Softball Coaches

Head Softball Coach, Donna Fields

Donna Fields is in her 12th season as the Rattlers head coach. She is the Rattlers all-time leader in wins with 504 and has won 73.8 percent of her games as a St. Mary’s head coach. She has been named Heartland Conference Coach of the Year five times, has earned NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year honors once and NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors twice. She has guided the Rattlers to eight straight NCAA South Central Region Tournament appearances, three NCAA College World Series berths and the 2002 NCAA Division II National Championship.

She is the first Rattler to earn a national championship as both a player (NAIA - 1986) and as a coach (NCAA Division II - 2002). She also serves as senior woman administrator for the St. Mary’s Department of Athletics.

The 2008 season was a memorable one for Fields and the Rattlers. A veteran team, led by six seniors, helped the Rattlers advance to the South Central Regional. They finished with a 53-12 overall record and fresh off a perfect run through the Heartland Conference Tournament. Malissa Magee earned her three All-American Honor, while Sade Moore was named Heartland Conference co-Hitter of the Year and Fields was named Coach of the Year.

During the 2007 season she led the team to its eighth straight 40-plus win season and the seventh straight trip to the NCAA South Central Region Tournament. St. Mary’s just missed out on what would have been its fourth trip to the NCAA College World Series, falling to Angelo State in the finals. The Rattlers also won their seventh straight Heartland Conference tournament title and finished the season ranked 13th in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

In 2006, the Rattlers went 49-25 overall and advanced to the NCAA South Central Region Tournament semifinals, despite fielding a very young squad. After starting the season 9-9, the Rattlers went 40-16. Malissa Magee was named Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. St. Mary’s finished the season ranked 20th in the nation.

In 2005, St. Mary’s returned to the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament for the third time in four years. The Lady Rattlers finished fifth in the nation, and completed a 49-11 season. In advancing to the NCAA Championships, St. Mary’s won the NCAA Division II South Central Regional championship for the third time. Also, the team won its fifth Heartland Conference title. Fields garnered Heartland coach-of-the-year honors for the fifth straight year.

In 2004, the Lady Rattlers finished the season with a 46-12 record. The team won the Heartland Conference title for the fourth year in a row, and Fields garnered Heartland Coach-of-the-Year honors for the fourth year in a row. The Rattlers hosted the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament for the third year in a row. The Rattlers finished third in the region.

In 2003, the Rattlers won the Heartland Conference title and the South Central Regional crown. Fields led her team to the number three final ranking in the nation, losing in extra innings 5-3 to eventual national champion California-Davis in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

In 2002, the Rattlers claimed their second national title. In addition the Rattlers won the Heartland Conference and hosted South Central Regional Tournaments on their way to the Division II final eight. The Rattlers finished with a school record mark (58-11) and the top spot on the final USA Today/National Fast pitch Coaches Association Division II national poll. Coach Fields and graduate-assistant coach Jessica Peoples were named the 2002 Speedline/NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year, receiving South Central Regional Staff of the Year honors in the process.

As a three-sport scholarship athlete at St Mary’s, Fields made her mark in volleyball, basketball, and softball graduating in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She was named NAIA All-American in softball as a leftfielder her senior year and played on the Lady Rattlers’ 1986 softball national championship team. Fields was named to the All-Big State Conference and NAIA All-District volleyball teams and was voted NAIA District Freshman of the Year in basketball. The university highlighted her accomplishments, as she was inducted to the St. Mary’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 for softball and basketball. She was also inducted into the Oliver Wendell Holmes High School Hall of Fame in 1999. In December of 2001, Coach Fields completed her master’s degree as a Distinguished Graduate in education at St. Mary’s.

Prior to returning to St. Mary’s as a coach, Fields coached and taught at William Taft High School in San Antonio for 10 years. During that time she held the softball head coach position for three years and accumulated a record of 58-12-1, including a district championship and three playoff appearances. She spent five years as head volleyball coach and was honored as San Antonio Coach of the Year.

Fields is married to Andrew Fields, a captain in the San Antonio Fire Department. They have three children, Hannah, Drew and Allison.

- Coached 2002 NCAA Division II National Champions
- Played on 1986 NAIA National Champions
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 7
- NCAA World Series Appearances: 3
- Heartland Conference Titles: 7
- Heartland Conference Coach of the Year: 5

Assistant Softball Coach, James Kling

James Kling is in his sixth season as an assistant coach for the Rattler softball program.

During his five years with the team the Rattlers have won a combined 242 games and advanced to the NCAA South Central Region Tournament five times. Over that time period, 30 Rattlers have earned All-Heartland Conference honors, while 10 have been named All-American.

Kling has been involved in coaching for many years prior to his time with the Rattlers. He has worked in competitive softball for 14 years, most of which was with American Softball Association (ASA) select ball teams.

Kling coached Little League Softball for years, including coaching an All-Star team that advanced to the Texas State Tournament, helping the team to a third place finish.

He also coached Select Team Softball, leading the San Antonio X-Treme Under-18 team to a fourth place finish at the AFA Nationals in a field of 120 teams during 2000.

In addition to serving as the assistant softball coach at St. Mary’s, he is also the head coach of the Rattler cross country team. In his first season at the helm of the squad, he led the team to a third place finish at the Heartland Conference Championships, while Tara Wicketts earned All-Heartland Conference honors. In addition to the Rattlers good work on the course, they epitimized the term “student-athlete” with six of the eight members of the team earning Heartland Conference President’s Honor recognition, while Tara Wicketts and Jessie Smith were named ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District. The cross country team also had the highest grade point average in the St. Mary’s Athletic Department.

Kling graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word with a bachelor of arts in business management. He has two daughters, Kym and Kathryn. Kym is the owner of several St. Mary’s softball records, while a player for the Rattlers. She also helped St. Mary’s to the 2002 NCAA Championship.

Assistant Softball Coach, Lindsay Magaro

Lindsay Magaro is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Rattler softball program after playing the last four years for St. Mary’s.

Magaro, a native of nearby Elmendorf, played in 95 games over her four years. Her .983 career fielding percentage is the fourth best in school history. Her 459 putouts is the seventh most in school history.

She blossomed as a senior in 2007, earning All-Heartland Conference honors and All-South Central Region Tournament recognition. She played in 62 games at first base as a senior. She hit .268 with eight doubles, 18 RBI and 18 runs scored. Defensively she set a school record with 432 putouts, including a .985 fielding percentage.

As a player at St. Mary’s, she was a member of four Heartland Conference Championship teams and four NCAA South Central Region Tournament squads.

Prior to her time at St. Mary’s, she was a four-year letterwinner in both basketball and softball, as well as a two-year letterwinner in cross country at Incarnate Word High School. She was named first team all-state and to the all-state tournament team. She helped lead IWHS to three TAPPS 5A softball championships. Off the field she was a member of National Honor Society.

She graduated from St. Mary’s with her degree in financial services and risk management. She is currently working on her masters degree in business administration.

While at St. Mary’s, she was a member of the President’s Ambassadors, the Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity, the American Legion, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, attended the NCAA Division II Leadership Academy in 2006, was a volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul Society, San Francesco di Paola Church, and St. Anthony’s Church. She is the daughter of Anthony and Marilyn Magaro.

2009 Team Roster