A quarter century. Softball coach Donna Fields enters her 25th season with the Rattlers at the helm in 2022 and has a list of accomplishments longer than Santa Claus' nice list.

Already a member of the St. Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame, Fields is the only Rattler in school history with a national championship as a player and coach. On December 10, 2021, Fields was also inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame.

Joining the powerful Lone Star Conference has made Fields only more intent on keeping up the successful ways of the St. Mary's softball program. In her 24 years, the Rattlers have won 18 conference titles, four NCAA Regionals and the 2002 NCAA title. 

THE FIELDS FILE
College: St. Mary's University (B.A. '87, M.A. '01)   Hometown: San Antonio   Experience: 25th Year (all at St. Mary's)
HONORS
National Champion  1986 (NAIA, as a player), 2002 (NCAA D-II, coach) NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year  2002 NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year  2002, 2015 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year  2001-05, 2008, 2011-14, 2016-2017 St. Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 1988 NFCA Hall of Fame Class of 2020
YEAR-BY-YEAR REVIEW
Year	Record	Highlights
1998	35-19
1999	38-23
2000	40-18
2001	41-18	Heartland Conference Champions
		NCAA D-II South Central Regional
2002	58-11	NCAA D-II National Champions
		South Central Region Champions
		Heartland Conference Champions
2003	50-12	South Central Region Champions
		Heartland Conference Champions
2004	46-13	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2005	49-11	South Central Region Champions
		Heartland Conference Champions
2006	49-25	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2007	45-18	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2008	53-12	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2009	32-32
2010	34-21	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2011	36-21	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2012	34-19	Heartland Conference Champions
2013	45-15	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2014	50-14	Heartland Conference Champions
		Super Regional
2015	48-12	South Central Region Champions
		Heartland Conference Champions
2016	47-14	Heartland Conference Champions
		Super Regional
2017	44-16	Heartland Conference Champions
		South Central Regional
2018	34-23	Heartland Conference Semifinals
2019	30-25	Heartland Conference Champions
2020	11-18	Season Cut Short Due to Covid-19
2021	21-23	Lone Star Tournament
Total
24 Yrs.	974-436	NCAA D-II National Champion
		4-Time Regional Champion
		18-Time Conference Champion 15 Regional Appearances

In 2021, playing during a pandemic, the Rattlers advanced to the Lone Star Conference Tournament in the team's first full season in the league, falling in the second game of the single elimination tournament to top-seeded Oklahoma Christian. The team was 15-15 in league play and 21-23 overall and senior pitcher Alex McLennan was named to the All-Academic team after earning her biomechanical engineering degree.

The 2020 team was just starting to find its stride when the remainder of the season was cancelled with Covid-19.

Her Rattlers knocked on the door of a second national championship under her watch as head coach, advancing to the Women's College World Series for the first time in a decade in 2015. To get there, the Rattlers won the South Central Regional and Super Regional championships, before being taken down by eventual national-champion North Georgia. St. Mary's finished the season ranked No. 6 in the NFCA coaches' poll. 

In 2016, the Rattlers nearly advanced to the World Series once again, falling just short after losing to West Texas A&M in the Super Regional. The Rattlers won the Heartland Conference regular-season championship and advanced out of the South Central tournament, which the Snakes hosted, to to get back to the Super Regional. The conference title marked the 15th won under Fields.

Fields' Rattlers saw slugger Sydney Wellmann take home Heartland Conference Player of the Year honors, while freshman ace Jorden Russell was named the league's Freshman of the Year. Fields also won her 11th Heartland Conference Coach of the Year award en route to taking the Rattlers to the regional tournament for the 14th time.

Fields, the Rattlers' all-time wins leader with a career record of 974-436, has coached St. Mary's to the 2002 NCAA Division II national championship and four NCAA College World Series berths (2002, 2003, 2005 and 2015). She cracked the illustrious 700-win plateau during an exciting 2014 season that saw St. Mary's climb to as high as No. 3 in the national rankings, and cracked 900 wins during the 2018 season that saw the team win the Heartland Conference regular season title.

St. Mary's finished the 2018 season 34-23, marking the 21st season in a row that the Rattlers surpassed the 30-win plateau. They repeated the feat in 2019, going 30-25 for the team's final regular season Heartland Conference title.

Fields, who also served as senior woman administrator for the St. Mary's Department of Athletics for nearly two decades, won a national championship as a player (NAIA - 1986) before adding another national title as coach (NCAA Division II - 2002).

Since Fields’ entrance into NCAA Division II in 2000 after coaching under the NAIA for two seasons, the decorated coach has seen 133 All-Conference selections, 22 All-American selections, and 18 Academic All-District selections. In 19 seasons in the Heartland Conference, Fields has had prominence in her pitching staff, winning nine Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors (Malissa Magee-4; Emily Brittain-3; Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone-1; Staci Johns-1).

In 2015, Fields' squad won a host of awards, including ace Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone being named a Top-10 Finalist for the NFCA National Player of the Year award. Gutierrez Touchtone was one of three Rattlers named to an All-America team, joining Nicole Sardelich and Taylor Vidrine. In addition, Haley Richter was named to an All-Academic Team and was voted the Heartland Conference Woman of the Year. 

