Karley Yergler chooses to continue to grow at Parkland College after drawing national attention
BY FRED KRONER
Karley Yergler could have been a one-and-done player on Parkland College’s softball team.
Her mantra could have been: “I came. I saw. I conquered. I moved on.”
“She had an opportunity,” said Parkland co-head coach Dan Paulson, who is entering his fifth season overseeing the Cobras’ program with his wife, Kristi.
Yergler, a 2022 Mahomet-Seymour High School graduate, positioned herself perfectly to draw immediate attention from coaches at four-year universities.
Playing for Parkland, which finished fifth in the NJCAA Division II national tournament, Yergler was the national leader in strikeouts (301), ended second in wins (28), second in innings pitched (204 1/3) and second in shutouts (nine). She had the 12th-best earned run average (1.61) and was the 22nd-toughest pitcher to hit against, holding opponents to a cumulative .178 batting average.
“Going into the season, we had high expectations,” Dan Paulson said. “She met and exceeded those on and off the field.”
Yergler carried a 4.00 grade-point for the fall semester and finished the spring term with a 3.95 GPA.
Her performance on the field led to a diamond-full of awards and honors:
–MidWest Athletic Conference (MWAC) all-league first-teamer;
–MidWest Athletic Conference (MWAC) Pitcher of the Year;
–Region 24 all-region first-teamer;
–Region 24 unanimous Player of the Year;
–Region 24 all-tournament first team;
–Region 24 tournament Most Valuable Player;
–National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region first team;
–National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American first team;
–National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Rawlings Gold Glove recipient for pitchers;
–National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World Series all-tournament first team;
–National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American second team.
“That was definitely a little crazy,” Yergler said. “Some of the awards I didn’t know existed.”
Paulson would have understood had the 5-foot-7 right-hander said, “Au revoir,” to Parkland College.
“Our staff knew it could be a strong possibility,” Paulson said. “A lot of times when athletes get the opportunity, they want to jump on it.
“All of the accolades are outstanding and extremely impressive. What impresses us is how she handled herself.”
After doing an honest self-evaluation, Yergler declined all overtures to depart.
“I’m staying at Parkland,” she said. “Where I go next, I want to be able to hit.
“I need one more year to work on that.”
Paulson is delighted to have another year to coach Yergler.
“We’d have been happy for her either way,” he said, “but we’re ecstatic to have her back.”
Yergler, a general science major, was far from an easy out as a freshman on a 52-12 team. She batted .330 with seven home runs, two of which came in the Division II World Series.
In fact, as a batter she produced more extra-base hits (17) than she allowed as a pitcher (15).
The biggest factor in her decision to return, however, was her Cobra teammates.
“With how many girls we had on the team (the roster had 24 players), it’s surprising how well the team got along,” Yergler said. “We didn’t have the constant drama.
“I got along with every single person.”
Seventeen of the Parkland softball players were freshmen. Yergler was one of six freshman pitchers.
Paulson recognized the camaraderie early.
“It’s a standard we set and it seemed to come naturally to the group,” he said. “There are a lot of things that could pull a team apart, but they didn’t.
“That’s why we had the success we had.”
Yergler fit right into the mix.
“She is easy to get along with and is a leader by example,” Paulson said. “She works hard and doesn’t take shortcuts.
“She is an outstanding student, an outstanding teammate and very coachable.”
The bad news for opposing players is that batting is not the only area where Yergler believes she needs to improve.
“I thought I could have had a better season,” she said. “I have more potential and could have pitched much better.
“Part of me is disappointed I didn’t reach my full potential.”
One reason she made the grade academically is because classroom work is an emphasis for the Paulsons.
“My coaches made it possible,” Yergler said. “They made sure we knew we’d be student-athletes and not just athletes.”
The Paulsons didn’t just give lip service to focusing on schoolwork.
“We had study tables for a few hours after practice several times a week, and library hours,” Yergler said, “where they keep track of how long you’re in there.”
All of the Cobras were introduced to the rigors of the junior college game during the fall.
“Our fall season (which doesn’t count on the statistical totals) is like an exhibition season,” Dan Paulson said. “We played some D-1 (four-year) schools and beat a couple.”
The upcoming 2023 fall schedule won’t be any easier.
“We’ll play Illinois and Kentucky,” Paulson said.
Yergler’s smooth transition from high school to junior college competition was made easier by playing two summers for a travel softball team the Paulsons coach, Mattoon-based Premier Fast Pitch.
“Every weekend, we were in pressure situations, playing some of the best competition in the country,” Paulson said.
Besides the caliber of the opposition Yergler faced in the summer, it gave her the chance to interact with her future coaches and see what they were about.
“The connection was important,” she said. “I knew the coaches and knew they would have high expectations.”
Following up on her record-setting high school career with the Bulldogs was a challenge, nonetheless.
“The amount of hours you put in every day was a big transition,” she said. “You practice a lot more and have more time outside of practice.”
The extra commitments at Parkland included spending time with potential recruits when they were on their campus visits and assisting the coaches, whether it was working on the field or in the office as well as spending time in the weight room.
“Typically, we’d lift and go straight to practice,” Yergler said, “four days a week in the fall and any day we didn’t have a game in the spring.
“I learned to love the gym from it.”
Paulson said Yergler was a better pitcher in May than she was when she arrived on campus the previous August.
“It comes from understanding the college game better,” he said. “The speed of the game is faster. Her velocity picked up as the season went on.”
Another important element was the strategy needed when facing an opposing team multiple times. For example, Parkland played Danville Area Community College in six games.
“Karley pitched against them four times,” Paulson said. “You have to approach hitters a little differently when some of them have had 13 or 14 at-bats against you.
“You have to know how to get people out you’ve seen before.”
When Yergler opted not to play for a travel team this summer, “to give my body a rest,” she said, weight training remained a part of her regular off-season regime.
“I didn’t feel I needed to continue playing to keep myself ready,” she said. “I knew I could keep up.
“I go to the gym, hit on a tee in my front yard and pitch once in a while.”
The pitching aspect requires some creativity.
“None of the Parkland catchers are close enough,” Yergler said, “so I have to find my own catcher.”
Yergler didn’t just make a mark nationally in the spring of 2023, she moved into positions of prominence in the Parkland all-time softball record book.
Her season strikeout totals are the second-best in school history and her season wins total ranks her third.
That she is not No. 1 is no reflection on Yergler’s abilities.
“We had a strong staff,” Paulson said. “We had another pitcher who was 11-1 and another who was 11-2.”
Since Yergler wasn’t relied upon to pitch every inning was beneficial to her in the long run.
“I was able to keep my body healthy,” Yergler said. “The fact that we had other pitchers helped a lot.”
