Captains Softball Camps
Head Coach Keith Parr
Keith Parr has led the Christopher Newport University softball program since 2003, and has guided the Captains through an amazing era in the program’s history. Christopher Newport has developed into one of the elite softball programs in all of Division III with Parr at the helm, and the Captains won their first NCAA National Championship in 2022. Following the remarkable 47-1 season, Parr was voted the National Coach of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
The Captains have now advanced to 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and Parr recorded his 600th career victory during the storybook 2022 season. CNU captured the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference crown to advance to the tourney, and Parr was selected the Coach of the Year in the C2C.
Parr’s Captains were ranked the top team in the nation for the last nine rankings of the season by the NFCA. 2022 marked Parr’s his third trip to the finals, and the first since 2011 when Christopher Newport finished as the national runner-up.
The 2021 CNU squad received an at large bid to the tourney, falling in Texas in regional play to end the year at 28-14. Parr’s Captains were 12-1 in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the remainder of the season due to CoVID. Christopher Newport was ranked third in the nation by the NFCA when the season was halted.
CNU gained its first-ever #1 ranking during the 2019 season, as the Captains were picked as the top team in the nation in back-to-back weeks by the NFCA. Christopher Newport recorded a record of 37-9 and advanced to the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, ending the year as the 15th-ranked squad in the country.
Through 19 seasons as CNU’s head coach, Parr has posted an overall record of 635-188-1 for a winning percentage of .771, which ranked eighth among active coaches at the Division III level…and 29th in the history of collegiate softball. His squads have also won at least a share of 13 regular season conference crowns and six tournament titles.
It didn’t take long for Parr to make a splash after taking over the program from Paul Weiss, whom he had assisted for several years. In his first year as head coach of the Christopher Newport program in 2004, Parr directed his team to a 36-7 record, the best in school history at the time. The Captains were ranked in the Top-25 nationally for most of the year, reaching as high as sixth in the poll. CNU cruised to the USA South regular season championship with a 15-1 record. For his efforts, he was named conference Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm. He also received the same honor from the Virginia Sports Information Directors for Divisions II and III in Virginia.
Along with the outstanding record, Parr has assisted in the development of 15 All-Americans. Kaitlyn Hasty was selected All-American three times during her illustrious career, and was also honored as the National Rookie of the Year in 2019. She became the first three-time All-American in CNU softball history in 2022, and was selected the first National Player of the Year in program history.
Patty Maye Ohanian was named All-American by the NFCA following the 2018 season, becoming the first CNU freshman student-athlete in any sport to receive first-team All-American honors. Ohanian again was selected All-American following the 2019 season.
In 2004, Dallas Slosjarik was named All-America, marking the first time CNU softball had a first-team pick. Jamie Martin (2022), Caitlin Abernethy (2022), Rachael Payne (2017), Scoop Simon (2016), and Sabrina Hill (2015) are other recent All-American selections under Coach Parr, joining Lauren Batson, Katie Moyers, Taylor Morgan, Jessie Atkinson, Jennifer Falin and Chelsea Mitchell.
For his efforts, Parr was named the USA South Coach of the Year four times (2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011), the Capital Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice (2015 and 2018), and the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2022. He has also received statewide recognition from VaSID (Virginia Sports Information Directors), which has named him Division II-III Coach of the Year in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2022.
Parr graduated in 1999 from Christopher Newport with a degree in Recreation, Sports, and Wellness Management. He assisted former head coach Paul Weiss for four years from 2000-03, a span that saw the Captains go 131-38-2 for a winning percentage of .772, at the time the most successful four-year stretch in CNU softball history.
At CNU, he played four years of baseball for head coach Curt Long. During his senior year, Parr had a 2.66 earned run average, leading the team in that category. He recorded five wins in 12 appearances, including five starts. Opponents hit just .217 off him that year as well.
Parr was instrumental in organizing and founding a successful team in the Tidewater Collegiate Summer Baseball League in which he was a player/coach for three years. Parr also was involved as an instructor for numerous collegiate baseball and softball camps. He also worked for the Virginia Roadsters of the Women’s Professional Softball League in the summer of 1999.
CNU softball is definitely a family affair for him. He is married to former CNU softball player Joy Davison. They have a son, Drew, and a daughter, Jordan.
