Coach Jose Taitague’s Leadership Fuels Historic Season for Dillard Softball

NEW ORLEANS– Dillard University softball is in the midst of a breakthrough year, and the impact of head coach Jose Taitague is showing up across the standings, the classroom, and the program's culture.

The Lady Bleu Devils are currently 16–11 overall and 13–2 in conference, marking the most winning season in program history to date. Dillard has also earned conference honors four consecutive weeks, capped by a sweep this week. Jessica Battiste earned Player and Newcomer of the Week for the second consecutive week, while her teammates Kylie Price earned Pitcher of the Week and Ja'Lise Stewart earned Freshman of the Week.

Taitague arrived in New Orleans with an established reputation as a multi-sport coach and collegiate administrator known for building winning programs while prioritizing academics and athlete development. A native of Guam, he brings a global perspective to player development and earned a business degree from Georgia Military College, a foundation that has informed his organized, strategic approach to running a program.

Before Dillard, Taitague led Paine College softball from 2023 to 2025 after serving as an assistant from 2021 to 2023. In his first year as head coach, he delivered a landmark season—guiding the Lions to the 2023 South Region NCCAA Championship, the first region title and first World Series appearance in program history. He followed that with another strong postseason run, finishing second in the South Region in 2025.

His teams at Paine also set a standard in the classroom, producing two valedictorians, multiple Female Athlete of the Year and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year honorees among other regular and postseason awards. Jose's emphasis on education is very apparent at Dillard as 11 of his athletes were recognized at Honors Convocation on March 19 as being a part of the Dean's List (having between a 3.2 and 4.0 GPA).

Dillard's current rise builds on a foundation laid by former coach Jackie Lewis, who began in 2023 and guided the program to a conference runner-up finish and a 19–18 overall record (9–6 conference). Now, with Taitague's player-centered approach and emphasis on academics, Dillard has turned that progress into a season that is already rewriting the program record book—while positioning the Lady Bleu Devils as a sustained conference contender.

-Bleu Devils-