Karley Yergler commits to play softball at University of Illinois
By FRED KRONER
What was not possible 18 months ago is now a done deal.
As Mahomet-Seymour’s record-setting softball pitcher, Karley Yergler, was graduating from high school with the Class of 2022, she saw her best shot of reaching a Division I program by proving herself – again – this time at the junior college level.
She enrolled at Champaign’s Parkland College, where she earned All-America honors as a freshman in the spring of 2023.
With one more year left with the Cobras – the season will start on Jan. 26, 2024 in Clearwater, Fla. – Yergler already knows what her future holds.
She recently signed a national letter of intent to join coach Tyra Perry’s University of Illinois program.
“Growing up, I had always gone to Illinois softball camps, so I knew the coaches and they knew who I was,” Yergler said. “Although the coaches were familiar with me, they did not show much interest at all as I was getting out of high school.”
She is as familiar with the home of Illini softball, Eichelberger Field, as she is her own back yard.
“I have been going to Illinois softball games since I was 8 years old,” Yergler said. “I have gone with old teams, friends, and family, multiple different times.
“To think that I used to be that little girl who was in the stands and now I’ll be the one that the little girls are watching, is so crazy to me.
“Being back in orange and blue is going to be so exciting for me.”
Her journey demonstrates the importance of not giving up on a dream even if – at times – it seems unreachable.
Parkland’s fourth-year softball co-coaches, the husband-wife duo of Dan and Kristi Paulson, were also Yergler’s coaches on a travel team, Mattoon-based Premier Fastpitch, and never wavered in their encouragement and support.
“My coaches had told me that they truly believed I could play at a Big Ten university,” Yergler said, “and they really helped me believe it myself while we were playing our spring season and playing against some of the best (junior college) teams in the nation.”
Dan Paulson said the encouragement wasn’t a matter of simple courtesy.
“We did think that,” he said. “We promoted her. We knew where she could get to.”
When Yergler signed with the Illini, Paulson said, “it was not a surprise. She drew a lot of attention from different colleges.
“It makes perfect sense. She’ll do well there.”
As a freshman at Parkland, Yergler had one highlight after another.
She led the nation in strikeouts (301), was second nationally in both wins (28) and shutouts (nine), was fifth in complete games (22) and 12th in earned run average (1.61).
In addition to first-team All-America honors from the NFCA, Yergler was also a Gold Glove recipient after compiling a .947 fielding average.
As the honors rolled in, the 5-foot-7 Yergler said no one was more surprised than herself.
“I was definitely not expecting all of the accolades I earned, which in the moment was crazy that I was achieving all of these things,” she said, “but I could not have done it without my teammates.
“The support I get from my teammates on and off the field is unlike any other team I have ever been on.”
She was also the Region 24 Player of the Year and the Midwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year.
College coaches weren’t the only ones who needed convincing that Yergler was a bonafide Division I prospect.
“I went through some ups and downs and had some doubts about playing college softball,” Yergler said. “I always truly knew I was going to end up playing in college.
“It probably did not become realistic for me that I could be playing at a Big Ten university until the spring of my freshman year at Parkland.”
Her success as a collegiate freshman was well-documented in the area. Yergler believes that was a factor, too.
“Since I was close, they (UI coaches) were able to hear about me and my team’s success from other people and the news,” she said.
The Paulsons said the Illini staff members didn’t have to rely on reports from others. They had an up-close look at Yergler.
College teams are allowed to play a limited number of non-counting exhibition games in the fall as they evaluate the team that they will have for the spring season.
Parkland didn’t just schedule junior college competition. More than half of the Cobras’ fall season in September and October came against Division I four-year schools, such as Indiana State, Kentucky, Bradley, DePaul, Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Eastern Illinois and the Illini.
“She has had a lot of success pitching against Division I schools,” Kristi Paulson said.
Against Illinois in September, “we lost 2-1 and she pitched the entire game,” Dan Paulson said.
Before committing to the Illini, the right-handed Yergler visited – and had scholarship offers from – from Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Her first official campus visit was to Illinois.
“I took two other visits that definitely made my decision very difficult, but my heart was never pulled away from Illinois,” Yergler said. “I was glad I got to visit Illinois first because that way when I visited the next schools, if my heart still had not changed from Illinois, then I knew it was the school for me.”
In the past year-and-a-half, she went from being un-recruited by the Illini to someone who could fit in as a two-way player.
After setting the M-S record for season (17) and career home runs (34), Yergler proved herself at the plate with the Cobras, batting .330 while continuing to hit with power. Of her 34 hits as a freshman, exactly half landed for extra bases: 10 doubles and seven home runs.
