Murray State University Women's Softball

Amundson became the second softball coach in Murray States history in July of 2012, but is no stranger to Murray State. She previously served as an assistant coach for the softball team for the 2010 and 2011 seasons and also served as the womens tennis coach in 2012. Amundson took the Racers to new heights in 2015, tying a school record third-place finish in the OVC regular season standings and winning a record number of overall and OVC games at 38 and 20, respectively. In addition, she has now led MSU to an OVC tournament berth and no less than a trip to the semi-finals in each of her three seasons. The 2015 season also saw Amundson coach her first OVC Player of the Year, as well as four other All-OVC selections, raising her total to eight in the span of just three years. On April 11, she won her 81st game as head coach of the Racers, surpassing Jay Pyron as the programs all-time winningest coach and reaching the milestone in 12 fewer games. Amundson is currently just five games away from 100 career wins with an all-time record of 95-70. In 2014, Amundson continued to grow the Racers in her second season by adding seven more wins than in 2013. She also led the Racers to a fourth-place finish in the OVC regular season and a championship game appearance in the OVC tournament. In addition, she added two All-OVC and two All-Newcomer selections to her resume to bring her tally up to three each. In her first season, Amundson piloted the Racers to a 25-28 overall record and a 14-10 league mark to finish the season tied for fourth in the OVC. In the OVC tournament, the Racers won their first two games, before eventually finishing third in the tournament for the second consecutive year. Amundson joined the Racers in 2009 after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois. In her second season, the Huskies advanced to the Mid-American Conference semifinals, while two players garnered first-team All-MAC laurels. She also tutored two student-athletes to academic all-conference honors in each of her two seasons. Before joining the coaching ranks, Amundson was a four-year member of the DePaul softball team. The Coon Rapids, Minnesota, native helped the Blue Demons capture the 2003 and 2005 Conference USA championships. The Blue Demons also advanced to the Womens College World Series in 2005 and in 2007. DePaul knocked off Northwestern in 2005, before defeating No. 3 Oklahoma in 2007. During her senior season, Amundson helped the Blue Demons to the Big East regular-season title with a perfect 20-0 record in Big East action. DePaul went on to go 5-0 in postseason play on its way to the WCWS. Amundson earned her degree in sociology, with a focus on juvenile justice, from DePaul in 2007. An excellent student-athlete, Amundson was named to the Conference USA Commissioners Academic Honor Roll in 2005, and earned Big East Academic All-Star honors in 2006 and 2007. Prior to taking over the softball program, Amundson served as the interim tennis coach for the 2011-12 season. In her lone season leading the program, Amundson led the team to a 12-11 overall record, a 6-3 mark in OVC play and a trip to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament. She also tutored three players to All-OVC honors.     Kara Amundson Career Record

Gilland led Murray State to the OVC's second-best batting average in both 2014 and 2015, including a school record of .315 in 2015. She has also been instrumental in the development of 2015 OVC Player of the Year Jessica Twaddle, who saw her average rise almost .100 points from her freshman to sophomore seasons. Twaddle turned in a respectable .331 in 2014, but finished 2015 with a school record .426. Gilland arrived at Murray State after serving for two years as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa.  During her tenure in Cedar Falls, she helped lead the Panthers to a record of 70-41, including a 38-16 campaign in 2012 in which UNI claimed the Missouri Valley regular-season championship. Prior to Northern Iowa, Gilland spent five seasons at Western Illinois, with two as a player, one as a student assistant and two as a graduate assistant.  While in Macomb, Gilland earned a bachelors degree in business administration in 2007 and a masters in sport management in 2009. Before transferring to Western Illinois, the Ocala, Florida, native spent two seasons at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. While her duties will be drastically different this time around, Gilland is no stranger to Murray State.  During the 2009-2010 season, she served as a marketing assistant for the Racers, handling promotions for volleyball, womens basketball and softball.  Gilland currently works primarily with hitters and outfielders.