Assistant Coach
9th Season

Following a stellar playing career at Johnson County Community College and MidAmerica Nazarene University, Katie Williams enters her ninth season as an assistant coach to the Lady Cavaliers softball program, however effective on July 1, 2022, she became the first full-time assistant softball coach in the history of the program.

In her eight seasons as an assistant for JCCC, Williams has helped the program to a 223-80 record (.736), with three conference championships, three Region VI/District championships, two fifth place NJCAA D-II National Tournament finishes, and a seventh place national tournament finish. The program has also appeared in 66-of-84 (79%) NJCAA Coaches Polls, including 28 times in the Top-10. They have also opened seven of eight seasons nationally ranked and ended the year in the final national poll in six of eight seasons.  

In addition to the team accomplishments during Williams’ stint on the staff, she also has helped coach six All-Americans (Sammi Bates -2017 & 2018, Megan Dieter-2017, Kerrigan Dixon-2019, Kaylin Watkins-2021, Jordan Harrison-2023), two NFCA All-American (Kaylin Watkins-2021, Aubree Griffith-2021), 54 All-Region/District performers, 53 All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference performers, including two MVPs (Megan Dieter-2017, Jordan Harrison) and two conference freshmen of the year selections (Dakota Sanders, 2016, Sammi Bates-2017), 16 KJCCC Player of the Week and 31 Pitcher of the Week selections.   

Off the field 80 percent of jCCC’s softball players (138-of-172) achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the fall semester in each of her nine fall semesters with the program.  This past fall all 18 members of the team recorded a 3.0 or better with five posting a GPA of 4.0. In the 2021 fall semester 18 of 20 players recorded GPAs above 3.0. She also had 87 percent of her roster top 3.0 in 2015 and 83 percent in both 2016 and 2022. Additionally, 52 players have gone on to earn NJCAA Student-Athlete Academic award honors accumulating a grade point above 3.6, highlighted by 13 first-team selection with a 4.0 GPA.  Last year, pitcher Jordan Harrison, infielder Toree Hoobler and catcher Gaige Pinkerton became the first softball players to be selected Academic All-District® by College Sports Communicators, and Harrison was selected as the College Division recipient of the CSC Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year award, the first in program history. 

She has also helped 16 players move continue their careers at four-year institutions, including 10 at the NCAA Division II level.

Last season, the Lady Cavaliers opened the season unranked but at the end of the season they found themselves ranked among the top-20 programs in the country at No. 13. JCCC finished the season with a record of 33-9 and were co-champions of the Kansas Jayhawk D-II Conference. Individually 10 players were selected all-conference/all-district, with right-hand pitcher Jordan Harrison landing the Most Valuable Player award, proving to be one of the best arms in the conference punctuated by her selection as Pitcher of the Week five times during the season. She also was tabbed third-team All-American.

Williams played for former coach Kelly Latandresse in 2011 and for current coach Aubree Brattin-Volkens in 2012. As a freshman, Williams garnered second-team All-East Jayhawk Conference honors at pitcher. She logged 137.1 innings and finished with a 9-13 record with 127 strikeouts and staff best ERA of 1.99. She pitched in 29 games, 20 as a starter. She tied for 29th in the NJCAA with a strikeout-per-inning ratio of 0.93. Williams also made 95 plate appearances, batting .253 with 24 hits, seven doubles, a triple a home run, nine RBI and seven runs. 

Her sophomore campaign, Williams was named as both All-East Jayhawk Conference and All-Region VI/District E teams. She was a first-team pitcher on both squads. She led the JCCC staff with a 21-4 record, 100 strikeouts and 151.1 innings worked. She finished with an ERA of 2.03 and held her opponents to a .222 batting average. She also started 27 games, completing 16 with eight shutouts.

For her career, Williams finished 30-17 overall, 227 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.02. Her 30 wins tie for 15th all-time. At the plate, Williams hit .434 (56-for-129) with 18 doubles, three home runs, and 39 RBI

Williams reunited with Latendresse at MidAmerica Nazarene for her junior and senior years, where she helped the Lady Pioneers reached the NAIA National Tournament both seasons. Williams was twice honored as a second-team All-Heart of America Conference designated player. She twice earned conference weekly honors, once as a pitcher as a junior and once as a DP her senior year. 

She was a .337 hitter in her two seasons at MNU (64-for-190) with 19 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBI. She produced 21 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games over her career. She also logged 129.2 inning with 67 strikeouts and a 10-6 record. 

Williams earned her stripes as prep player for Melissa Wible at DeSoto (Kan.) High School. She was twice named All-Frontier League at pitcher, and twice selected to the Lawrence Journal-World All-Area team. She was also named to the Kansas City Star’s All-Metro team her senior year.