Melissa Paul came to UWF as an assistant coach in the fall of 2013 after spending seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri and five seasons as the head coach at Marist College in New York. She was named head coach at UWF in the summer of 2014.
In her first season as head coach of the softball program, Paul led the Argos to a 19-30 record and eighth place finish (11-21) in the Gulf South Conference.Â
The 2016 campaign marked a major turnaround for UWF softball under Paul. The Argonauts went 42-17 overall and 23-10 in conference play to record the 13th-best single-season wins improvement in DII history. West Florida marked its first 40-win season and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2010, led by All-South Region selections Kalyn Chapman and Meghan Toney, and NFCA First Team All-American Rhiannon Sassman. Sassman was the program's first All-American since 2010.
Paul's 2017 club improved even more, taking a trip to the NCAA Championship for the third time in program history and riding a 23-game winning streak to a 46-15 record. Those 46 wins were the team's most since 2005, and the Argonauts were led by six All-South Region selections, including D2CCA All-American Jacey Castro. West Florida went a perfect 5-0 in Regional and Super Regional postseason play, hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the UWF Softball Complex before heading to Salem, Virginia, for the NCAA Championship, where the Argonauts went 1-2.
She led the team to another 30-win season in 2018, with the Argonauts going 31-21 with a win over Embry-Riddle in the NCAA Tournament. Seniors Sarah Maloney and Meghan Toney each earned All-Gulf South Conference honors and junior designated player Kathleen Smiley was named an All-South Region team performer by both the NFCA and the D2CCA.Â
During her seven years at Missouri, Paul helped lead the team to a record of 288-89 (.764) and three straight appearances in the Women’s College World Series. She primarily worked with the team’s outfielders, and she mentored three All-America selections. The Tigers reached the WCWS for the first time in 15 years in 2009. In 2011 the team won a school record 53 games and advanced to the WCWS second round before falling to Baylor, 1-0 in 13 innings.
Before her career at Missouri, Paul led the Marist College Red Foxes from 2002 to 2006 where she was in charge of all phases in the college’s NCAA Division I program. During her time at Marist, Paul turned a Red Fox team that went 11-43 in 2004 to conference champions in 2006. The team also earned its first NCAA tournament appearance. For her efforts in the 2006 season, she was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. In her five seasons at Marist, Paul mentored 11 All-MAAC players and 33 academic all-conference players.
Paul spent her undergraduate career at Marist and played for the Red Foxes for four seasons. While a player, Paul earned MAAC all-conference and all-tournament honors as well as numerous weekly honors for the Division I program. She graduated with a degree in business administration with concentrations in finance and marketing in 2001 and earned a master’s degree in business administration four years later.
Paul served as a volunteer for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Special Olympics and was a mentor at the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie. She is married to Andrew Paul.
