Laina Su'esu'e is in her third season as a member of the UT Permian Basin Softball coaching staff, after a successful playing career.
Su'esu'e was a First Team All-Great American Conference honoree in 2021 at Southern Arkansas and was an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2019. She was a slick fielding catcher and first baseman who ended her playing career first in career fielding percentage for the Muleriders. In 2019 she finished the season without committing an error and had the third most chances (457) in program history. She finished her career with the second highest batting average at Southern Arkansas at .391.
As a senior in 2021 she hit .357 with seven home runs and 30 RBI while reaching base at a .507 clip as the Muleriders reached the South Central Regional. In 2020 she had her best season at the plate, batting .461 with 33 RBI and three triples before COVID forced the cancelation of the remainder of the season while the Muleriders were 22-2. In 2019 she was second on the team with a .356 batting average along with five home runs and 36 RBI as the team reached the South Region playoffs.
Prior to Southern Arkansas, Su'esu'e played at Salt Lake City Community College in her hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. There she hit .444 (128-for-288) with 19 home runs and drove in 101 runs over two fantastic seasons. There she was named Second Team All-Conference in 2017 as the Bruins took home the conference championship and were eventual national runner-up. In 2018 she was named to the All-Conference First Team before transferring for her final two seasons of eligibility.
