Eastern Illinois University Athletics

Eastern Illinois head coach Tara Archibald has announced the hiring of Lisaira Daniels as an assistant coach on the Panthers staff for the upcoming season.
 
Daniels comes to EIU with background as both an elite collegiate player and travel softball coach most recently taking her program, D1Vision Softball, to the national tournament.
 
“We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Sai to the Panther Softball family! Her experience as a player, in helping lead her programs to historic runs in the NCAA tournament and the WCWS will be invaluable to our program as we continue to build on last year‘s success and compete for championships in the OVC and the NCAA tournament,” said Archibald.   “As a coach, she brings infectious energy, passion for the game, a competitive mindset and the ability to build strong relationships and connect with her players. I feel so blessed to have Sai joining our staff and can’t wait to see the impact she makes on this program.”
 
As a player Daniels played on a Georgia team that made the Women’s College World Series playing in 53 games her freshman season while ranking third on the team in stolen bases.  During the World Series she hit .333 with four runs scored.  Daniels finished her collegiate playing days at Syracuse helping guide the team to a pair of Big East Conference Championships, twice earning All-Region honors.  She ended her playing career as the program’s career leader in both batting average (.351) and stolen bases (71).
 
Daniels would go on to play international softball for Team Puerto Rico representing the nation from 2011-2013 while completing her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse in 2013.
 
In addition to her recent role coaching D1Vision Softball, Daniels also coached with Premier Fastpitch Travel Softball.