UC San Diego

Nikki Palmer enters her third season as head coach of the UC San Diego softball program in 2027. Since returning to her alma mater, Palmer has guided the Tritons to two Big West Championship appearances, 11 All-Big West selections, one NFCA All-Region honoree and three single-season program offensive records. A former Triton catcher, Palmer returned to La Jolla with more than a decade of Division I head coaching experience after becoming the winningest coach in UC Riverside history.

The 2026 season saw Palmer guide the Tritons to another milestone year, as UC San Diego finished 23-28 overall and 12-15 in Big West play while advancing to the Big West Championship for just the second time in program history. The Tritons rewrote the program record book offensively, setting single-season records with 273 RBIs, 41 home runs and a .467 slugging percentage. Maalia Cherry earned First Team All-Big West and NFCA Division I All-Region Third Team honors after setting the program’s single-season home run record and tying the single-season RBI record. Five Tritons earned All-Big West recognition, including one selection to the Big West All-Freshman Team, while one Triton earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.

In her first season at the helm in 2025, Palmer guided UC San Diego through its first year of Division I postseason eligibility. The Tritons finished 16-32 overall and 13-14 in Big West play, earning a berth in the Big West Championship for the first time in the program’s Division I era. Under Palmer’s direction, six Tritons earned All-Big West recognition, including two First Team honorees, one Second Team selection, two honorable mention recipients and one All-Freshman Team selection. UC San Diego also had four College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections.

Palmer returned to UC San Diego after eight seasons as the head coach at UC Riverside, where she became the winningest coach in program history and recorded her 200th career victory in 2023. During her tenure, she coached 13 All-Big West selections, including five First Team honorees, three Big West All-Freshman Team selections, four NFCA All-Region honorees and the 2018 Big West Defensive Player of the Year.

Prior to UC Riverside, Palmer spent three seasons as the head coach at Utah Valley, where she guided the Wolverines to the WAC Tournament championship and the first NCAA postseason appearance by any sport during the program’s NCAA Division I era. Palmer also coached 13 Academic All-WAC selections during her time in Orem.

In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Palmer has served as the head coach of Team Israel, leading the program to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Women’s European Championship.

A UC San Diego graduate, Palmer earned degrees in Sociology and Communications in 2007 after a four-year career as a catcher for the Tritons under longtime head coach Patti Gerckens. Following her playing career, she remained at UC San Diego as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2008 season before beginning her Division I coaching career.

Palmer and her wife, Lindsay, reside in La Jolla with their two sons, Jensen and Hendrix.