Kristie Fox was named the sixth head coach in UNLV softball history on June 20, 2017.
In seven seasons under Fox, the UNLV softball program has seen success it hadn't experienced in a decade.
During the 2024 season, the Fox and the Rebels marked the first appearance at the Mountain West Softball Championships since 2006 and since the conference reinstated the tournament in 2023. UNLV finished the season for the fourth time with 30 or more wins with a 31-19 overall record under Fox. The Rebels went on to capture a second-place finish in the MW standings with a 14-8 record. Fox earned her 200th win at UNLV on March 28, 2024 and became the second head coach in program history to reach the mark. Freshman catcher Jesse Farrell marked her name on the TUCCI/NFCA DI Freshman of the Year Top-25 watch list becoming the first Rebel to be recognized since it was created in 2014. Two different Rebels set new program records as Maddie Schmidt holds the school record in stolen bases with 81 and Janyssa Martin is the hit-by-pitch school record holder with 31 times.
In 2023, the Rebels went 23-27 and 9-13 in Mountain West play. UNLV earned four MW postseason accolades with Ariana Martinez on the All-Mountain West first team for the third consecutive season and Maddie Schmidt, Skyler Shaw and April Visser being selected to the All-MW second team.
The Rebels went back to the NISC tournament in 2022 after having a 43-15 overall record and earned a second-place finish. UNLV’s 43 wins marked the first time since 2005 to collect 40 or more wins in a season. The Rebels set 14 program records which include eight team records, three single-season records and three career records. A league-high seven Rebels were selected to the All-Mountain West Team. Jenny Bressler was the lone pitcher in the MW to deliver a sub-1.00 ERA season, as she cracked the benchmark at .097 and had 13 conference wins, 11 complete games, seven shutouts and six saves.
Following the pandemic-shortened season, the Rebels started the 2021 season 11-4 to give them at least 11 wins through the first 15 games for the fourth consecutive year. That start paved the way for their fourth straight winning season with a 25-15 overall mark and 17-7 conference record and secured its highest conference finish since 2014 at second place in the MW standing. The 17 conference wins are tied for most league wins since the Rebels joined the Mountain West in 2000. UNLV continued its trend of strong defensive play, finishing with its third top-15 national ranking in the past three seasons. UNLV ranked in the top three in almost every major offensive, pitching and defensive category, including the league’s top fielding percentage (.977) for a fourth straight year. It was also a milestone year for Fox, as she received her first career Mountain West Coach of the Year honor and became the fastest UNLV coach to reach 100 wins in only her 143th game on March 16, 2021. Jenny Bressler, Justine Federe, Denise Armendariz and Mia Trejo each garnered Mountain West All-Conference honors, which was also the most selections for the program dating back to 2014.
In 2020, the Rebels were off to another impressive start, going 21-5 to tie for the second best start through 26 games in program history before the Covid-19 Pandemic abruptly ended the season. UNLV was heading into conference play on a six-game winning streak and had won 19 of its last 21 games, while ranking top-12 in the country in fielding percentage and top-15 in ERA and shutouts.
After a 33-20 record and a National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) regional final appearance in her first season in 2018, Fox and the Rebels topped that in 2019, going 36-14 and just missing out on its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009 as one of the committee's first four teams out. The 36 wins were the most since the 2007 squad went 37-27. The back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2018 and 2019 marked the first time since 2009 and 2010 the Rebels had accomplished the feat.
Under her tutelage, the Rebels have had 24 players earn Mountain West All-Conference selections (13 team, 11 second team and three on the general all-conference team in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) and MW Co-Defensive Player of the Year award recipient in Samantha Diaz in 2019 and in 2022 as the solo recipient. Maddie Schmidt was also named MW Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
After having just one National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selection between 2015-17, the Rebels have now had 11 under Fox (none were awarded in 2020). In 2024, the Rebels had three players pick up All-West Region honors. Junior Ariana Martinez was a first team selection, freshman Jesse Farrell and fifth year senior Maddie Schmidt both were on the second team. In 2022, Jenny Bressler earned her second All-West Region nod on the third team, freshman Sofia Morales and senior April Visser collected second team All-West Region honors. In 2019, UNLV saw three players selected as freshman Jenny Bressler earned All-West Region First Team honors, sophomore Mia Trejo was an All-West Region Second Team selection and junior Justine Federe picked up an All-West Region Third Team nod. In 2018, former Rebel standout Janine Petmecky was a second team honoree and Trejo was a third team selection.