The 2014 season saw one of the program’s better seasons for Fields as the Rattlers advanced to the South Central Super Regional, falling one game short of the National Championship Tournament. It was the furthest the program has gone since the 2005 season and marked Fields’ fourth season with 50-or-more wins as the Rattlers posted a 50-14 record and nearly claimed their fourth South Central Region championship. That season, Fields led St. Mary's to its 12th NCAA postseason appearance in 14 years, sweeping the Heartland Conference regular-season and tournament titles for the Rattlers' 13th conference championship during the 14-year span.
 
The 2014 season was full of accomplishments for Fields and the Rattlers as the squad was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation and saw a 17-game winning streak, the longest in Fields’ coaching career, with the Rattlers at one point winning 32 out of 33 games. The season saw senior ace Emily Brittain earn her second straight Daktronics All-American Honorable Mention after leading the nation in shutouts (14) and was among the nation’s leaders in victories with a 31-7 record to end her career as one of the program’s greats.
 
Third baseman Nicole Sardelich also saw continued success, earning her second straight NFCA All-Region Second Team selection and third straight All-Conference First Team and All-Tournament Team selection. Sardelich continued to be a double-star, setting the program’s career doubles record with 61 after smacking 19 in her junior season.
 
In 2013, Fields and her Rattlers advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament finals after claiming the Heartland Conference regular-season and tournament championship titles. Fields claimed her ninth Heartland Conference Coach of the Year honor after going 45-15 and 14-1 in conference play.

The Rattlers’ success had them ranked highest at No. 22 in the nation and saw an NFCA All-America nod in ace Emily Brittain, who received NCFA All-America Honorable Mention. Brittain was No.6 in the nation for victories after going 27-6, claiming Daktronics Regional Pitcher of the Year and the Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year for the third straight season.

Throughout the 2013 season, Fields' Rattlers claimed 10 Heartland Conference Player of the Week awards had seven earn All-Conference with six on First Team as well as the Heartland Conference Player of the Year in sophomore Nicole Sardelich. As third baseman, Sardelich also earned NFCA All-Region Second Team and was named Conference All-Tournament Team and All-Conference First Team for the second straight season. Sardelich continued as a beast at the plate, setting a new St. Mary’s record for single-season doubles with 25 and is currently third in career batting average at .404 (144-353).

Along with Brittain’s All-America success on the mound in 2013, fellow aces Crystal Keller and Vianna Gutierrez both threw no-hitters in the Angelo State Round Robin, both on the same day (2/16/13).

The 2008 season was a memorable one for Fields and the Rattlers. A veteran team, led by six seniors, helped the Rattlers advance to the South Central Regional. They finished with a 53-12 overall record and fresh off a perfect run through the Heartland Conference Tournament. Malissa Magee earned her third All-American Honor, while Sade Moore was named Heartland Conference co-Hitter of the Year and Fields was named Coach of the Year.

Fields led her team to its eighth straight 40-plus win season in and the seventh straight trip to the NCAA South Central Region Tournament in 2007. St. Mary’s just missed out on what would have been its fourth trip to the NCAA College World Series, falling to Angelo State in the finals. The Rattlers also won their seventh straight Heartland Conference tournament title and finished the season No. 13 the nation by the NFCA.

In 2005, St. Mary s returned to the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament for the third time in four years. The Lady Rattlers finished fifth in the nation, and completed a 49-11 season. In advancing to the NCAA Championships, St. Mary s won the NCAA Division II South Central Regional championship for the third time and their fifth conference title where Fields garnered the Heartland Coach of the Year honor for the fifth straight year.

In 2004, the Lady Rattlers finished the season with a 46-13 record to claim their third regional championship and the right to host the tournament for the third straight year.

In 2003, the Rattlers won the Heartland Conference title and the South Central Regional crown. Fields led her team to No. 3 in the nation, losing in extra innings, 5-3, to eventual national champion California-Davis in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

In 2002, the Rattlers claimed their second national title. In addition the Rattlers won the Heartland Conference and hosted South Central Regional Tournaments on their way to the Division II final eight. The Rattlers finished with a school record mark (58-11) and the top spot on the final USA Today/National Fast pitch Coaches Association Division II national poll. Coach Fields and graduate-assistant coach Jessica Peoples were named the 2002 Speedline/NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year, receiving South Central Regional Staff of the Year honors in the process.

As a three-sport scholarship athlete at St Mary's, Fields made her mark in volleyball, basketball, and softball graduating in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. She was named NAIA All-American in softball as a leftfielder her senior year and played on the Lady Rattlers' 1986 softball national championship team. Fields was named to the All-Big State Conference and NAIA All-District volleyball teams and was voted NAIA District Freshman of the Year in basketball. The university highlighted her accomplishments, as she was inducted to the St. Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 for softball and basketball. She was also inducted into the Oliver Wendell Holmes High School Hall of Fame in 1999. In December of 2001, Coach Fields completed her master's degree as a Distinguished Graduate in education at St. Mary's.

Prior to returning to St. Mary's as a coach, Fields coached and taught at William Taft High School in San Antonio for 10 years. During that time she held the softball head coach position for three years and accumulated a record of 58-12-1, including a district championship and three playoff appearances. She spent five years as head volleyball coach and was honored as San Antonio Coach of the Year.

Fields is married to Andrew Fields, a captain in the San Antonio Fire Department. They have three children, Hannah, Drew and Allison. Hannah played both softball and volleyball at St. Mary's, while Alli is a member of the Texas A&M Volleyball team. The family remains parishioners at St. Luke Catholic Church, where all three children attended from daycare through eighth grade. They have recently become parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Helotes.