Justin Buchanan enters his 20th year as a Dixie State softball assistant coach and recruiting coordinator during the 2020 season.
During his tenure at Dixie State, he has never had a losing season and has accumulated 748 wins and 262 losses for a .740% win percentage (2001-2019). Prior to his arrival, the program had only achieved three total winning seasons with 119 wins and 248 losses since the inception of the softball program (1975-2000).
While at DSU, Buchanan has worked with 6 different head coaches and has been awarded the NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year three times (2009, 2014 & 2015). In the NCAA era, he has been a part of three NCAA College World Series (2009, 2014 & 2015) appearances with the 2015 program finishing as the NCAA National runner-up in Oklahoma City at the USA softball hall of fame stadium. He has also helped the Trailblazers to 11 consecutive NCAA Division II Regional appearances, including four Super-Region appearances.
He has also helped put together some of the best offensive teams as the 2010 and 2014 teams led the nation in team batting average (.371 & .368). With his recruiting, he has help produced 61 PacWest/RMAC All-Conference Selections, 33 NCAA All-West Region Selections and six NCAA All-Americans.
2019 - The season saw the Trailblazers post a 42-13 overall record and make their 11th consecutive NCAA Division II Regional appearance. Dixie State finished its debut season in the Rocky Mountain Athletic conference with a 31-9 record, taking the No. 3 seed into the conference tournament. DSU notched a 5-1 record at the tournament to claim its first-ever tournament championships. The Trailblazers posted three wins, including two victories over No. 1 seed and host Colorado Mesa, on championship Saturday to claim the title and advance to the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals in Commerce, Texas.
2018 - The Trailblazer season started off with a school record 20 straight wins to open the season. With an overall record of 42-10 DSU matched the third highest win total in school history. With a PacWest conference record of 24-8, DSU set school records in walks drawn (214),and fewest errors in a season (47). The Trailblazers also hit led the PacWest in overall team batting average for a fifth consecutive year and seventh year overall since joining the conference. Qualifying for the NCAA Regionals for a West Region leading tenth consecutive time, DSU again swept the NCAA Regional 1 on the road, this year held at Concordia Irvine to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals for the fourth time in five years. Dixie State hosted NCAA Super Regionals against top ranked Chico State but dropped the West Region championship game by a score of 4-3 to put an end to a great season.
2017 - With an overall record of 42-14 DSU posted the third highest win total in school history. Finishing second in the PacWest with a 24-8 conference record, DSU set school records in walks drawn (197), walks given up (98) and stolen bases (135). Qualifying for the NCAA Regionals for a West Region leading ninth consecutive time, DSU swept the NCAA Regional 1 held at CSU Monterey Bay to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals for the third time in four years. DSU fell to top ranked Humboldt State 3-2 in 8 innings on the first day. DSU dropped game two of the Super Regional 8-6 to Humboldt to end their 2017 post season run.
2016 - Saw a young team finish second in the PacWest with a 24-8 conference record, hit a conference best .335 as a team and rounded out the year with the fifth highest win total in the DII era, with a 36-15 overall record. The 2016 team also earned their eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Regionals.
2015 - Was another record setting season for the softball program. A slow 6-5 start, followed by an incredible 46-3 finish, earned DSU a program best 52-8 overall record. DSU powered to a PacWest Conference best 31-1 record for a third consecutive conference title. As a team, Dixie State led the PacWest conference in team batting average, ERA and fielding percentage.
2014 - Saw the team win their third PacWest Championship in the past 4 years and has been considered, Dixie State's best team as Buchanan helped guide Dixie State to a program-best No. 3 national ranking along with a school record 27 game winning streak and a school record, 6 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 2009. Dixie State also finished with a school record 51 wins and only 10 losses while finishing 3rd at the College World Series in Salem, Virginia.
2013 - Saw the 40-14 DSU squad win their 2nd Pac West Championship, 5th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance while hosting the NCAA Regionals for the 2nd time in school history.
2012 - The softball program reached the NCAA Regionals for their fourth consecutive year and played for the NCAA West Region Championship before falling to the NCAA National runner up. The team finished with a 38-13 record and clinched the PacWest Conference automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals with the #3 seed in the West Regionals. Dixie State softball program also set a new team record with 14 consecutive wins during the season as well as setting a new road games record of 16 wins as well as a record of only 3 losses on the road. The team also set a new record of most wins since joining the PacWest Conference with 26 conference wins.
2011 - season saw Dixie State earn their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Regionals and the programs first ever PacWest Conference Championship since joining the PacWest and NCAA in 2008. The team finished with a 33-14 record as well as landing their first ever NCAA All-American while finishing with the sixth best team batting average in the NCAA DII record book for the 2011 season.
2010 - Dixie State opened up with their then highest ever NCAA national ranking at #4 and Buchanan helped lead Dixie State to a 39-14 record with a second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance where Dixie State lost by one run in the championship game. Dixie State finished first in the nation with a .371 team batting average, fourth in slugging percentage (.553) and seventh in scoring (7.53) per game while only having one senior on the roster.
2009 - The first year the program was NCAA post season eligible, Buchanan helped Dixie State to a No. 6 final NCAA ranking while guiding the program to it's first College World Series since joining the NCAA three years ago and finishing with a 41-13 overall record. The team also won the NCAA West Regionals and Super Regionals as the # 3 seed in the West Regionals.
2001-2006: The JUCO program was a perennial top 10 NJCAA program and helped guide the team to the NJCAA Nationals (2004 & 2005) along with 4 SWAC (Scenic West Athletic Conference) titles.
Before Dixie State, Buchanan spent four seasons (1996-2000) as an assistant & head coach at West Jordan High School (West Jordan, UT), his Alma matter, and led the Jaguars to the schools first ever top 5 ranking in the State polls while posting an 18-8 record and a second place finish in the Utah's 5A region 2 and finishing fifth in the state tournament in 1999.
A 1999 graduate from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in communication and a minor in exercise and sports science with an emphasis in sports psychology. He is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Buchanan was born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT and served an LDS mission to Tucson, AZ from 1992-1994. He resides in Washington, UT with his two sons, Beckham and Brooks.
