Coaching Staff

Amy Bellisari | Associate Head Coach

Amy Bellisari joined the University of Delaware softball coaching staff prior to the 2019 season. She was promoted to associate head coach in June 2021.

In 2023, the Blue Hens won their second-straight CAA Regular Season Championship and set a program record for wins in the CAA with an 18-5 record in CAA play and a 29-20 overall record. Bellisari helped lead the Blue Hens to have the best fielding percentage in the CAA in 2023 with a .973 fielding percentage. Kiara Mills earned Delaware’s second-consecutive CAA Defensive Player of the Year in her first year in the Blue & Gold, posting a .995 fielding percentage in 435 chances at first base. Six players were named to the All-CAA Teams and four earned All-Region Team honors in back-to-back years.

Delaware, in 2022, won its first CAA Regular Season Championship with an overall record of 29-16 and 11-4 in conference play. As UD’s primary fielding coach, Bellisari helped Delaware rank second in the CAA with a .970 fielding percentage and Hanna Garber brought home the program’s first CAA Defensive Player of the Year in just being her first season at third base. Five different Blue Hens received All-CAA honors and a program record four were selected to NFCA All-Region teams.

The Blue Hens went 25-9 in 2021 and advanced to the CAA Tournament finals for the first time since 2004. Delaware finished with an RPI of 23, while its three All-Region selections tied for the most in program history and its six All-CAA honorees are the most since UD joined the league.

Delaware went 19-4 during the shortened 2020 season, tied for the best start in program history, while the Blue Hens’ improvement of 98 spots in the RPI was the 13th highest in Division I.

Delaware posted a 10-game winning streak, the third longest in school history, and ended the year by winning seven games in a row. The Blue Hens led the CAA in multiple statistical categories including winning percentage, hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases, saves, wins, ERA, strikeout to walk ratio, caught stealing and runners picked off. Additionally, Delaware ranked 10th in the nation in doubles and steals per game.

In 2019 the Blue Hens stole 91 bases, the second most in a UD single season. They ranked 23rd in the country in steals and 29th in triples, leading the CAA in both categories.

Prior to arriving in Newark, Bellisari spent the previous seven years as the head coach at Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. She led the squad to 26 victories in 2017, the program’s most since 2004, before this year’s team won 25 games including 13 in the Sunshine State Conference, the most since 2003. The Fighting Knights finished .500 or better in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003-04.

Bellisari, who guided Lynn to four 20-win seasons in the last six years, coached 11 All-SSC and two All-South Region selections. Additionally, the program earned 16 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American Scholars during her tenure.

Prior to arriving at Lynn, Bellisari served as an assistant coach at Bethune-Cookman for four years. The Wildcats finished in second place in the MEAC in 2009, before winning the conference title in each of the next two seasons. Bellisari began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio University in 2005-06.

Bellisari played at Florida Atlantic from 2001-04, leading her squads to a 208-80 record with four league titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2002 team set a school record and led the nation with 62 victories while earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Regionals. She graduated from FAU in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences.

Nikki Andrade | Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

Nikki Andrade joined the University of Delaware softball coaching staff prior to the 2019 season. She added recruiting coordinator to her title in June.

In 2023, Delaware won its second-straight CAA Regular Season Championship with an overall record of 29-20 and a program record 18 CAA wins. Andrade helped lead Delaware to a .280 team batting average which was third in the CAA while six players were named All-CAA and four earned NFCA All-Region honors.

Delaware, in 2022, won its first CAA Regular Season Championship with an overall record of 29-16 and 11-4 in conference play. Under Andrade’s tutelage, Delaware ranked third in the CAA with a .275 batting average and second with a .438 slugging percentage. Hanna Garber was top five in the conference multiple categories such as slugging percentage, on-base percentage, ops, hits, triples and first in runs scored. Five different Blue Hens received All-CAA honors in 2023 and a program record of four earned NFCA All-Region teams.

Delaware went 19-4 during the shortened 2020 season, tied for the best start in program history, while the Blue Hens’ improvement of 98 spots in the RPI was the 13th highest in Division I.

In 2019 the Blue Hens stole 91 bases, the second most in a UD single season. They ranked 23rd in the country in steals and 29th in triples, leading the CAA in both categories.

Prior to arriving in Newark, Andrade spent the previous year with new Blue Hen head coach Jen Steele on the Marshall coaching staff, helping the Thundering Herd win 25 games including a 13-9-1 mark in Conference USA. Prior to her stint in Huntington, Andrade spent six seasons as the head coach of the Vienna Stars travel team and three years as an assistant coach at James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., where she was instrumental in helping players move on to schools in the SEC, ACC and Big 10 conferences.

Her Vienna Stars team had an overall record of 203-63-12 while James Madison HS finished 61-15 during her tenure, including a conference championship and a runner-up finish in the state finals.

Andrade was a three-time All-Pac 10 performer, two-time All-Pacific Region honoree, two-time scholar athlete and 2002 NFCA All-American during her stellar career at Arizona State from 1999-2002. She led the Sun Devils to 40 wins three times, including Women’s College World Series appearances in 1999 and 2002. She currently ranks seventh in ASU history with 253 career hits and tied for 14th with a .333 batting average.

Andrade played for the USA Blue Team in 2001 and USA Elite in 2003, and played five years in the National Pro Fastpitch League. She was an All-NPF performer in 2007 when she led the Washington Glory to the championship. She also had successful coaching stints at Corona Del Mar and Mission Viejo High Schools in California.

Dorian Shaw | Assistant AD, Student Success and Assistant Softball Coach

Dorian Shaw, a seasoned softball coach, was hired on June 29, 2023 in a unique first-of-its kind hybrid role at Delaware as Assistant AD, Student Success and Assistant Softball Coach. Shaw will report to Head Softball Coach Jen Steele with a dotted line to Deputy AD, Sport Administration and Student Success/SWA Angie Hull.

In her administrative role working in student success, Shaw will work to develop and deliver student-athlete leadership programming. She'll also partner with internal units on the overall NIL strategy. Among her tasks will be assisting in development and facilitation of NIL education for student-athletes, coaches, and staff, identifying new opportunities for stakeholders and our student-athletes to optimize NIL, and creating systems and processes that will allow for efficient and effective use of resources.

Shaw comes to Newark after spending the past six years as the associate head coach for Purdue's softball program. In her role she served as the Boilermakers' recruiting coordinator and primary hitting coach. She landed multiple top-25 recruiting classes.

Before Purdue, Shaw was an assistant coach at Stanford from 2014 until 2017 and had coaching stops at Dartmouth and George Mason.

As a student-athlete at the University of Michigan, Shaw was an All-American, NFCA All-Great Lakes Region, and All-Big Ten selection. For her career, she hit .315/.501/.663 with 58 home runs, 178 runs batted in, and 130 runs scored.

In her junior season, she tied the program's single-season home run record with 21 and drove in 60 runs with a .362 batting average. Shaw also hit .365 as a senior and finished the year as a USA Softball Player of the Year and Lowe's Senior Class Award Finalist.

She was a multiple-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection and U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award recipient. She was a first round pick in the National Professional Fastpitch Draft and assisted the Chicago Bandits to the 2011 Cowle's Cup Championship.

Erica Paisley | Student Manager