COLLEGE STATION – Former Kentucky All-SEC selection and three-year softball coaching veteran Kara Dill has been named Texas A&M's pitching coach, head coach Jo Evans announced Thursday.
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"I am excited to welcome Kara Dill to our coaching staff," Evans said. "When we were doing the search, we were looking for someone who has been in great systems. Kara has been at Kentucky with Rachel Lawson, who I have the utmost respect for and LSU with Coach Beth Torina, who is considered one of the best pitching coaches in the SEC. I know Kara understands the responsibilities this position entails and will have a system in place that will allow our pitchers to have great success. Kara is an ambitious, bright, driven young coach who has a great future ahead of her. We are excited to welcome Coach Dill into our Aggie Softball Family."
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"I am very excited for this opportunity," Dill said. "I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for this program. I have so much respect for how Coach Evans runs her program. It is so easy to see from an outsider's point-of-view on how well respected she is because of the way her team plays the game. They are hard workers, and I am very attracted to that type of work ethic. Staying in the SEC, the best conference in softball, makes me love this opportunity because the offenses are so good, which is appealing as a pitching coach because you know you have both sides of the game going.
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"Being able to learn from two of the best pitching coaches in Coach Torina and Coach Lawson has been very beneficial. The way Coach Lawson calls a game is amazing. I have learned so much how to manage a staff and call a game from her. She is a great teacher. Beth (Torina) is one of the best pitching coaches in the country and one of the reasons why I took the LSU job. She knows so much about the mechanics and how to call a game. I have been really lucky to work with two of the best in the business."
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Dill, who is currently an assistant coach with the Scrapyard Dawgs in the National Pro Fastpitch League, spent the last two years at LSU, assisting in all aspects of the program, with a primary focus on slap hitters. Last season, Bailey Landry was tied for third on the team with 69 hits, while fellow slapper Emily Griggs had 63.
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During her first season in Baton Rouge, Dill led the talented group to a prolific season at the plate, led by Landry, who earned second team NFCA All-America honors and paced the Tigers with a .421 batting average and 89 hits.
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"We have truly enjoyed having Kara as a part of LSU softball," LSU head coach Beth Torina said. "She has knowledge about so many aspects of the game. She is sure to make an immediate impact on any program. She brings a strong work ethic and has very high intelligence that will make her successful anywhere she goes. She knows the ins and outs of the SEC as a player and coach and Texas A&M should feel very fortunate to have a coach and a person like Kara as a part of their program."
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Prior to her time at LSU, Dill was a member of the coaching staff that led the Wildcats to their first trip to the Women's College World Series in 2014. Dill was one of the most feared leadoff hitters in the SEC while at UK (2009-13), kicking off her career with a 15-game hitting streak en route to a freshman season that saw her earn 71 hits, which was the fifth most for any Kentucky player in a single-season. By the time she ended her career, she finished eighth in hits with 201, sixth in stolen bases with 57, fifth in batting average at .330 and seventh in runs scored with 119 to go along with two All-SEC selections.
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"I would like to congratulate Kara on her position as the newest member of the Texas A&M coaching staff," Kentucky head coach Rachel Lawson said. "Kara is a proven winner having been a member of both the UK coaching staff and the LSU staff that have made it to a combined three-straight WCWS. Her intelligence, passion and understanding of the sport will prove invaluable as she works to build the A&M pitching rotation into a nationally recognized staff."
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The LaGrange, Ohio native graduated from Kentucky with her bachelor's degree three semesters early, eventually completing her masters while concluding her stellar career on the diamond. After her senior year, where she led the team in batting average, Dill was named to the SEC Community Service Team for her work with various groups, as well as being a CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District selection.
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Dill was named to the Frank G. Ham Society of Character, which annually honors Kentucky athletes who have shown an extraordinary commitment to academic excellence, athletic participation, personal development, career preparation and serving as a role model. She was also a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who utilize their complete athletic eligibility while honoring the four core attributes of the award in community, classroom, character and competition.
