Kentucky head softball coach Rachel Lawson has announced the addition of assistant coach Kristine Himes to her staff. Himes comes to the Wildcats after spending the past season as an assistant to Lawson at Western Kentucky.
?I am honored to have been provided the opportunity to work at one of the premier Universities in the country,? said Himes. ?It?s a very exciting time to be a Wildcat and I?m looking forward to the challenge of building the softball program to elite status within the SEC.?
Himes joined the Hilltoppers after making her professional debut in 2006 with the Philadelphia Force, which competes in the National Pro Fastpitch league, where Lawson was an assistant coach.
Prior to WKU, Himes was an assistant coach at George Washington University for two seasons. While there she was responsible for hitting, developing and monitoring the softball team?s weight lifting and conditioning program in addition to assisting with video analysis, and the recruitment of student-athletes.
Himes is a 2003 graduate of Ohio State, where she was a standout, power-hitting third baseman for the Buckeyes. A captain during the 2002-03 season, she received the OSU Rookie of the Year Award in 2000, OSU Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and was an all-Big Ten selection in 2002. Himes holds the school?s single-season (16) and career (41) records for home runs. She?s also second in career games played and ranks in the top five in walks and RBI. OSU honored her as one of its top scholar-athletes in 2001 and 2002, and she also received all-Big Ten academic honors as a junior.
Himes helped guide Ohio State to a 55-14 record and an NCAA Tournament regional championship game appearance in 2002. Later in 2002 she was invited to participate in the Olympic Training Camp.
?We are very fortunate to add Kristine to the UK coaching staff,? said Lawson. ?Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable about the sport of softball, but her work ethic and mental approach is exactly what will be needed as we make our run at the SEC Championship.?
The Bolivar, Ohio, native holds a bachelor?s degree in business administration from Ohio State and will receive her master?s in sports management from WKU in December. She will reside in Lexington.
