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Karen Yoder completed her sixth season as head softball coach at UC Davis in 2010 and her 13th overall. For the fourth time in her career, she was named a conference coach of the year. She has been instrumental in guiding the program to its first NCAA Division I Softball Tournament following its transition from Division II to Division I and the Big West Conference. Along the way, Yoder has continued the program's longstanding commitment to both academic and athletic excellence. She was named the Aggies' seventh softball coach on July 18, 2004.
The 2010 season was a historic one for UC Davis softball as Yoder led the team to the NCAA Tournament in just its third year of eligibility. The Aggies won six out of seven Big West series to capture a share of the regular season title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Overall, UC Davis posted a nine-win improvement from the previous year in Big West play. For her efforts, Yoder was named the 2010 Big West Coach of the Year.
In 2009, Yoder was elected as the NFCA's Pacific Region Representative and a member of the All-American Committee. She is being considered for a second two-year term this summer.
In just her third year with the Aggies, and the fourth and final year of the school's transition, she guided the team to a 31-27-1 record, which was a 16-win improvement from the previous season and 24 wins better over a two-year period. The season also included a perfect record at the National Invitation Softball Tournament in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Two years ago, the Aggies set a new school record with 60 stolen bases while finishing second among Big West pitching staffs in strikeouts. The pitching staff was equally successful in 2009 with the second-best ERA in the conference. It also once again ranked second in strikeouts.
In all, Yoder has 316 career victories. Yoder secured her 300th victory during the 2010 season against Sacramento State on March 26th, which clinched the 2009-2010 Causeway Cup for UC Davis.
In 2008, Yoder was selected to take part in the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy seminar held in Denver, Colorado. As a graduate of Dimension I, she developed a vast network and professional experience that have enriched her philosophy and commitment to excellence.
The team's success on and off the field has resulted in several individual accomplishments in Yoder's six seasons. Prior to the Aggies move to the Big West, six players were named Division I Independent First Team All-Conference. In 2008, Jessica Hancock was named Big West First Team All-Conference while two additional Aggies received honorable mention. In 2009, Big West postseason honors for the Aggies included the top freshman field player, a first-team selection and four with honorable mention. There was plenty of hardware to go around as the result of the 2010 season. Alex Holmes was named Big West Pitcher of the Year with the team garnering three first-team selections. Three more received honorable mention. For the second straight year, an Aggie was named freshman field player of the year.
Off the field, multiple Aggies have been honored with either ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District or Big West All-Academic. In the 2008-2009 year Yoder's club held a 3.06 team GPA with 51% being named to the honor roll.
Yoder came to UC Davis from Napa Valley College, where she served as head coach during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, compiling a 45-40 mark. She led Napa to the Bay Valley Conference title in her first season, earning BVC Coach of the Year honors. In 2004, Yoder guided the Storm to a runner-up finish in the league's West Division.
Prior to her stint at NVC, she served as head coach at North Carolina Greensboro where she guided the Spartans to a 31-27 mark in 2001 and a 35-30-1 finish in 2002.
Yoder held her first head coaching position at Cal State Hayward (now known as Cal State East Bay), where she guided the Pioneers to an overall record of 80-56-1 in three years. She twice won Cal Pac Conference Coach of the Year accolades, posting a combined league record of 32-3 during 1999 and 2000. Yoder had served as an assistant coach at Hayward for two years.
As a collegiate player, Yoder lettered three years as a catcher and designated player at New Mexico from 1991 to 1994. She previously played at West Valley College, where she was selected as Nor Cal Catcher of the Year in 1990. She won All-America honors as a catcher the following year at the ASA national tournament.
After her collegiate career, Yoder played two years in the Women's Professional Fastpitch League as a member of the Georgia Pride and the Durham Dragons. In fact, she was a teammate of UC Davis All-American Trisha Reinhardt (Hayes).
Yoder earned her B.S. in kinesiology/physical education from Cal State Hayward in 1996 and added a master's degree in that field in 1999. She served as an instructor both at CSU Hayward and at Napa Valley College.
Yoder and her husband, Shawn, have three children - Jenna, Michael and Natalee.
