ROUND NUMBERS: Embry-Riddle's Kelsi Dunne Diaz, Randy Stegall achieve victory milestones

In the space of about 24 hours, two of Embry-Riddle's coaching mainstays hit round milestone victory totals last weekend.

Kelsi Dunne Diaz won her 200th game as the Eagles' softball coach Saturday in a 1-0 pitcher's duel against nationally ranked Carson-Newman. The following day, Randy Stegall notched his 500th career victory in charge of ERAU's baseball team in a dramatic 7-6 extra-inning road win over USC Aiken.

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"We share the same building, share the same facility. So, it's ironic or coincidental that we share this moment," Stegall said.

Dunne Diaz, a Spruce Creek graduate and former All-SEC pitcher at Alabama, entered the week with a lifetime winning percentage of .625 over nine years in charge at Embry-Riddle. During the 2022 campaign, the Eagles achieved their highest NCAA Division II national ranking in history (No. 18) and won 28 games on their way to a spot in the regional tournament.

Dunne Diaz said she had no idea that the win was her 200th until her players sprayed her with silly string and congratulated her on the field.

"Numbers are not something that I generally focus on," she added. "We really focus on winning the process every single day. I'm just really proud to be an Eagle, of the former Eagles we've had in this program and that played such a huge role in this milestone. It truly wouldn't possible without every Eagle that's come through and made an impact and the support staff at Embry-Riddle."

Prior to her hire at ERAU in June 2014, Dunne Diaz served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, primarily working with pitchers and catchers. Despite a prominent position with a Power Five Division I program, the opportunity to return home was too tempting to pass up.

"I felt like it was a great opportunity to be able to come back and give back to where I came from," Dunne Diaz said. "I always tell our recruits and our team that our conference is like the SEC of Division II softball. It's extremely competitive and one of the toughest regions to get through in order to get to Nashville. We've been to the postseason two of the three years we've been able to go, and I feel like we were one pitch away in two different games at the end of last season."

Among those on the hiring committee when Dunne Diaz interviewed for the job was Stegall, now in his 16th year at Embry-Riddle.

Arriving from Indiana Tech ahead of the 2008 season, Stegall guided ERAU to seven NAIA World Series appearances in eight years. He hit the 40-win mark in a season nine times, including two campaigns of at least 50.

"Wins were coming fast and furious until we got to Division II, and then we got stuck in the mud for a minute," Stegall said. "It's a credit to all the players and all the people who have won those games."

Since ERAU made the jump into Division II, Stegall has added 131 victories to his résumé despite the program being ineligible for postseason tournaments during the transitional phase (2016-17) and the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out most of the 2020 season and all of 2021.

"It's almost like we went through two probation periods. We're still dealing with the depth issues now," said Stegall, whose team is off to a 9-5 start this spring.

At age 47 and having coached 19 MLB draft picks, Stegall plans to stick around at Embry-Riddle "as long as they allow me." His goals include returning Embry-Riddle to the World Series at the D-II level but, most importantly, to produce good people beyond baseball.

"I don't enjoy much else besides baseball and my family," Stegall said. "It's said that baseball doesn't define you, but it's given me so much. I feel like I owe it to Embry-Riddle, the former players and the future players to give it my all every single day.

"I'm still motivated, high-energy, love the game, enjoy the wins and really hate the losing. When I lose that feeling, I'll kind of know."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Embry-Riddle's Kelsi Dunne Diaz, Randy Stegall reach milestone wins