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"I am excited to welcome Kara Dill to our coaching staff," Evans said. "When we were doing the search, we were looking for someone who has been in great systems. Kara has been at Kentucky with Rachel Lawson, who I have the utmost respect for and LSU with Coach Beth Torina, who is considered one of the best pitching coaches in the SEC. I know Kara understands the responsibilities this position entails and will have a system in place that will allow our pitchers to have great success. Kara is an ambitious, bright, driven young coach who has a great future ahead of her. We are excited to welcome Coach Dill into our Aggie Softball Family."
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"I am very excited for this opportunity," Dill said. "I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for this program. I have so much respect for how Coach Evans runs her program. It is so easy to see from an outsider's point-of-view on how well respected she is because of the way her team plays the game. They are hard workers, and I am very attracted to that type of work ethic. Staying in the SEC, the best conference in softball, makes me love this opportunity because the offenses are so good, which is appealing as a pitching coach because you know you have both sides of the game going.
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"Being able to learn from two of the best pitching coaches in Coach Torina and Coach Lawson has been very beneficial. The way Coach Lawson calls a game is amazing. I have learned so much how to manage a staff and call a game from her. She is a great teacher. Beth (Torina) is one of the best pitching coaches in the country and one of the reasons why I took the LSU job. She knows so much about the mechanics and how to call a game. I have been really lucky to work with two of the best in the business."
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Dill, who is currently an assistant coach with the Scrapyard Dawgs in the National Pro Fastpitch League, spent the last two years at LSU, assisting in all aspects of the program, with a primary focus on slap hitters. Last season, Bailey Landry was tied for third on the team with 69 hits, while fellow slapper Emily Griggs had 63.
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During her first season in Baton Rouge, Dill led the talented group to a prolific season at the plate, led by Landry, who earned second team NFCA All-America honors and paced the Tigers with a .421 batting average and 89 hits.
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"We have truly enjoyed having Kara as a part of LSU softball," LSU head coach Beth Torina said. "She has knowledge about so many aspects of the game. She is sure to make an immediate impact on any program. She brings a strong work ethic and has very high intelligence that will make her successful anywhere she goes. She knows the ins and outs of the SEC as a player and coach and Texas A&M should feel very fortunate to have a coach and a person like Kara as a part of their program."
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Prior to her time at LSU, Dill was a member of the coaching staff that led the Wildcats to their first trip to the Women's College World Series in 2014. Dill was one of the most feared leadoff hitters in the SEC while at UK (2009-13), kicking off her career with a 15-game hitting streak en route to a freshman season that saw her earn 71 hits, which was the fifth most for any Kentucky player in a single-season. By the time she ended her career, she finished eighth in hits with 201, sixth in stolen bases with 57, fifth in batting average at .330 and seventh in runs scored with 119 to go along with two All-SEC selections.
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"I would like to congratulate Kara on her position as the newest member of the Texas A&M coaching staff," Kentucky head coach Rachel Lawson said. "Kara is a proven winner having been a member of both the UK coaching staff and the LSU staff that have made it to a combined three-straight WCWS. Her intelligence, passion and understanding of the sport will prove invaluable as she works to build the A&M pitching rotation into a nationally recognized staff."
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The LaGrange, Ohio native graduated from Kentucky with her bachelor's degree three semesters early, eventually completing her masters while concluding her stellar career on the diamond. After her senior year, where she led the team in batting average, Dill was named to the SEC Community Service Team for her work with various groups, as well as being a CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District selection.
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Dill was named to the Frank G. Ham Society of Character, which annually honors Kentucky athletes who have shown an extraordinary commitment to academic excellence, athletic participation, personal development, career preparation and serving as a role model. She was also a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who utilize their complete athletic eligibility while honoring the four core attributes of the award in community, classroom, character and competition.