Keller is in his sixth season at Pacific and his seventh season as a collegiate coach, all of them with his friend Tim Hill.
During the season, Keller's offensive focus is with the Boxer hitters and he handles the outfielders on defense. During the off-season, Keller spearheads improvements to the Lincoln Park diamond.
Keller is an accomplished softball coach in his own right. He joined Hill in the college ranks after a successful six year run as the head softball coach at Beaverton High School. Keller compiled a 116-56 record, winning two Metro League championships and the Oregon 4A state championship in 1997.
Keller was honored during the Beavers' championship season as the Metro League Coach of the Year and the Oregon High School Coaches Association's Coach of the Year.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Keller earned six letters as a member of his high school's basketball and baseball teams. He earned his associate's degree from Portland Community College. Keller is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Oregon High School Coaches Association.
Keller lives in Beaverton with his wife, Nancy. They are the parents of three children, Kelsey, 25, Traci, 24, and David, 21.
Paul Sabah
Assistant
Softball Coach
Paul Sabah is in his fifth season as an assistant coach at Pacific, and his sixth as an assistant coach in a Tim Hill coached college program. In addition, Sabah assisted for 25 years with Oregon Sun Supply ASA program before retiring in 2004.
In 2005, Sabah and fellow Pacific Head Softball Coach Tim Hill were inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the American Softball Association Hall of Fame in recognition of their work with the Sun Supply program.
Sabah, who lettered in baseball during his high school athletic career, followed Hill to Forest Grove following two seasons as an assistant coach at George Fox University in Newberg. He also has 15 years of experience as a fastpitch softball player himself, participating with various club teams.
Sabah is married and lives in Milwaukie. He is the father of two children,
and enjoys spending time with his two grandchildren.
Katie Finn
Assistant
Softball Coach
After four seasons as a Division I pitching standout, Katie Finn has returned to her native Oregon and is in her third season with the Pacific softball program as an assistant coach.
Finn, a native of Philomath, spent four years as the No. 1 pitcher for Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. A four-year starter, Finn posted the best numbers of her career in 2005. She earned First Team All-Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) honors, compiling a 19-5 record and a 1.59 earned run average as the Wildcats won the MEAC Southern Division, finished with 49 wins and advance to the NCAA super regionals.
In 158.0 innings her senior season, Finn struck out 123 batters and allowed only 36 earned runs. She also threw a pair of no hitters against Stetson and Savannah State.
The team's second leading hurler in her first three seasons, Finn finished with 17 or more wins in three of her four seasons. She was named Second Team All-MEAC in 2002, her freshman season, after amassing a career-low 1.32 ERA and being named Bethune-Cookman's most valuable player.
A four-year softball standout at Philomath, Finn was named Second Team All-State and the most valuable player for the Val-Co League in 2001. She also participated in soccer, basketball and swimming. Academically, Finn earned all-America academic honors and was named valedictorian of her class with a 4.0 grade point average.
Finn has played softball internationally, taking part in games in Austria, Germany, Spain and Italy. She is currently training for this October's Portland Marathon.
Finn graduated from Bethune-Cookman in 2005 with a degree in biology and a minor of chemistry. She is currently a second year student in Pacific's School of Physical Therapy.