Under Fox, the Rebels recorded sub-3.00 ERAs in her first two seasons, marking the first time since 1996 and 1997 they've recorded ERAs under 3.00 in consecutive years, and were on pace to do the same in 2020. After setting program marks for fewest errors and best fielding percentage in program history in 2018, UNLV topped that, breaking both of those marks in 2019 and again were on pace to break both records again in 2020.
After starting 2-3 in 2020, the Rebels went on to win 19 of their next 21 games for a 21-5 record, which is the second best start through 26 games all-time. Jenny Bressler, Justine Federe and Mia Trejo were all named to a modified Mountain West All-Conference team.
In 2019, the Rebels began the year with a 25-7 record, its best start since 1995, and won eight of its final nine games to finish at 36-14, with the 36 wins tied for eighth-most wins in a single season in program history. UNLV went 14-9 in conference play to finish third in the standings, which was just the seventh top-three finish since the Rebels joined the conference in the year 2000. UNLV collected six wins over the RPI top-50, which included the program's first ever wins over Stanford (which came at Stanford) and a series win over defending Mountain West Champions and No. 24 Boise State. The Rebels' .314 batting average was just their third over .300 since 2011, while the 2.39 ERA was the lowest since 2005. UNLV also set new program records for best fielding percentage (.979) and fewest errors (30) in Rebel softball history, with their fielding percentage mark ranking in the top-10 in the country all season long.
In her first season at the helm in 2018, UNLV began the season 20-8 and went on to finish 33-20 - which at the time was the most wins in eight years and first winning season since 2011. The 33 wins were also the most by a first-year head coach in program history. UNLV won 12 of its last 16 games - including a series win over eventual Mountain West champion Boise State and a historic sweep at Fresno State - to reach the postseason for the first time since 2009 as the Rebels were the No. 1 overall seed in the National Invitational Softball Championship tournament.
Fox's 69 wins over her first two seasons tied with former Rebel head coach Lonni Alameda for most wins over the first two years by a Rebel head coach. Alameda won 69 combined in 2004 and 2005.
Fox picked up her 200th career win as a head coach with a 3-2 win over UNR on May 5, 2019.
Prior to coming to Las Vegas, Fox spent five years as head coach at UT Arlington.
At UT Arlington, Fox led the Mavericks to five consecutive conference tournament appearances and an increase in the team’s win total in each of the last three seasons. Becoming one of the nation’s youngest head coaches in 2012, she inherited a UT Arlington team that had won just 15 games during the previous season, failing to qualify for league tournament, but led it to 25 victories and a conference tournament berth in her first year. She was also instrumental in the school’s recent $3 million renovation of the program’s facility. UT Arlington had seven all-conference selections and two NFCA All-Region team members, marking just the third and fourth all-region selections in program history.
Before UT Arlington, Fox was an assistant coach at Big 12-member Texas Tech, where she was recognized as one of the top assistants in the country. With the Red Raiders, Fox helped the team to the NCAA Regionals three straight years, marking a first for the program.
She began her coaching career at her alma mater, serving as the undergraduate assistant for the Wildcats in 2008, while she completed her degree in psychology. She then spent a year as assistant coach at Murray State before moving on to Texas Tech prior to the 2010 season.
Fox also boasts national team experience, both as a player and as a coach. A former member of the USA Elite Team, she earned a gold medal in the College World Games in Taiwan with Team USA in 2006. For three years, she served as an assistant coach for the USA Junior Women's National Team.
A native of San Diego, Fox was a two-time All-American during her collegiate career at Arizona. She reached the pinnacle of the college game as she led the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA Championships during her junior and senior years (2006 and 2007). As a senior, she set a Women's College World Series record with 11 hits, helping the school to its eighth national crown in softball.
As a player, Fox finished her collegiate career (2004-07) with a .350 batting average, 260 hits and 230 RBI, while leading Arizona to a 203-43-1 record over her four years. Her All-American honors followed her sophomore and junior seasons in 2005 and 2006, respectively. After her senior season, she was chosen in the first round of the 2007 National Professional Fastpitch League Draft by the Chicago Bandits.
She was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in August of 2018.
Fox and Jarvis have two sons together, Andrew, Michael, and a daughter Lillian.
