KERRVILLE, TX -- Former NCAA Division II standout player and coach Jessica Peterka was named as Schreiner University's new softball head coach today. 

Peterka, a native of Sarasota, FL, was a four-year record-setting starter at NCAA Division II (now Division I) Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.  During her career, she was the clean-up hitter each year and by the time she graduated in 2007, she held the school record for career home runs (22), RBI's (147), putouts (1,228) and walks (62).  During her freshman year, she batted .357 with 11 doubles and 60 RBI and helped lead Presbyterian to its best season ever.   That team finished 48-13 overall, won the South Atlantic Conference Tournament title and advanced to the regional final of the NCAA National Championship Tournament.  She ranks #3 in career total bases, fourth in career slugging percentage, fifth in career hits and sixth in career on-base percentage.  The Blue Hose compiled a record of 138-85 during her career.

Peterka also has extensive playing experience against international competition. In 2005 and 2006, she played in the Canada Cup International Tournament where her team played the Olympic teams from Australia, China, Japan, Chinese Taipai, Netherlands, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Canada and her team finished as high as third.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Art from Presbyterian in 2007 with an emphasis in photography.

Upon graduation, Peterka served as the Director of Softball Instruction for the MVP Sports Academy in SC.  She also coached an 18-U travel team (Florida Quicksilver) as well as with younger travel teams (9-16).  In 2008, she was named the assistant coach at fellow NCAA D-II and SAC member Tusculum College for 1-1/2 years, working primarily with pitchers and catchers.  She also was in charge of academic progress and the team's GPA jumped from 2.9 to 3.2 during her tenure.  She left Tusculum to take an assistant softball coach/compliance assistant job at Lambuth College.  Unfortunately, Lambuth was transitioning from NAIA to NCAA D-II that year and the school was forced to split the positions before she could take over both roles.  The school needed a Director of Compliance and moved her into that position solely.  She was very successful in the administrative capacity but missed coaching softball so she left Lambuth at the end of the year.  Peterka was named assistant softball coach for highly-regarded West Virginia Wesleyan College (NCAA D-II) and it's very successful head coach, Steve Warner, in 2011.  That year, WVWC went 48-8 overall and was ranked as high as #15 in the nation. 

Schreiner Director of Athletics Ron Macosko on Peterka's hiring:  "We are really pleased to announce that Coach Peterka is joining our coaching family and will lead our softball program.  She comes to Kerrville after an extremely successful playing career, a strong coaching background and with impeccable recommendations from her former coaches.  All said that she is extremely knowledgeable about the game, very prepared to be a head coach and just needed a chance to have her own program.  She's young, hungry and I have no doubt that she will work tirelessly to build Schreiner Softball into a very successful program.  At the same time, I know that she will put just as much energy into ensuring that her players are just as successful in the classroom as they are on the field and are highly prepared for a successful life after Schreiner University."

Peterka had this to say upon her hiring, "I would like to thank (Schreiner President) Dr. (Tim) Summerlin, Ron Macosko and everyone associated with Schreiner Softball for this amazing opportunity. Schreiner University is a great institution that has so much to offer student-athletes. I am excited to continue the tradition of academic excellence at Schreiner University and also within the softball program. It is a great program with a lot of potential and I am ready to develop a successful team on the field and create a winning tradition in all aspects of our student-athlete's lives. I can tell that Schreiner is a wonderful place and I am happy to be a part of the SU family."

Peterka inherits a team that was 9-15 in ASC play in 2012 and 14-24 overall.  The Mountaineers lose two seniors in Ashly Bouthot and Vanessa Vazquez but the rest of the roster is eligible to return.  You can bet that Peterka will be busy as soon as she arrives in Kerrville getting to know the current players but will also spend a lot of the summer actively recruiting future members of the team.

-Courtesy Schreiner University Sports Information Department