“Playing at Parkland has also helped me improve my hitting,” Yergler said. “I think I have a better chance of being in the hitting lineup now than I would of if I went straight to a four-year university (directly out of high school) because I have been able to spend a lot of time focusing on my hitting and also got experience hitting off some really good pitching to help prepare me for the next level.”
Dan Paulson said the question might not be whether Yergler is capable of hitting Division I pitching.
“When she’s on, absolutely she can (hit Division I pitching),” Dan Paulson said, “but it depends how important she is to them.
“She’s a pitcher first and a hitter second. They may need to protect her (from a possible injury).”
Though she is excited about eventually joining the Illini, Yergler said there is business to take care of first.
“I think I will really have to work on my hitting if I want to be in the hitting lineup consistently,” she said, “and I have the rest of my year to start working at that goal to help improve my hitting at Parkland and for the future.”
When not pitching, Yergler plays first base.
While the wait to reach the UI required an additional two years, as Yergler approaches her sophomore season with the Cobras, she believes they are beneficial years.
“I have definitely improved a lot since high school,” Yergler said. “I have gained speed and I have also learned more about what pitches are going to be more useful in certain situations.
“I have learned a lot from Coach Kristi at Parkland about the mental aspect of pitching and logic behind pitch-calling, which I believe has helped me become a better pitcher.”
Opponents may find this hard to believe, but Yergler believes her best days in softball are still in the future.
“I think that I will improve with pitching when reaching Illinois,” she said, “by being able to compete more with better hitters.
“While playing at Parkland I have seen some really good hitters, but also some not very good hitters. At Illinois, I will face better hitters more often, so I think I will get better at competing with good hitters all the time.”
Yergler’s velocity is consistently timed in the mid 60s. Dan Paulson said her improvement during the past 18 months is easy to document.
“She is understanding hitters more and instead of (always) trying her best pitches, now she knows what hitters’ weaknesses are,” Dan Paulson said. “She is working on things year ‘round.
“Her spin is better. Her velocity is better.Her movement is better and she is spending more time in the weight room. We’re pushing her to get stronger and make sure her off-speed pitch is fine-tuned, and building on her weakest pitches.”
Yergler has not settled on a definite career path, but will earn her associate’s degree next May in science and said she intends to stay on that path.
“I want to have a career in the medical field in the future,” Yergler said, “but I am not sure what exact career I will pursue yet.”
She is forever grateful to the Paulsons, not only for their guidance and support while at Parkland, but also throughout the end of her travel-ball years.
“Playing for the Paulsons on Premier was the best decision I could have made,” Yergler said. “Playing for them is what brought me to Parkland, which is also the best decision I could have made to start my college career.
“The Paulsons have been amazing and selfless coaches. They sacrifice so much for us to give us the best possible experience we could have.
“Not only are they great to us off the field, but they do so much for our team on the field as well. All around they are the best coaches and are a huge reason why I am where I am today.”
Yergler has never had any regrets about her original decision to play at Parkland.
“Playing at Parkland was the best decision I could have possibly made,” Yergler said. “I have learned so many things from playing here about softball mentally and physically.
“The relationship our team has with each other and our coaches is so special and it has made me the player I am today.”
As a senior at M-S, Yergler made a late commitment and didn’t have a signing ceremony. She enjoyed signing her letter of intent with Illinois.
“I had a little celebration with my whole family, friends, and old coaches to celebrate my signing,” Yergler said. “This was really great because I was able to thank all of the people who got me to where I am today, and it also helped me realize how lucky I am to have all the amazing people in my life that I have.”
Yergler found the recruiting process more relaxed and less time-consuming than it was while she was in high school.
“This second recruiting process has definitely been different for me,” she said. “Before I would have to send out emails to coaches letting them know what tournaments I would be playing at and when, but this time I did not even have to do that.
“This time, some schools saw me play at our tournaments in the early spring last year, and some other schools had just heard about me and then reached out to get to know more.”
The Illini began showing an interest in Yergler during the spring season in 2023.
“The Illinois coaches started reaching out to my Parkland coaches about me during my freshman year,” Yergler said. “Then, after letting them know I wanted to play my second year at Parkland, the Illinois coaches waited to contact me until this summer.
“Since the pitching coach (Kirsten Verdun) for Illinois is new (hired in June, 2023), she was the one who contacted me the most in the beginning so she could get to know me more. After staying in contact throughout the summer, they asked me to come on a visit in early October.”
From there, the rest is history, which will allow Yergler to continue having a ball playing a sport she loves.
Parkland ‘s home-opener in softball – weather permitting – will be on March 24 against Spoon River.
