Karissa Hovinga enters her second season as a volunteer assistant for the Stanford softball program in 2019-20.
Hovinga helped guide the 2019 Cardinal to a 33-20 overall record, including an 8-13 mark in the Pac-12 Conference, to reach its first NCAA Tournament since 2013. The Cardinal's 33 wins, two of which came over top-10 opponents, were the most in a season since 2013, and the winning record was the first for the Card since 2014.
A Canadian National team member, Hovinga played collegiately at the University of Oregon from 2012-2015. A pitching standout for the Ducks, she helped lead Oregon to three College World Series appearances. She finished her college career with a 45-6 record and 2.36 ERA, including 280 strikeouts in 392.0 innings, 20 complete games and eight shutouts. Upon graduating, she ranked among the top 10 in school history in appearances and wins.
"We are excited to announce the addition of Karissa to our coaching staff for the upcoming season," said head coach Jessica Allister. "Working with Karissa in 2017, I was impressed with her knowledge, work ethic, and rapport with our student-athletes. All of these qualities, coupled with her experience competing at the highest level of our sport, make Karissa a great asset to our program moving forward."
Hovinga played on the Junior Canadian National team in 2009 and 2010 and has been a member of the senior team since 2012. With Canada she won a Pan-American gold medal in 2015 and a bronze at the 2018 World Championships in Chiba, Japan.
Prior to the Farm, Hovinga was a graduate manager for the University of Minnesota softball team in 2017 and 2018.
Hovinga graduated from Oregon with a degree in business in 2015.