Softball | 10/6/2026 12:00:00 PM

The heat was almost unbearable, but Abby Doerr did not want to leave the field.

At 14 years old, she was playing third base for a small Oregon club team at the 16U national tournament. Her mom was coaching from the dugout and the team was playing for third place. They were not one of the big-name organizations at the tournament, but they had made it this far.

Then they played what Doerr still considers one of the best games of her career.

Her team came away with the win, nearly playing a perfect game.

"I get chills thinking about it," Doerr said.

That game was one of the moments that showed Doerr what softball meant to her. It was more than a sport. It gave her a place to build relationships, learn from others, and spend time with her family.

Years later, those experiences continue to shape the way she coaches at Saint Francis University.

SFU's softball assistant coach, Abby Doerr started playing softball when she was around 8 years old. She briefly quit to play soccer, but eventually returned to softball. Soccer helped her become faster and get in better shape, but she realized how much she missed the game.

Growing up, softball was also a family activity. Her mom was a catcher at the University of Oregon and later coached travel softball in Oregon. Doerr's three younger sisters also went on to play Division I softball.

The family still finds ways to keep softball a part of their lives. On vacations, the sisters bring a bat and play wiffle ball wherever they can, whether they are at a beach, a resort or an open field.

"We have to play wiffle ball somewhere," Doerr said. "It's fun. We get reps in, but it's also quality time."

Her mom's influence reached beyond the time they spent playing. Doerr said her mom was patient as a coach and that she focused on explaining why something needed to be done instead of simply yelling at players.

That approach helped Doerr develop her understanding of the game and her approach to coaching.

Her mom also never pressured Doerr to follow her same path. She chose catching because she liked being involved in every part of the game. From behind the plate, she could see the entire field and the position offered her a leadership role.

Eventually, that understanding of the game took Doerr to the University of Alabama.

Abby graduated high school early and arrived at Alabama at 18. She was immediately thrown into college softball and had to adjust quickly.

"I was a little baby with no muscle," Doerr said.

At a tournament in Florida, Doerr got one of her first opportunities to play. She remembers facing Florida State and hitting a home run in one of her first at-bats.

The moment was filled with adrenaline.

"I blacked out," Doerr said.

Alabama advanced to the Women's College World Series during Doerr's playing time in Tuscaloosa. Doerr was a backup catcher and pinch hitter, and her biggest moment came against Arizona.

She remembers the at-bat pitch by pitch. She fouled off the first pitch. The second pitch was high, and she fouled it off again. On the next opportunity, she connected for a home run.

For Doerr, the home run meant more than adding a run to the scoreboard. She had struggled at times in her role as a pinch hitter and wanted to prove she could contribute to her team. Her teammates knew how hard she had worked.

"They were so happy for me," Doerr said.

That experience also showed Doerr the importance of having teammates who support one another. She said Alabama had a culture where players celebrated each other's successes, even when they were not the ones on the field.

Doerr eventually decided to transfer from Alabama and continue her playing career at Oregon State. The move brought her closer to her family and gave her the chance to play with one of her sisters.

Playing with her sister was not always easy. The two had different personalities and sometimes clashed, but Abby said sharing a college softball field is something she will always remember and appreciate.

"It was so much fun," she said.

Oregon State also gave Doerr another connection to her family's softball history. Her mom played at Oregon, one of Oregon State's biggest rivals. Her mother's name is displayed at the Oregon softball field because she still holds a school doubles record. Abby and her family would take pictures next to it when Oregon State played Oregon.

For Doerr, the rivalry games were another reminder of how connected her family's softball stories were. Still, she never felt like she had to live in her mom's shadow.

"She let me choose and let me be myself," Doerr said.

Now she is helping other players find their own paths.

As an assistant coach at Saint Francis, she brings the lessons she learned from her own playing career into her coaching. SFU head coach Bill Vasko said Doerr's playing experience gives her knowledge and credibility, but her ability to explain the game is what stands out.

"She does a good job explaining what she sees, why she wants something done a certain way, and how it can help that player improve," Vasko said.

When players struggle, Vasko said Doerr does not become frustrated. Instead, she looks for another way to reach the player.

"She'll continue working through the problem and try to find a different way to explain it, or a different approach that might connect with that particular player," he said.

That patience is similar to what Doerr remembers from her own mom.

Vasko said his assistant coach wants her players to understand the reasoning behind what they are doing instead of simply following instructions.

"We don't want players who simply follow instructions because a coach told them to do something," Vasko said. "We want them to understand the game and understand why something works so that eventually they can make adjustments and problem-solve on their own."

Doerr's goals as a coach go beyond wins and losses. She wants her players to grow as people and leave college prepared for life after softball.

Her years as a player taught her that softball can provide more than a place to compete. It can create relationships, build confidence, and bring families together.

Now she wants to create that same kind of experience for the players at Saint Francis.

"I try to guide players to being the successful, strong women that they can be."