14 Jun 2023 Central Arkansas softball adds to staff
CONWAY – A thorough search for an addition to head coach Jenny Parsons’ staff has resulted in the hiring of Kady Self as the Central Arkansas softball team’s newest assistant coach. Self joins a staff that led the Bears to their most successful season in program history in 2023.
“We hired Kady because we think she’s going to be a great addition to what we’re doing here,” Parsons said of Self. “Her personality, her energy, and her work ethic are going to greatly benefit our team. She did great work at North Texas, she’s been on those big stages during her playing career, we’re excited to add Kady to our team. She has a winner’s mentality that’s going to keep us moving in the right direction.”
Self, an Edmond, Okla., native, joins the staff after spending this past season as a volunteer hitting coach at North Texas. While in Denton, she helped the Mean Green win 35 games and reach the Conference USA title game. She was instrumental in the development of all-region first baseman Kailey Gamble, who led the team in 12 batting categories this season. Gamble also finished the season top-25 in the country with 16 home runs. She also drove in 44 runs and drew 37 walks, both team-highs.
A distinguished player in her own right, Self was a former standout player for the Oklahoma Sooners, starting 144 games and posting some of the best numbers in program history. A two-time all-region and all-conference selection, Self holds top-10 numbers in Oklahoma history, with a .369 batting average and a .456 on base percentage. As a junior, she batted .378 in 143 at bats, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 45 runs. An excellent eye at the plate, Self never struck out more than 20 times in a season, striking out less than once every four games. The Bears’ newest assistant also brings a championship pedigree from her time in Norman, winning a pair of national championships in 2013 and 2016, giving her a unique understanding of what it takes to stay locked in beyond the regular season.
Self joins a Bears squad who finished this past season with a program record 45 wins, capturing both the ASUN’s regular season and tournament titles in the team’s second year in the league. Central Arkansas’ season culminated in an automatic bid and the team’s first NCAA Regional since 2015, where the Bears won their first-ever game at a regional, defeating Long Island.
