Softball Coaching Staff
Tim Hill
Head
Softball Coach
hill3383@pacificu.edu
Tim Hill enters his eighth year as Pacific head coach having re-built the Boxers’ softball program into a formidable competitor at the conference, regional and national levels.
Hill enters the season having led the Boxers to three consecutive seasons with 25 or more wins. The 2009 edition of the Boxers finished with a 28-12 record. He coached nine players to All-Northwest Conference selections while two players, Kristen Croxford and Chelsey Chamberlain, were named to the NFCA All-West Region Team.
In 2008, Hill led a talented blend of veterans and newcomers into one of the most successful teams in the history of the program. The Boxers finished with a 31-9, coming one short of the school record for victories. Pacific finished second in the conference to then-defending national champion Linfield with a 20-8 mark, the best finish for a Boxers’ softball squad since 1998, and remained in contention for a NCAA Division III playoff berth until the season’s final weekend. Hill saw 10 of his players named to the All-Northwest Conference Team, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the entire roster.
A year earlier, Hill led the 2007 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.
During his seven-year tenure with Pacific, Hill has had over 40 players named to All-Northwest Conference teams, including 10 first team picks. Since arriving at Pacific, Hill has seen the Boxers improve by 21 wins over 2002. His teams have won 20 more games five of his seven seasons and finished with 15 or more conference victories four times. He is expected to earn his 200th collegiate victory this season.
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 nine years of college coaching experience, he has over 25 years of success as a coach at the club level. Hill 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. He is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association and the Oregon State Softball Association.
Hill is a 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 37 years, Elaine, and has two grown children and two grandchildren.
Dennis Keller
Assistant
Softball Coach
Assistant coach Dennis Keller is in his eighth season at Pacific and his 10th season as a collegiate coach, all of them with Head Coach Tim Hill. During the season, Keller's offensive focus is with the Boxer hitters and he handles the outfielders on defense.
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, 27, Traci, 26, and David, 23.
Paul Sabah
Assistant
Softball Coach
Paul Sabah is in his eighth season as an assistant coach at Pacific, and his 10th 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.
Emily Nichols
Assistant
Softball Coach
Emily Nichols brings a wealth of experience from both the NCAA Division I and professional ranks to Pacific for her first year as an assistant coach for the Boxer softball program.
A four-year letterwinner at Iowa, Nichols spent her last two seasons as the Hawkeyes’ regular stating catcher. She earned All-Big-10 Conference honors in both 2006 and 2007 and was recognized with selection to the NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team in 2007.Nichols was selected as Iowa’s Most Valuable Player in 2007 and received the Peg Augspurger Hawkeye Heart Award in 2006. During her junior season, Nichols put together a 28-game hitting streak, which ranks as the 10th longest in NCAA Division I history.
Nichols owns the Iowa season record for home runs with 16 and set the career mark with 33 in three seasons. She also ranks second on the Hawkeyes’ career RBI list, tied for sixth on the career hits list, seventh on the runs list and ninth on the career batting average list.
Following graduation, Nichols was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch league. She played one season for the Bandits, hitting .241 in 29 at bats.
A native of Beaverton, Nichols played per prep softball for the powerhouse Westview High School program. She earned First Team All-State honors as a senior. Prior to coming to Pacific, Nichols spent one season as an assistant coach at Portland State.
Nichols graduated from Iowa in 2008 with degree in history. When not coaching, Nichols enjoys reading, movies and spending time with friends.