St. Olaf College Athletics

Julie Graf '21 is in her fourth season as an assistant coach for the St. Olaf softball program in 2024-25.

In Graf's three seasons since returning as a coach for the program she played for, St. Olaf has posted an overall record of 70-50 (.583) and a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) record of 44-21 (.677). The Oles have qualified for the MIAC Playoffs in each of the last three seasons to extend their streak to seven consecutive berths in the tournament.

Over the last three seasons, St. Olaf has produced the program's first MIAC Player of the Year, 14 All-MIAC honorees, six Honorable Mention All-MIAC selections, and five National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region awardees. The program has also produced 32 Academic All-MIAC honorees, 15 NFCA Scholar-Athletes, 15 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selections, and one MIAC Elite 22 Award recipient.

The most decorated student-athlete in program history, Graf was a two-time NFCA All-American and four-time All-MIAC honoree during her five-year career at St. Olaf from 2016-21. She returned to the Hill after spending the 2021-22 academic year as a graduate assistant coach for the softball program at Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y.

Over her five-year career as an Ole, Graf went 80-36 with a 1.37 earned-run average in 137 appearances (106 starts), striking out 1,236 batters in 719.0 innings in the circle. She threw 70 complete games, 22 shutouts, and eight no-hitters, while holding opponents to a .156 batting average. Graf concluded her career as St. Olaf’s all-time leader in most major pitching categories, leading the way in wins, appearances, starts, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts, and strikeouts per seven innings (12.04), while ranking third in ERA.

Graf wrapped up her career ranked fifth in NCAA Division III history in strikeouts per seven innings and eighth in strikeouts after ranking in the top-five nationally in both categories in all four of her full seasons. Over her career, she was a four-time NFCA All-Midwest Region selection, a two-time MIAC Pitcher of the Year, a three-time Academic All-MIAC honoree, a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District ® selection – including being the program’s first CoSIDA Academic All-American ® in 2020 – and was one of 15 finalists for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Year award in 2021. Graf was also St. Olaf’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year as a fifth-year senior.

After graduating from St. Olaf as an exercise science and psychology double-major, Graf served as a graduate assistant coach at Alfred University during the 2021-22 academic year while studying counseling as a graduate student. She helped the Saxons to their second-straight Empire 8 Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, as the team finished 26-16 overall.