The practice of building relationships is invaluable to the lifestyle of a college coach. Whether it's connecting with players to help them perform their best, building a coaching and support staff or discovering the next step in one's career, the importance of "who you know" can't be understated.
That's been especially true for first-year Abilene Christian softball head coach Jo Koons, who will serve as an assistant coach this summer in the inaugural campaign of the
Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Koons joins the coaching staff of the
Talons, one of the league's four teams that will play a 24-game schedule over June and July.
AUSL is a professional softball league that is an evolution of the AU Pro Softball Championship Season, launched in 2020 and now known as the AUSL All-Star Cup. The new program features a traditional schedule as each team travels across the country to play in a variety of locations to expand the growing game of softball.
"It's a great opportunity," Koons said. "We're trying to grow the game, ultimately, is the bottom line of what AUSL and the mission is. I think that this has an opportunity to take off just because it's also backed by ESPN, MLB is getting behind it, as well as we are creating some security for both the athletes and then the coaches themselves."
The organization is supported by advisors and softball legends Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Natasha Watley and Jessica Mendoza. Former MLB executive and the first female general manager in Major League history, Kim Ng, is a senior advisor.
Koons, who in her first season with the Wildcats has them at 7-8 in Western Athletic Conference play, credits her relationship with UCLA associate head coach Lisa Fernandez for the opportunity to coach at the professional level. Fernandez is the Talons' general manager and has been responsible for constructing the team's roster and staff.
The two California natives — Koons from Chico and Fernandez from Long Beach — connected over the summer of 2024 on the recruiting trail as Koons prepared for the 2025 campaign. She was also experienced in working camps with Fernandez and met her in Pac-12 competition through her assistant coaching roles at Oregon and Stanford.
"It's been fun to learn her as well and how her brain works," Koons said. "You learn just so much from being around other coaches, and you give and you take. It just makes everybody better."
With her first venture into professional softball, Koons looks to capitalize on the connections she forms with coaches and players from around the nation. She hopes those bonds can be reflected in the ACU softball program and take it to the next level.
"Just the opportunity to get to know professionals and what they do and what works for them," Koons said. "I think it just gives me the opportunity to grow myself as a coach, but, ultimately, to build relationships because I also want to give my future athletes the opportunity to play in a league like this. To be able to be in that environment and know what it's like and make those connections for the future of our program is beneficial."
Koons joins a Talons coaching staff headed by Howard Dobson, who served as an assistant coach at LSU for the past 13 seasons. He worked with USA Softball from 2012-21 and led Team USA to a WBSC World Championship in 2020. Dobson was an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2003-07 and was head coach at Southern Miss from 2008-11.
Associate head coach Kirk Walker is the director of softball administration at UCLA after guiding the Bruins to seven national titles and 18 Women's College World Series appearances as an assistant coach. He was the head coach at Oregon State from 1995 to 2012 and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Walker took the Beavers to the WCWS in 2006 and earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors twice.
After Appalachian State assistant coach Alex Ibarra works with the Talons in the same role for the first week of the season, Will Oldham takes over the position. Oldham is the director of player development and data analytics at UCLA and played a part in the Bruins' trip to the 2024 WCWS after winning the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles.
Koons reports to the Talons' training camp on May 27 in Rosemont, Ill. before kicking off the season on June 7. The league calendar features a 10-day break across the end of June and the beginning of July, time that Koons said she will spend recruiting. The regular season wraps up on July 23 with a championship series to follow between the top two teams.
Koons will specialize in coaching the Talons through the defensive aspects of the game, but is still learning to hone her skills in guiding players that have succeeded beyond the college level. In such ways, the summer will be just as much a learning experience for her as it is for the players.
"One of the biggest differences in coaching them is that they need very small, limited corrections," Koons said. "Probably the greatest challenge is that you've got to get them to be outside themselves, kind of getting back to that team mentality, whereas this league in the past was all about your individual stats and how you did.
"They want to get better. I think that's been the biggest difference in the pro league. You're like, 'Oh, they're just pros,' but pros also have to work and the work never stops."
