WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State head softball coach Kristi Bredbenner announced Sara Driesenga as the Shockers' new pitching coach Friday morning.

Driesenga comes to Wichita State after seven seasons as the pitching coach at Central Michigan. She was promoted to associate head coach in June of 2025.

Driesenga, a Michigan native who starred in the circle for the University of Michigan from 2012-16, joined the CMU staff in 2019.

"We are excited to welcome Sara Driesenga to the Shocker Softball family," Bredbenner said. "Sara brings a tremendous combination of championship-level experience, player development and a genuine passion for building meaningful relationships with student-athletes. As a player at the University of Michigan, Sara competed on the biggest stage in our sport, advancing to the Women's College World Series three times. She understands what it takes to compete for championships and has carried that mindset into her coaching career."
 
Driesenga's 2026 CMU pitching staff posted 299 strikeouts including 88 called, both of which led the Mid-American Conference. Two members of that staff, Cierra Laksa and Mackenzie Langan, closed outstanding collegiate careers under Driesenga's tutelage.
 
Laska set the season program record for with seven saves, bringing her career total to eight, the second-highest total in program history. Langan struck out 112, ranking fifth in the MAC in that category, and she finished her career with 238.
 
Driesenga stepped in as the Chippewas' acting coach on May 2, 2026, leading CMU to a 17-15 win over MAC-champion Akron in the Zips' home park.
 
Under Driesenga's leadership, Langan earned First Team All-MAC honors in 2025, ranking in the top 10 in the league ERA, opponent batting average, innings pitched, strikeouts, wins, and runs and walks allowed. Compau, meanwhile, tossed complete-game victories over two power-conference opponents, Northwestern and Michigan State.
 
Driesenga's 2025 staff posted a 3.93 ERA, recorded nine shutouts, and allowed just 214 runs, ranking second in the MAC in all three categories.
   
From 2020-24, Driesenga mentored one of the best pitchers, Grace Lehto, in CMU's long and storied softball history. Lehto completed her career as a two-time All-Mid-American Conference honoree and two-time All-District honoree who appears 13 times in the CMU record book top-10 lists, including career wins (50), career complete games (61), and career strikeouts (567).
 
In 2011, Driesenga, then a senior at Hudsonville High School, was named Miss Softball by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association. She then went on to Michigan, where she posted a 71-26 record with 10 saves from 2012-16, helping the Wolverines to a combined six Big Ten championships (five regular season, one tournament), and three Women's College World Series appearances including a national runner-up finish in 2015.
 
Driesenga was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region honoree and an All-Big Ten selection three times each during her days in maize and blue. She earned Academic All-Big Ten honors four times and in 2016 was named an Academic All-American. She played in 2016 for the Texas-based Scrap Yard Dawgs in the National Pro Fastpitch league.
 
She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Michigan. She holds a bachelor of arts degree with a major in psychology, and she earned her master's in social work. She began her collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Eastern Michigan and has an extensive coaching background various clubs and camps.