Duke softball has added Savannah Pola to its staff, with head coach Marissa Young announcing Tuesday afternoon that Pola will serve as the program’s new director of operations.
“We are honored to welcome Savannah Pola to our program as the director of operations,” said Young. “Savannah is a high achiever from a World Series-caliber program whose culture of excellence, commitment and relationship building aligns perfectly with ours.
Her passion for serving others, combined with her unmatched attention to detail, makes her an incredible addition to our staff. We are excited for all that Savannah will bring to our team, our staff and our program.”
Pola arrives in Durham after a five-year run with UCLA softball, where she spent four seasons as a player and then returned as a graduate assistant. She also worked this summer as the gameday operations and equipment intern for the Orange County Riptide, a summer collegiate baseball organization that plays from June to August.
“I’m incredibly grateful and truly humbled for the opportunity to join Duke softball as the director of operations,” Pola said. “Thank you to Coach Young and everyone at Duke for believing in me and welcoming me into such a special program. I’m honored to be part of a culture built on excellence and I’m excited to work alongside this coaching staff while supporting our student-athletes every day.”
After her playing career with the Bruins, Pola stayed on with the program as a graduate assistant during the 2026 season. In that role, she helped the coaching staff with planning, player development, game preparation and administrative duties while earning her master’s degree in transformative coaching & leadership.
A native of Santa Ana, Calif., Pola appeared in 233 career games and made 222 starts, mostly at second base and as the designated player. She also earned 65 starts in the outfield.
The 2025 NFCA Third Team All-American finished her career with a .350 batting average, going 239-for-683, along with a .422 on-base percentage and .517 slugging percentage. She wrapped up her college career with 135 RBI, 159 runs scored, 16 home runs and 50 doubles, which is tied for seventh in UCLA history.
Pola’s résumé also includes three NFCA All-West Region honors, two All-Pac-12 Third Team selections, All-Big Ten First Team recognition, a top-25 finish as an NFCA Freshman of the Year finalist and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors.
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