SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara Head Softball Coach Gina Carbonatto announced on xday the hiring of Kristi Villar as an assistant coach.

Villar joins the Broncos from South Dakota State where she served as a highly productive hitting coach the last five years.  In those five seasons, the Jackrabbits finished atop the Summit League in: batting average, doubles per game and slugging percentage three times; on-base percentage and scoring four times; and home runs per game twice.

The 2021 team hit a program record 73 home runs, followed by 71 in 2022 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.  Villar helped the Jackrabbits reach the post season in each of the non-COVID seasons, having qualified for the National Softball Invitational Championship in 2018 and 2019.

"I am looking forward to joining a great university, athletic department and community," said Villar.  "I would like to thank Coach Carbonatto for the opportunity to work with the fantastic student-athletes and coaching staff."

Prior to her stint at South Dakota State, the Oakdale, Minnesota native was the head coach at Northern State for seven seasons.  Villar won 160 games, including four 20 win seasons to build a program that had previously never won more than 20 games before her arrival.  In 2015, she won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year honors.

In the classroom, Villar helped improve the team's academic performance, raising the team grade point average by a full point to a 3.8 in 2016-17 over her seven years.

The former standout shortstop at Augustana College broke into the college coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at Southwest Minnesota State.  The Mustangs won consecutive NSIC championships and she worked with one All-American, three All-Region players and seven All-NSIC picks.

At Augustana College, where she will be inducted into the athletics hall of fame in September, Villar earned All-North Central Conference honors four times and led the team in hitting as a junior and senior.  An NCC Freshman of the Year in 2003, she was a two-time All-Region performer. In her senior seaon, she led the team to the NCC Conference Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Villar earned her bachelor of arts in mathematics from Augustana in 2006, and a master's degree in educational leadership from SMSU in 2010.

Coach Carbonatto on Villar: "I am thrilled to be bringing one of the prolific hitting coaches in the country to Santa Clara University.  Coach Villar's expertise and experience is unmatched when it comes to building a program with offensive firepower.  With this addition to an already passionate staff, she will fit in perfectly in our quest for conference championships and sustained success on and off the field.  We are excited to get her to the beautiful Bay Area and on the field with our amazing student-athletes." 

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