Assistant Coach
11th Season

Following a stellar playing career at Johnson County Community College and MidAmerica Nazarene University, Katie Williams enters her 11th season as an assistant coach to the Lady Cavaliers softball program, however effective on July 1, 2022, she became the first full-time assistant softball coach in the history of the program. 

In her 10 seasons as an assistant for JCCC, Williams has helped the program to a 306-109 record (.737), with four  conference championships (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024), four Region VI/District championships (2017, 2018, 2019, 2025), four fifth place NJCAA D-II National Tournament finishes (2017, 2019, 2024, 2025), and a seventh place national tournament finish (2018). The program has also appeared in 89-of-107 (83%) NJCAA Coaches Polls, including 39 times in the Top-10. They have also opened nine of 10 seasons nationally ranked and ended the year in the final national poll in eight of 10 seasons, finishing seventh in 2020 and 2025.

In addition to the team accomplishments during Williams’ stint on the staff, she also has helped coach one NJCAA D-II National Player of the Year (Aspen Burgardt), seven NJCAA All-Americans (Sammi Bates -2017 & 2018, Megan Dieter-2017, Kerrigan Dixon-2019, Kaylin Watkins-2021, Jordan Harrison-2023, Aspen Burgardt-2024), four NFCA All-American (Kaylin Watkins-2021, Aubree Griffith-2021, Aspen Burgardt-2024, Kate Ediger-2024), 72 All-Region 6/District performers, 71 All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference performers, including three MVPs (Megan Dieter-2017, Jordan Harrison-2023, Aspen Burgardt-2024) and three conference freshmen of the year selections (Dakota Sanders, 2016, Sammi Bates-2017, Aspen Burgardt-2024), 26 KJCCC Player of the Week and 42 Pitcher of the Week selections.   

Off the field 80 percent of JCCC’s softball players (152-of-189) achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the fall semester in each of her 10 fall semesters with the program.  Additionally, 71 players have gone on to earn NJCAA Student-Athlete Academic award honors accumulating a grade point above 3.6, highlighted by 17 first-team selections with a 4.0 GPA.  In 2023, pitcher Jordan Harrison, infielder Toree Hoobler and catcher Gaige Pinkerton became the first softball players to be selected Academic All-District® by College Sports Communicators, and Harrison was selected as the College Division recipient of the CSC Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year award, the first in program history. In 2024, Kate Ediger and Maggie McNally were named to the CSC Academic All-District® Women's College Division At-Large Team and McNally became the second student-athlete selected CSC Academic All-America® Women's College Division At-Large Team. In 2025, Aspen Burgardt, Izzy Carter, Jaylee Jefferson and Jalin Lavers McNally were named to the CSC Academic All-America® Women's College Division At-Large Team, the most in one year, and Burgardt became the third softball player to be selected CSC Academic All-America® Women's College Division At-Large Team. 

She has also helped 31 players move continue their careers at four-year institutions, including 15 at the NCAA Division II level. 

Last season, the Cavaliers opened the season ranked seventh in the NJCAA D-II Preseason Poll and were picked as the favorite to win the KJCCC D-II title. Johnson County got off to a slow start, standing 5-6 entering the March portion of their schedule, but would finish strong, win the Region 6 Tournament to advance to the NJCAA D-II World Series where they would finish in fifth place with a 37-17 record. Johnson County also had 11 players selected as All-KJCCC D-II and All-Region 6 D-II, the most of her career and most since in program history since 2002.

In 2024, Johnson County opened the season ranked No. 8 nationally and were the favorites to win the KJCCC D-II title. JCCC went to finish the season with a record of 46-12 while capturing the conference championship. Despite falling in the region/district championship to Fort Scott, the Lady Cavaliers received one of the first at-large bids to compete in the NJCAA D-II World Series and the capitalized by posting a fifth-place finish. Individually seven players were selected all-conference/all-district with freshman third baseman paving the way by being named both the Freshman of the Year and MVP of the conference. She would go on to be selected first-team All-American by the NJCAA and was named the D-II National Player of the Year, the first in team history, making her most decorated player in team history. She along with teammate Kate Ediger, were also named as All-America performers by the NFCA. 

In 2023, the Lady Cavaliers opened the season unranked but at the end of the season they found themselves ranked among the top-20 programs in the country at No. 13. JCCC finished the season with a record of 33-9 and were co-champions of the Kansas Jayhawk D-II Conference. Individually 10 players were selected all-conference/all-district, with right-hand pitcher Jordan Harrison landing the Most Valuable Player award, proving to be one of the best arms in the conference punctuated by her selection as Pitcher of the Week five times during the season. She also was tabbed third-team All-American.

Williams played for former coach Kelly Latandresse in 2011 and for current coach Aubree Brattin-Volkens in 2012. As a freshman, Williams garnered second-team All-East Jayhawk Conference honors at pitcher. She logged 137.1 innings and finished with a 9-13 record with 127 strikeouts and staff best ERA of 1.99. She pitched in 29 games, 20 as a starter. She tied for 29th in the NJCAA with a strikeout-per-inning ratio of 0.93. Williams also made 95 plate appearances, batting .253 with 24 hits, seven doubles, a triple a home run, nine RBI and seven runs. 

Her sophomore campaign, Williams was named as both All-East Jayhawk Conference and All-Region VI/District E teams. She was a first-team pitcher on both squads. She led the JCCC staff with a 21-4 record, 100 strikeouts and 151.1 innings worked. She finished with an ERA of 2.03 and held her opponents to a .222 batting average. She also started 27 games, completing 16 with eight shutouts.

For her career, Williams finished 30-17 overall, 227 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.02. Her 30 wins tie for 15th all-time. At the plate, Williams hit .434 (56-for-129) with 18 doubles, three home runs, and 39 RBI

Williams reunited with Latendresse at MidAmerica Nazarene for her junior and senior years, where she helped the Lady Pioneers reached the NAIA National Tournament both seasons. Williams was twice honored as a second-team All-Heart of America Conference designated player. She twice earned conference weekly honors, once as a pitcher as a junior and once as a DP her senior year. 

She was a .337 hitter in her two seasons at MNU (64-for-190) with 19 doubles, seven home runs and 38 RBI. She produced 21 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games over her career. She also logged 129.2 inning with 67 strikeouts and a 10-6 record. 

Williams earned her stripes as prep player for Melissa Wible at DeSoto (Kan.) High School. She was twice named All-Frontier League at pitcher, and twice selected to the Lawrence Journal-World All-Area team. She was also named to the Kansas City Star’s All-Metro team her senior year.