FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State softball team and head coach
Darren Mueller announced the addition of two coaches to his staff on Wednesday with the hiring of
Kayti Grable as an assistant coach and former Bison
Sam Koehn as a graduate assistant.
Grable joins the Bison after her most recent stop as an assistant coach with Valparaiso, where she spent three seasons. During her time at Valpo, Grable helped in the development of two of the best hitters in program history in Carly Trepanier and Jaymee Lawton. Trepanier ranks in the top 10 in nearly every major offensive statistical category. Lawson finished second in the conference in home runs with 11 in 2018.
Grable helped coach Valpo through the transition from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference, as Valpo went 27-24 on its way to a fourth-place finish in the league standings in the first year in the MVC.
Prior to her time at Valparaiso, Grable closed out her career at Northern Illinois in 2017 by being named a Second Team All-Region honoree by the NFCA for the third consecutive season, hitting .384 with 45 RBIs. A four-time First Team All-MAC selection and the 2014 MAC Freshman of the Year, Grable concluded her time with the Huskies as the program's all-time leader in home runs (40) and RBIs (179) and second in program history in career hits (242), finishing as a lifetime .386 hitter.
Grable also excelled in the classroom during her time at NIU, earning Academic All-MAC recognition three times and being named a MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete each of her final three seasons. As a senior, Grable earned a spot on the CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-District V squad.
Koehn remains in Fargo and joins the staff as a graduate assistant after wrapping up her three-year career with the Bison, starting 122 of 123 games played at third base. Koehn wrapped up her career by sweeping All-Summit League and Academic All-League honors as a senior. Koehn earned Summit League academic honors all three years in Fargo and was named an NFCA Scholar Athlete in 2019.
On the field, Koehn joined the Bison in 2019 and helped lead NDSU to the second-best win percentage in the program's Division I era, starting 56 of the 58 games at third base on a team that went 42-16 and made a trip to the NCAA Regionals after a Summit League regular season and conference championship.
Prior to the shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Koehn was on pace to have a career year, hitting .290 with a .328 on base percentage and a .958 fielding percentage, all bests for the Altoona, Iowa native. Koehn graduated from NDSU in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in sport management.
Bison Softball is set to begin year 21 under the direction of Mueller. During his time at NDSU, Mueller has guided the Bison to a 670-395 record, including 20 conference regular season and tournament championships. Mueller and the Bison have made 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament, with 10 coming in the NCAA Division I era.
