July 3, 2001
Softball Coach Kristy Schroeder Will Return to California
Kristy (Howard) Schroeder (pronounced Shray-der), the winningest coach ever to lead the Truman softball program, is leaving after just three years at the helm of the Bulldogs.
Schroeder has accepted the head coaching position with the Gauchos of the University of California at Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play in the Big West Conference, where Schroeder formerly served as an assistant coach at the University of the Pacific. Schroeder calls the Big West "one of the top three softball conferences in the nation."
"It all came upon me kind of quickly," Schroeder said. "Obviously it's been a goal of mine to be at the Division I level, at a program that can eventually become a top 10 program, and I think I can do that at Santa Barbara.
"I grew up in California, and Santa Barbara is only about an hour from LA (where she played softball at UCLA), so its kind of what I was looking for.
"It was a hard decision because I'm in such a great place here at Truman, with such great players. So its been emotional for me, as well as exciting. The team here has such great potential and I'm hoping a lot of good candidates will apply for the position. Whoever gets it will have a great team.
"I couldn't have asked to come to a better place than Truman State University to start my head coaching career. We'll miss Kirksville. Most of all, I'll miss my team, and the people of Kirksville."
In her three seasons at Truman, Schroeder's clubs posted a stellar 133-34-1 record, including a 45-10 mark in conference play. Schroeder's 'Dogs reached the postseason in each of her three years, with each trip ending with a second place finish in the NCAA regional tournament.
Schroeder was honored with the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association coach of the year award in each of her first two seasons as a collegiate head coach. In 2000, Schroeder and company earned the 'Dogs' first MIAA conference title since 1986.
During her first season, Schroeder led the team to a 46-11 record with a 17-3 conference mark. She took the squad to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988 where the 'Dogs finished second in South Central regional, a feat they would repeat in the 2000 season.
The 1999 team broke school records for winning percentage (.807) and wins (46), while the 2000 team set new Truman standards for runs (257), hits (430), doubles (79), home runs (37), RBIs (235), total bases (628) and slugging average (.433), and tied the record for most putouts (1,146).
Schroeder played for two NCAA Division I national championship teams at the University of California-Los Angeles in 1990 and 1992, and was on runner-up squads in 1991 and 1993. She was a four-time all-PAC-10 shortstop and is the all-PAC-10 decade team shortstop.
Schroeder was a top-60 finalist for the U.S. Olympic softball team and was a member of an American Softball Association national championship team, earning ASA all-America accolades. She was also a letterwinner for the UCLA women's soccer and tennis teams her senior year, making her the university's first female three-sport athlete.
Schroeder worked as an assistant for the softball team at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. She also served as an assistant at Stanford University and as a graduate assistant at UCLA.
Schroeder graduated from UCLA in 1994 with a degree in sociology and earned a master of arts in sport sciences from Pacific in December of 1998. In addition to her coaching experience, she has presented and directed numerous sports and softball clinics over the past five years.
Schroeder is a native of Spring Valley, Calif., and attended Monte Vista High School, where she was San Diego County athlete of the year twice. She is married to Pete Schroeder ('96), an assistant professor of exercise science at Truman.