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Oz Sailors

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2015 Graduate Oz Sailors Joins the UMPI Owls Athletics Hall of Fame

Oz Sailors – 2015 UMPI Graduate – Physical Education    

PRESQUE ISLE, MAINE - The University of Maine at Presque Isle's Athletics Hall of Fame Committee is proud to induct Oz Sailors into the UMPI Owls Athletics Hall of Fame.
Oz will be part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025, however, due to circumstances, Oz's induction will be celebrated a year early.  The induction will take place Thursday, January 25th at 1:00 PM in the University of Maine at Presque Isle Multipurpose Room located in the Campus Center.

Sailors, originally from southern California, was looking for an opportunity to play baseball at the next level.  After breaking barriers in high school baseball in California, Oz reached out to college baseball coaches across the nation only to be referred to their counterparts in softball.  That changed when former UMPI baseball coach and current professor Leo Saucier extended an invitation to visit campus and be judged according to her athletic ability, not her gender.  Following her visit to Presque Isle and meeting with athletic staff, faculty, and members of the campus community, Oz knew that UMPI was the place for her to play baseball, then she soon found out, this would be the place that she would build her family.

As a first-year baseball player for the Owls, Sailors put up impressive numbers as she finished second on the team in ERA (Earned Run Average) with 5.06 in her 26.2 innings pitched, as a relief pitcher.  In this 2013 season, Sailors helped the Owls to a 16- win season, the best season for UMPI in over 20 years. As a Sophomore, Oz's performance on the field gave her the recognition that she deserved, as a baseball player. In just her second year, Oz had the opportunity to face off against NCAA Division I, University of Maine.  On the mound to close out the game, Oz pitched the final inning of the game, shutting out the Black Bears and holding them scoreless for the final inning of the game.  She was thought to be the first woman to do this in NCAA Division I history. Continuing her impressive year, Oz earned her first career win. 

On May 5th of 2013, vs Eastern Maine Community College, Oz started the game and pitched 5.0 innings. Allowing six hits, and just one run in the 20 batters she faced, causing eight fly outs and five ground outs to help secure the Owls 12-1 victory.  In her third year, Oz finished the season with the second lowest ERA on the team with 5.89 in her 18.1 innings pitched. To round out her career, Sailors pitched 28.1 innings in her senior season.Along with her on field accolades, Oz's teammates voted her as a team captain which encouraged the Baseball Hall of Fame to put her Team Hat and baseball line up in the Hall of Fame in honor of her performance vs the Division I, University of Maine, and her status as a men's team captain.  

Oz's story of her performance vs the University of Maine was featured by the Bangor Daily News, Boston Globe, Newsweek and received mentions in Sports Illustrated. Oz didn't let the attention distract her and used her platform to tell her story as a way to inspire other girls to follow in her footsteps. As the UMPI baseball program continues to openly recruit any baseball player, regardless of their gender. 

Following graduation in 2015, Oz signed with the Virginia Marlins of the World Baseball Pro League.  In the United States, Oz would go on to play for the San Rafael Pacifics based in San Rafael, California.  Internationally, Oz played for the Central Coast Marlins and coached a youth team for Baseball Australia.

From Australia, Oz was off to China. Working for Major League Baseball, Oz coached baseball at an MLB development organization while playing for the Shanghai Buccaneers.  While in China Oz helped write the curriculum for Baseball China and the Chinese Government to be used to implement baseball as a part of their physical education classes.

After suffering an arm injury, Oz returned home to UMPI for rehabilitation before returning to play in Virginia and Australia. Another injury put Oz's playing career on a quick pause, although she was not finished with baseball, as she headed back to the United States to continue coaching future baseball stars in Oregon.

Transitioning down to California, Oz settled into a new role as a development coach and director with the San Francisco Seals.  The San Francisco Seals run a year-round youth academy in the Bay Area for youth aged eight to eighteen. In the summer Oz helped coach the college team which went on to attract some top Division I & II collegiate players. Oz's responsibilities also include strength and conditioning, mental development on the field, mentoring off the field, and academic preparation work. Oz also worked at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, California as their head varsity baseball coach making her the first female varsity baseball head coach in California history.

In 2019 Oz began to work for the San Francisco Giants as the head ambassador for the Junior Giants for the East Bay. That summer she was honored as the first American woman to play in the Japanese Women's Baseball League where she pitched for the Kyoto Flora team.  She continued to work for the SF youth activities after the pandemic. During the pandemic she started her own baseball academy "Starting 9" servicing youth from all over the region. 

In 2023 Oz moved to the east coast to be the General Manager of Quick Ball for Major League Baseball youth provider EL1 sports.  In the fall she became the Director of Player development for Baseball for All.

A couple of highlights for Oz, in her distinguished baseball career, was having the opportunity to coach for the Red Sox at their spring training Women's Fantasy Camp with many members of the 2004 Championship Red Sox team.  Oz was able to play the game she loved one more time as she finished her playing career playing for the  Racine Belles in the All American Women's Baseball Classic. Featuring the best 60 players in the world. 

Executive Director of Athletics Dan Kane on Oz's induction: "We are excited to have Oz joining our UMPI Athletics Hall of Fame. She has been a pioneer for women in the sport of baseball.  As impressive as her college and professional playing career was, equally impressive has been her work as an ambassador for baseball.  She has impacted numerous youth across the country and world helping create pathways for boys and girls to play the game of baseball."

Oz Sailors on her induction to the UMPI Athletics Hall of Fame. "I am very blessed and thankful to be inducted into the UMPI Athletics Hall of Fame. It was all because the university took a chance on me during a time when women were not playing college baseball. That has allowed me the opportunity to live my dreams. But more importantly, UMPI opened the door for other women to play baseball at many levels."
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