McKenzie Onyango brings fun, hard work, and passion back home to Denton as the Mean Green look ahead to the 2025-26 season
Onyango Returns Home
McKenzie Onyango is back in Denton, Texas as the North Texas Mean Green softball pitching coach. During her college career, she played two seasons there, recording 25 wins, a 2.04 ERA, and seven shutouts. Now, after spending a year as a pitching coach at Dodge City Community College, she is enjoying life at her dream job.
“Yeah, it’s been an absolute dream come true. I’ve told everybody this is my dream job. UNT has a special place in my heart. This place is home to me and it has always been home ever since I stepped foot on campus,” said Onyango.
“So just being able to come back to UNT and really be on the other side of softball has been a huge blessing. All I can say is God made it happen. He is amazing. He works in mysterious ways. It has been awesome and I have loved every second of it.”
Summer Coaching Experience
I first met Onyango this summer as she coached Smoky Mountain Rain to the Scenic City Collegiate League championship, so it was good to catch up again. Summer leagues are always talked about positively by players who gain extra reps, sharpen their craft, and meet new people while enjoying the game. I asked McKenzie how coaching in the summer helped her.
“That was my first time being a head coach, if you will, and just having fun was the main goal of mine for the summer,” Onyango said. “I used to play in the summer league, I did it twice, and I know I had a blast. So my number one goal for these girls was just to have fun. I am bringing that to UNT, my new job. I love it so far, absolutely love it.”
Learning the Other Side
Fun is clearly central to her outlook on sports and life. Still, I wanted to know if there was something she sees differently now as a coach compared to when she was a player.
“I think recruiting is one of the biggest pieces that I did not realize as a player. Recruiting takes up a lot of time and a lot of long drives. The behind the scenes work to make everything run smoothly is crazy,” said Onyango.
“As a player, you will never know how much your coach does for you and for your team. But it is also a beautiful process, because just being able to give back to the game I loved and being that coach where the girls do not have to worry about anything is really cool. I think the biggest thing is recruiting and all the business aspects that come with softball.”
The Importance of Camps
She also encourages players to attend camps, explaining how valuable they are for both coaches and athletes.
“I think camps are really important. It gives us coaches a sense of who is out there that we have not seen or heard about,” Onyango said. “And from the learning aspect, come to one of our camps and learn from some of the great schools and some of the great players. Other universities and coaches all teach differently. Every pitching coach teaches different, every hitting coach teaches different. Seeing those perspectives and finding what works best for you is the most important part.”
Building Chemistry at North Texas
Back at North Texas, Onyango says the program is working hard while keeping that balance of fun. The team has bought in to the new staff and is eager to move forward.
“All of them have been amazing so far. I know transitions can be hard, but the whole group of girls, all 22, have really come together. They have accepted us as a coaching staff and they have been working really hard for us,” she said.
“They have been so open and coachable. They want to learn and get better, and as a coach that is all you can ask for, great attitude and effort. I am really excited and I know the whole coaching staff is excited too.”
The coaching staff’s chemistry has been another strength.
“We all mesh really well. Cody, John, and Cas have been amazing. They have been patient with the girls and they have made practices fun. Just like when I was in Tennessee, we strive to make practices quick, hard, but fun,” Onyango said.
“My girls have heard me say it before, if you are not having fun, then why are you doing it. I carried that with me when I played, and I still believe it. I want our girls and my pitching staff to have fun.”
Looking Ahead
North Texas returns several key players, including arms in the circle. Onyango likes what she has seen so far.
“We are excited and we know we are going to be pretty good,” she said.
Before we wrapped up, I asked for her advice to young players chasing a college dream. Onyango leaned on a quote she has kept since T ball.
“One quote I grew up with is hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard. I still believe that today. If you want to be where you want to be, hard work is going to get you there. But as I have grown older, I know you also have to have fun with it.
Whenever you combine hard work and fun, you have something pretty special. That is the best advice I can give to the younger generation. This game is supposed to be fun. Love every second of it, because it goes by in a flash.”
Closing Thoughts
I want to thank Coach McKenzie Onyango for catching up this morning. The North Texas Mean Green are heading into 2025-26 with a fresh new beginning, as the new era has taken effect with Head Coach Cody White and his staff. The American Conference will be a fun and solid race in 2026, and I am looking forward to seeing where they stack up.
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