Seasons with UBC: 3
Overall record: 77-63
Conference record: 49-35
Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship record: 5-6
NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round record: 1-2
*As of September, 2025
Jennifer McKellar is entering her fourth season as Thunderbirds head coach. She is the third head coach in UBC Softball history, and is elevating the program to a new level.
2025:
The 2025 season was the best in program history for the Thunderbirds, as they broke the team record for wins (27) for the second straight year. The T-Birds finished the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season 16-11, earning a top-four seed going into the playoffs for the first time.
At the CCC playoffs they won four games (double the previous best total), including a victory over No. 4 nationally-ranked Southern Oregon and a walk-off win over No. 2 Oregon Tech, finishing second at the tournament and punching their ticket to the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round for the very first time. There, they battled well and earned an extra-innings victory over Campbellsville before bowing out in fourth-place at their five-team tournament.
2024 was a banner year for McKellar and the T-Birds as they broke the program record (at the time) for wins in a season with 26, ending the year with a record of 26-22 (16-11 in conference play). Ranked fifth heading into the Cascade Collegiate Conference playoffs, the Thunderbirds eliminated Carroll College before falling to powerhouse Oregon Tech to end their season, just short of qualifying for the NAIA National Championships.
The 'Birds 2024 season included four wins over nationally ranked opposition as they competed hard in the CCC, one of the best softball conferences in the entire NAIA.
In 2023, McKellar's first year in charge of the program, the Thunderbirds compiled a record of 24-21 (17-13 in conference play). They finished the season fifth place in the CCC, and were eliminated from the playoffs after two close losses to Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon.
McKellar joined the T-Birds after serving as head coach for the Douglas College Royals for five seasons. She led the Royals to a third-place finish in the Northwest Athletic Conference in 2018.
As a player, McKellar suited up for both Aiken Technical College and Douglas College. While in South Carolina she was named a Second Team All-American in the NJCAA, and earned an Associate of Arts Degree. She also earned a Sports Science Diploma and a Bachelor of Physical Education & Coaching Degree from Douglas College.
