ARLINGTON – UT Arlington head softball coach Kara Dill has announced the addition of former Utah State standout and Longwood assistant coach Jo Koons to her inaugural staff as an assistant coach.
 
"Jo Koons is a huge hire for UTA Softball," said Dill. "I'm thrilled to have her join our staff. Our athletes will benefit from her high-level energy, knowledge and competitiveness. Jo's ability to develop our players will help lead our program to great heights."

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).
 
"I would like to thank Coach Dill for this incredible opportunity to serve on her staff," stated Koons. "Not only is she a great coach, but a tremendous person. I am extremely excited and grateful to get started this year alongside her, and the amazing people at the University of Texas at Arlington. I can't wait to get back on the field and work with our student-athletes. I look forward to seeing and being a part of their growth both on and off the diamond, that will make both the university and fans proud."
 
"Lastly, I would like to thank my mentor, friends and family for their continued support throughout my life and coaching career."
 
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.

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