University of Texas at Arlington

UT Arlington Athletics
1309 W. Mitchell Street Arlington, TX 76019

Division 1 Texas South

Public Very Large National competitor

I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Kara Dill

Former Texas A&M assistant coach Kara Dill was named the 10th head coach of the UT Arlington softball program on July 8, 2022.

Dill (first name pronounced: care-uh) spent the previous six seasons as the pitching coach for the Aggies, leading the staff to unprecedented heights. Prior to her time in Bryan-College Station, Dill – an All-SEC player at Kentucky – coached at her alma mater, in addition to LSU and the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league.

This past year, Dill helped A&M to its 20th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance following six wins over nationally ranked opponents during the regular season. As a whole, the pitching staff combined for 13 shutouts during the 2022 campaign, led by two-way player Makinzy Herzog who went on to earn NFCA All-South Region and All-SEC First Team honors.

In 2021, A&M’s pitching staff recorded two no-hitters – which marked the first time the Aggies recorded multiple no-hitters in a season since 2013.

During her first season with A&M in 2017, Dill’s pitching staff lowered its ERA from 3.86 the year prior to 2.08 and propelled the Aggies to a Women’s College World Series berth.

Dill, who served as an assistant coach with the Scrapyard Dawgs in the NPF in 2016, spent two years at LSU (2015-16) assisting in all aspects of the program with a primary focus on the Tigers’ slap hitters.

During her first season in Baton Rouge, Dill led the talented squad to a remarkable season at the plate, led by Bailey Landry, who was named a Second Team All-American.

Prior to her time at LSU, Dill was a member of the coaching staff that paced Kentucky to its first trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2014.

As a player, 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 – the 5th most for any Kentucky player in a single season. By the time she ended her career, Dill ranked 8th in UK history in hits with 201, 6th in stolen bases (57), 5th in batting average (.330) and 7th in runs scored (119) to go along with two All-SEC selections.

The LaGrange, Ohio, native graduated from Kentucky with her bachelor’s degree three semesters early, eventually completing her master’s while concluding her stellar career on the diamond. After her senior year – in which 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.

Dill was named to the Frank G. Ham Society of Character, which annually honors Kentucky student-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 NCAA’s 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.

Email coach

Jo Koons

Former Utah State standout and Longwood assistant coach Jo Koons joined the UTA Softball coaching staff as an assistant coach on July 28, 2022.

Koons comes to UTA following the 2022 season with the Lancers where she helped lead them to a 34-24 record. Prior to her time at Longwood, Koon spent two seasons with national powerhouse Oregon after a year coaching at her alma mater Utah State in 2019. The Chico, Calif., native began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Stanford in 2016 and has also held an assistant post at Colorado Christian (2017), along with a head coaching stint at Lassen College (2018).

This past year, Koons led Longwood to the Big South Championship Final before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Campbell. Entering the 2022 season, the Lancers had been winners of five of the past nine Big South championships – one of the winningest programs in Big South softball history. During her time in Farmville, Va., the former standout shortstop worked primarily with the defense and hitters. Koons helped coach 2022 Big South Freshman of the Year Jaden Pone, who tabbed a .416 batting average and recorded the 10th-most hits in the country with 79.

As a volunteer assistant at Oregon, Koons oversaw one of the nation’s best defensive units and produced back-to-back top-20 fielding percentage rankings in 2020 and 2021. Her 2020 group had the country’s 2nd-highest clip, committing just eight errors en route to a .986 percentage, while the 2021, 40-win squad posted a .977 percentage to finish 15th in the nation. Two of Koons’ infielders were named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team, with the middle-infield duo of shortstop Alyssa Brito and second baseman Allee Bunker both earning spots on that 12-player squad.

Along with sharing primary defensive coaching duties with the Ducks, Koons also aided Oregon’s lineup to a .290 batting average with a .360 on-base percentage and a .459 slugging clip – all among the top five in the Pac-12 last season. Five Oregon players were named to the All-Pac-12 team, including former outfielder Haley Cruse who finished amidst the league’s top five in batting average, hits, doubles and stolen bases.

Koons dove into the coaching world immediately after graduating from Utah State in 2015, where she was a four-year starter who appeared in more than 200 games and started 198 of those. A utility player for the Aggies, she logged starts at all nine positions during her career and finished her tenure ranked among Utah State’s all-time top 10 with 10 career triples and 65 career walks. A two-year team captain, she ended her time in Logan making 110 consecutive starts in her final two seasons, including a 2015 campaign in which she tied for 4th on Utah State’s single-season lists with 36 runs and 26 walks.

Primarily a shortstop and top-of-the-lineup hitter, Koons hit .269 with a .340 on base percentage for her career. Her 65 walks compared with just 34 strikeouts in her four seasons, and she amassed more free passes than punchouts in each of her final three seasons.

Since her first coaching stop at Stanford in 2016, Koons’ student-athletes earned a number of academic recognitions. Among those were six All-Academic Pac-12 recognitions at Stanford in 2016, three All-Academic Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference picks at Colorado Christian in 2017 and six All-Academic Mountain West Conference honorees at Utah State in 2019.

Koons holds a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies from Utah State, which she earned in 2015, and a Master of Arts in organizational leadership, which she achieved at Colorado Christian in 2018.

Email coach

Fa Leilua

Former Mississippi State standout and Long Beach City College assistant coach Fa Leilua joined the UTA Softball coaching staff as an assistant coach on August 30, 2022.

Leilua currently plays in the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) with Smash It Sports where she recently wrapped up her first season in the league. She comes to Arlington following the 2022 season with Long Beach City College where she helped lead the Vikings to a 29-13 record in just her first coaching stint. Leilua played three seasons (2019-21) for Mississippi State after spending three years at Arizona State (2016-18).

This past year, the Hawthorne, Calif., native led LBCC to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Super Regional Playoffs for a best-of-three series against Santa Ana. During her tenure in Long Beach, Leilua propelled the Vikings to a .333 team batting average which featured two players with the 2nd and 3rd-best batting average in the South Coast Conference.

Leilua entered the coaching world immediately after graduating from Mississippi State in 2021, where she spent three seasons with the Bulldogs. In her final post in Starkville, Leilua led the team in batting average (.343), RBI (48) and home runs (20) in which she is the only Bulldog in school history with multiple 20-home run seasons.

A primary infielder for MSU, she amassed a .352 career batting average with 51 home runs – 2nd in program lore. The three-year starter was a 2019 All-SEC First Team member and three-time NFCA All-South Region selection.

Preceding to her time in the SEC, Leilua began her collegiate career at Arizona State in 2016. Over three years in Tempe, she turned in a breakout freshman campaign, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors as she led the Sun Devils with a .368 average at the plate. Leilua was one of the top hitters in the Pac-12, ranking 9th in the conference in slugging percentage and 5th in on-base percentage.

In 2017, the standout outfielder earned NFCA All-West Region honors as she was the lone Sun Devil to appear in 40 or more games without committing a single error. The California native ended her time at ASU in 2018 after receiving a medical redshirt.

Leilua holds a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies (2020) and a Master of Arts in workforce education leadership (2021) from Mississippi State.