| Alma Mater: |
Mercer University |
| Graduating Year: |
2017 |
Associate head coach and pitching coach Maxine Rodriguez serves a ninth season on Christy Connoyer’s staff in 2026-27.
Under the guidance of Rodriguez, the 2026 Billiken pitching staff led the Atlantic 10 Conference with eight shutouts and finished second with a 3.39 earned run average. Both marks ranked among the top 17 percent in NCAA Division I. The performance helped SLU place second in the league’s regular-season standings and earn an A-10 Championship first-round bye for a fourth consecutive season.
In 2025, SLU finished third in the A-10 and among the top 22 percent nationally with a 3.23 ERA under Rodriguez’s watch. Saint Louis’ 2.55 ERA in conference play ranked second in the league. The Billikens posted 34 wins (second most in program history), finished second in the A-10 regular-season standings, claimed their first A-10 Championship title and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Combined with 30 wins in 2023 – a season that saw the Billikens capture the A-10 regular-season title – and 31 wins in 2024, Saint Louis’ 95 victories from 2023-25 are the most of any three-year stretch in program history.
Among the pitchers Rodriguez has tutored at SLU are Anna Christ, a 2026 third-team All-Region choice; 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 included 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.
Rodriguez came to SLU after spending one season as an assistant at George Washington, where she was the Colonials’ pitching coach. She has been a private pitching instructor since 2013.
Rodriguez helped guide George Washington to a school-record 33 wins and an A-10 Championship berth in 2018. Under her tutelage, Sarah Costlow earned two A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards and Sierra Lange was named to the league’s All-Rookie team.
A California native, Rodriguez began her collegiate career at DePaul. She played two seasons with the Blue Demons and garnered Big East Conference All-Academic plaudits both years. Rodriguez completed her career at Mercer, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in elementary education and was a two-time Southern Conference All-Academic selection.
At Saint Louis, Rodriguez earned a master’s degree in student personnel administration.
“We’re excited to welcome Maxine to the Billiken family,” Connoyer said upon Rodriguez’s appointment. “She brings experience, energy and a passion for developing a champion’s mentality with student-athletes. Her technical skills in working with pitchers complement the competitive mental-game knowledge she will bring to our pitching staff. Our pitchers, as well as our position players, will be greatly influenced by Maxine’s work ethic and respect for the game.”
