RICHARDSON, TX (08.09.18) - UT Dallas Director of Athletics Bill Petitt has announced the hiring of James Kling as the Comets' new head softball coach. Kling becomes the seventh head coach in program history and replaces Corrie Hill, who served in an interim role for the 2017-18 academic year.

Kling comes to UT Dallas after spending the past eight seasons as the head coach at Our Lady of the Lakes University in San Antonio. While with the Saints, Kling amassed a 201-137-1 overall record with a 110-57 mark in Red River Athletic Conference play. He took over the OLLU program in its second year of existence in 2011 and quickly built the Saints into a conference contender. A two-time RRAC Coach of the Year honoree (2015, 2018), Kling led the Saints to a pair of RRAC regular-season titles and the league's postseason crown in 2014, when OLLU advanced to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

"We are excited to have James lead our softball program," said Petitt. "He has had success as a collegiate head coach at 'The Lake,' and was part of a championship staff at NCAA Division II St. Mary's. I believe he is the right person for this program and will take the team to national respect."

This past spring, Kling coached the Saints to a share of the RRAC regular-season crown and a runner-up finish at the conference tournament. His squad was honored with the NAIA Scholar Team award and was recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) with a Team Academic Award, both for the fourth consecutive season. Kling mentored three NFCA All-Region performers in his final season with the Saints and had six student-athletes crowned NFCA All-Ameica Scholar Athletes this past spring.

While with OLLU, Kling served the RRAC softball chair and was the NFCA Southwest Region representative for the All-Region/All-American Committee for the past four seasons. 

Prior to his tenure with the Saints, Kling was as assistant softball coach at St. Mary's University for six seasons, serving as a full-time assistant from 2007-10. The Rattlers advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament five times during his six seasons with the squad, winning a regional championship in 2005. Kling also served as the head cross country coach while at St. Mary's. His cross country program held the highest grade point average of all Rattler teams.

"With James joining our staff, we expect to keep our softball program on a national caliber level and provide the student-athlete a quality experience while a student-athlete at UT Dallas," continued Petitt.

Kling graduated cum laude from the University of the Incarnate Word in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He married Sonya Reyes Wright in August of 2014.  They have five children, Kym, Kat, Dusty, Jacob and Gabby.