ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University head softball coach Christy Connoyer has announced a coaching staff update for the Billikens.
 
Maxine Rodriguez, who served the previous seven years as assistant coach, has been named associate head coach. Also, Carter LaValley joins the Billiken staff as assistant coach.
 
"I am grateful to work with a high-character staff who possess a passion for coaching softball and developing student-athletes on and off the field," Connoyer said.
 
"Coach Max has helped elevate our pitching staff over the past seven years. Her dedication and commitment to our program are exceptional. She also serves our student-athletes in many aspects of the program that are behind the scenes, and those details are significant in our success.
 
"I'm excited to welcome Carter LaValley to our coaching staff," Connoyer said. "His passion for the game and the intricacies of the sport is evident in his coaching. He is a positive influence and has great energy, great experience and a willingness to work for and with our student-athletes and staff. We're thrilled that he is a Billiken."
 
Under Rodriguez's guidance, the 2025 Billiken pitching staff finished third in the Atlantic 10 Conference and among the top 22 percent nationally with a 3.23 ERA, and its 2.55 ERA in conference play ranked second in the league. The performance helped SLU post 34 wins (second most in program history), finish second in the A-10 regular-season standings, claim its first A-10 Championship title and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Among the pitchers Rodriguez has tutored at SLU are Taylor Hochman, who earned second-team All-Conference and third-team All-Region plaudits and led the A-10 with 16 victories in 2025; Chloe Wendling, whose two All-Conference selections include a first-team nod in 2023; and Isabel Royle, the A-10 Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-Conference honoree in 2024.
 
LaValley arrived at Saint Louis after spending one season as an assistant coach at Rose State (Okla.) College, where he helped lead the Raiders to a 40-21 record and their first appearance in the NJCAA Division I World Series. His primary responsibility was hitting analytics and development. Also during his time at Rose State, LaValley was a private hitting instructor, served on the staff at Oklahoma City Spark camps, and was head coach of the Oklahoma Athletics 14U national team that achieved a top-25 ranking.
 
A native of Choctaw, Okla., LaValley is a 2023 cum laude graduate of Florida Gulf Coast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in integrated studies and was a utility infielder/outfielder on the baseball team. His college baseball career also included stints at Oklahoma, Seminole State J.C. and LSU Shreveport.