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Stokes O'Connor Selected to Lead Kansas City Softball
7/18/2022 9:45:00 AM | Softball
The Kansas City native will be the eighth head coach in program history
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Athletics and Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin have officially announced Kansas City native Kiki Stokes O'Connor as the next head coach of Kansas City Softball. A former professional with NCAA Tournament experience as both a player and coach, Stokes takes the reins at Kansas City following a successful stint at Upper Iowa.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kiki Stokes O'Connor to the Kansas City Athletics family," Martin said. "She has been a proven winner as an All-American student-athlete, professional athlete and head coach. Kiki's elite softball experience, passion for player development and recruiting ties throughout the Kansas City metro makes her the ideal fit to lead our program. We firmly believe that Kiki will have a transformational impact on our student-athletes, our athletic department and the UMKC community."
Stokes O'Connor's illustrious career includes Power Five coaching experience, three years as an Assistant Coach in the Summit League at SDSU, and successful head coaching experience at Upper Iowa University.
"I am so honored to be the next head coach at Kansas City," Stokes O'Connor said. "It is so surreal to be coming home for the first time in 10 years. Words can't describe how much it means to be back in the place where it all started for me. To represent my city and lead these young women is a dream come true. I love this city and believe that we can take this program to new heights. I cannot wait to get on campus to meet our student-athletes, begin developing relationships with them and build a winning culture."
"I am so grateful for the unwavering support of Dr. Martin, he moved mountains to bring me home and I can't thank him enough for entrusting me with this opportunity to lead this program. This is a special time for my family and I, we are so excited to be in this together and we can't wait to see the future success of this program."
In 2021-22, Stokes O'Connor led Upper Iowa University to one of the most successful seasons in the program's recent history. She guided the Peacocks to an 11-win turnaround, posting a 24-28 overall record. She helped the team clinch the first NSIC Tournament berth since 2019 and its first NSIC Tournament victory since 2016. In addition, she led Katie Crogan to the best individual season in program history, as she earned DII CCA Central Region Player of the Year and NSIC Conference Player of the Year. Crogan was also the first Peacock in program history to earn NFCA DII All-American distinctions.
Prior to her season in Fayette, Stokes O'Connor was an assistant coach at South Dakota State University for three seasons. While with the Jackrabbits, she was tasked with coordinating defensive play and coaching left-handed hitters, as well as assisting in recruiting, practice planning and operations. During her tenure, the Jackrabbits earned their first-ever NCAA Regional berth and ranked atop the nation in multiple statistical categories.
In her final season at SDSU in 2021, the Jackrabbits strung together a blazing 21-1 record in Summit League play, breezing past the competition for regular season and tournament conference championships. They qualified to the Fayetteville Regional, taking Stanford to extra innings before ending their season with a 43-8 record. The Jackrabbits took home Conference Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, while leading the nation in triples (25), ranking top-12 in fielding percentage (.977), top-20 in batting average (.317) and top-15 in home runs (73).
Stokes O'Connor joined the coaching ranks following a fruitful playing career that saw her picked No. 6 overall by the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch league. She played with the franchise for four seasons, helping earn the 2017 NPF Championship and earning Second Team All-NPF honors in 2016. She also spent a season in the Italian Softball League.
A four-year starter at Nebraska, Stokes O'Connor left as one of the most decorated players in program history. She was a two-time NFCA Third Team All-American, two-time First Team NFCA All-Midwest player, two-time First Team All-Big Ten and two-time Big Ten All-Tournament team honoree. In 2013 the Huskers took a seventh-place finish at the College World Series, and in 2014 the team won the Big Ten. Academically she excelled as well, earning a nomination for the Senior CLASS Award, four Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll mentions and the Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership award in 2015.
In addition to her coaching experience, Stokes O'Connor is dedicated to growing and expanding diversity in the game of softball. She is the Co-Owner of This Is Us Softball, which empowers the next generation to embrace diversity and inclusion in softball. Additionally, she was a member of the Summit League's Diversity and Inclusion committee and South Dakota State's Diversity in Athletics Committee.
Stokes O'Connor earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in 2017 in Child, Youth and Family Studies.Â
Stokes O'Connor's homecoming will joined by her husband Sean O'Connor.Â