OREM, Utah — Utah Valley softball head coach Cody Thomson has announced the promotion of Marissa Chavez to associate head coach. Chavez is entering her second season on staff after joining the team prior to the 2026 season. 

"I'm excited to see Coach Chavez continue to climb the coaching ranks," said Thomson. "She's one of the best hitting coaches I've worked with, and I'm thrilled about this opportunity for her."

In Chavez's first season on staff, the Wolverines saw unprecedented success both offensively and defensively. In 2026, Utah Valley broke 10 team records, including batting average, slugging, runs per game, doubles, and total bases. On the defensive side, the Wolverines also posted their best fielding percentage in the D-I era and were able to hold opponents to a team-record 71.2% stolen base success rate.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue growing with the UVU Softball program in this role," said Chavez. "This program and our student-athletes mean a lot to me, and I'm excited to continue investing in their development both on and off the field."

The 2026 season also saw some outstanding individual performers, including breakout star Tatum Hall, who broke the program's single-season RBIs, slugging, and on-base percentage records. Britney Moreno also capped off her illustrious UVU career by breaking the career hits and triples records, as well as the single-season runs, triples, and total bases records. The Wolverines also had a program-record six players earn All-WAC honors.

Prior to Utah Valley, Chavez spent two seasons at former WAC rival Utah Tech, during which she helped coach a potent Trailblazer lineup that had eight players hit .300 or better and averaged 5.16 runs per game in 2025.

Chavez began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at D-III Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham in 2023. Before that, she had a highly-successful collegiate playing career just up the road at BYU. Chavez was a three-time All-WCC selection — twice as first team and once as second team — and appeared in 162 games over her five-year playing career. As a Cougar, Chavez posted a career .306 batting average with 12 home runs, 24 doubles, and 65 RBIs.

A native of Covina, California, Chavez graduated from BYU in 2022 with a Bachelors degree in Public Health, and received Masters degrees in Public Administration and Public Health from Fairleigh Dickinson in 2025.