After serving as the graduate assistant for the Salem softball program, Kierston "KG" Garner was named as head coach in the fall of 2018 with the departure of her mentor Scott Long. Garner is an alumna of Salem, who graduated with a bachelor of arts in psychology and a minor in coaching in May 2016.
Along with gaining experience in the collegiate coaching ranks, KG served as a softball coach and assistant volleyball coach at North Stokes High School. Her passion for Salem and its student-athletes resulted in a volunteer assistant coach position in 2017. The Spirits were co-champions of the USA South Conference East Division that season.
Garner returned for the 2018 season, serving as Long's graduate assistant as she began pursuing her master's degree in school counseling, which resulted in a regular season championship and a place in the USA South Conference Tournament Championship versus Maryville. In the summer of 2018, Garner was elevated to the position of head coach after Long's departure from the program. In her first year at the helm, 2019, Salem finished the season with a 25-17 mark and a third-place finish in the USA South Conference Tournament.
During her four-year collegiate career Garner, an infielder, was a four-time Great South Athletic Conference all league performer. She was named to the All-Freshman Team and North Carolina All-State second team in 2013 as a first-year. Garner later grabbed NCAA All-South Region First Team honors in 2016, when she was also named as the Great South Conference Player of the Year.
In a recent conversation KG took time to discuss her passion for softball, coaching and her life and provided the following responses:
Describe the coaching path that has brought you to Salem.
Garner: Upon my application process for my undergraduate acceptance of Salem I had always been exposed to sports. Softball and volleyball had become my two primary sports of interest. In high school I would give lessons to children in my community for primarily softball. In college, I would spend my summers doing the same exact thing. After four years at Salem, graduating a lone senior coach Scott Long asked if I would be interested in sticking around and becoming a volunteer assistant and then transitioning into the graduate assistant position.
After one year in the Master's program the time had some for Scott to make a change and I was then asked if I would stay and lead this great program. Two years in and we have made a statement and continue to make strides in our conference. I am thrilled that I get to coach young intelligent women in the sport I love and in life for wonderful futures after college.
When you think back to learning softball at a young age to where you are now (coaching it at a college level), what fundamentals do you focus on every day in practice and during the offseason to better the players?
Garner: Softball to some does not seem as complex as you would think that it is. You can't compare a softball pitch to a baseball pitch. I could try and explain that but it would take a while. My players know that fundamentals are what bring you back to normal when things are not going your way. Each position has "everydays" that they complete before each practice or some days that we spend longer on drills and plays that incorporate those skill sets.
In the off-season team members receive workout packets that they can complete and they also do a lot of hitting and fielding with parents, previous coaches, and some travel teams. Keeping their skills sharp and their minds in a game like mindset to always be ready to hit the field when they return to campus.
Who are the individuals that have had the biggest impact on you as a coach and why?
Garner: Even if it sounds like a cliche answer, my Dad has made the biggest impact on my coaching. He was the one who taught me to throw, hit and do all things softball. Even though we had our ups and downs being that we were father and daughter I always wanted to do one simple thing. I wanted to make him proud of all that I do, but when it came to the game that was the best feeling knowing that all we worked on together was paying off.
He now coaches one of the most successful travel teams that I have ever had the chance to be around. He has introduced me to some great coaches on the spectrum that are BIG TIME coaches that I admired as a little girl watching the women's College World Series on television. While he continues to build great athletes that will go to play Division I softball he builds me up as a coach with all the tools I can ask for to build a great program and future for myself.
At what point of your life did you know that you wanted to be a softball coach and what led you to making this decision?
Garner: Growing up I was basically my younger sister (Chandley's) best and worst enemy when it came to sports. Any practice I had she was jumping in wherever she could and I would show her things she could work on and now she is a Division I athlete at ECU. When I started high school I started giving back to the younger kids around my small hometown that were just starting into the travel softball world. That is when I knew that I enjoyed coaching and I had great mentorship along the way. So, when I met with Trish Hughes, our Athletic Director when the position became available, I knew that I was the right person for the job to lead this program.
When you look at the abrupt ending to the 2020 softball season what are things that you will always take away from the abbreviated season?
Garner: The biggest take away for me is that I gave my team my all even when I did not have the best of days. I asked them to never take the game for granted because it will not always be there. There comes a day it too will end, but I never imagine that it would be like this. My heart goes out to my seniors that were all destined for big things the remainder of our season. We tied the longest winning streak this season and we were looking to build on that even more as games went on. I had no doubt that they had my back along the way and were going to fight until the end. Now we honor those four athletes with their accomplishments and wish their futures to be bright and full of great adventures.
You form a tremendous bond with your players both on and off the field. How has this led to the success of the Salem softball program?
Garner: My players are not only student-athletes but they are humans that face adversity, trials & errors, and have fear. They may not all know that when they decided to play for me that they would now have an inner circle of extended family. When they visit campus with their parents, when they accept and sign, I am now the one that their parents trust to keep them safe and having the best four years of their life while in college. As families also do, we have our ups and downs but most importantly we work through those together. I feel this helps make these young women strong and aware of who they have become along the way and to take with them when they leave Salem.
During the offseason do you watch a lot of film to help the players improve their swing, pitches and defensive positioning?
Garner: During the "offseason", I don't know that coaches really have an off switch. I spend hours upon hours during season making minor adjustments or trying new things to better our outcomes of winning a competition. As any coach will tell you on top of managing your team you are also finding more young athletes to become a part of that team. Recruiting for countless hours, sending emails, calling recruits, having them come on a visit or scheduling an official overnight visit so they get the full experience is time consuming. I do however watch a lot of films and I also use pictures that I see parents either post or send to me and I share those snapshots with the player. Sometimes no matter how many times me or my staff tell them they are doing something that is inhibiting a swing, throw or play they have to physically see the flaw. These times are learning experiences for everyone involved but that is what the teaching piece is there for.