Kyla Holas is currently the owner and lead instructor of More Than a Game in the Houston suburbs teaching pitching to athletes ages 7-College. Holas is on the OnBaseU advisory board and an emeriti member of the NFCA. She has been named to the USA softball coaching pool and most recently named the U18 Junior Women’s National Team Head Coach for the World Cup Stage C Event in Dallas Texas. In 2023, Holas was named the U15 Junior Women’s Team Head Coach securing gold in all three 2023 events: World Cup Japan, Pan Americana Qualifier in Lima Peru and the Japan Utsugi Cup. Holas was previously selected as the U18 Junior Women’s Team Head Coach and clinched gold at the 2021 Pan Americana Qualifier in Colombia and the 2021 World Cup in Lima, Peru and in October of 2019, Holas has also served as the U17 Junior Women’s Team Head Coach for the Pan Americana Qualifier in Barranquilla, Colombia winning gold. During the 2020-2021 Stand Beside Her Tour in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics she assisted Team USA. Due to that nomination, Kyla was selected by the WBSC to their coaching commission and currently aids in development and coaching certification of softball in developing countries. On behalf of the WBSC, in October of 2022 Holas attended the ESCA camp in Diessen Netherlands, in August of 2021 Holas returned to Bulgaria for phase two of the development to teach level 2 and 3 pitching. January of 2020 saw, Holas attend the Asia Softball first certification clinic in Malaysia and November 2019, Holas spent a week in Bulgaria with their national federation teaching level 1 and 2 pitching. Her inaugural clinic for the WBSC, Holas made two trips in the spring of 2018 to assist the LNOC in Lesotho South Africa to develop their coaches and athletes in an effort to keep baseball/softball in the future Olympics.
In the summer of 2017 Holas completed her first season as assistant coach for the NPF Chicago Bandits overseeing the pitchers and catchers. The Bandits finished the season 25-26 overall and advanced to the NPF Championship series in Baton Rouge. Bandit pitcher Haylie Wagner finished second in NPF wins at 11 and the pitching staff had top ten finishers in 4 of the 5 pitching categories.
Previous, Holas spent 16 seasons at the helm of the Cougar softball program, which she began constructing from scratch in 1999. In the program's 16 seasons, Houston was proven to be a mainstay at the top of the Conference USA and American Athletic Conference standings on the way to national and regional prowess earning Coach of the Year honors in 2007, 2008 with 14 consecutive winning seasons, seven NCAA Regional appearances (2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014) and two NCAA Super Regional appearances (2008 and 2011).
Holas’ speaking engagements and contributions have included presentations at the NFCA National Convention in 2011, 2018 and 2019, a chapter in the Softball Coaching Bible Vol 2 and presentaions at THSCA twice along with numerous regional clinics.
Holas spent three seasons at the University of Florida, where she was responsible for developing the pitchers and catchers. Kyla guided the Gators through its inaugural season and through a tough Southeastern Conference schedule. While at Florida, Holas was instrumental in the development of Chelsey Sakizzie, who was named the 1998 SEC Player of the Year in addition to Louisville Slugger All-America Third-Team honors. She coached five other players to SEC accolades.
Before going to Florida, Kyla spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois. While working in DeKalb, Ill., Holas tutored the Husky pitchers and coordinated the academics for the team. She coached the 1996 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, pitcher Angie Zuspann, as the Huskies reached the NCAA Regionals for only the second time since 1988.
As a player, Holas was a three-time NCAA All-America pitcher at Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) after leading the Ragin' Cajuns to a third-place finish at the 1993 NCAA Women's College World Series. She received WCWS All-Tournament Team honors and was a two-time finalist (1993 and 1994) for the prestigious Honda Broderick Cup, a national award given to the top female student-athlete at the NCAA level. Holas played international in 1993 as a member of the USA Select in the Haarlem Cup.
Holas racked up a career 104-20 record. She had a lifetime earned-run average of .50. Of her 104 victories, more than half (56) were shutouts, with 17 no-hitters, and five of those being perfect games which is currently ranked tied for second in the NCAA record book. She also compiled a .301 batting average, setting seven school records. Her .839 winning percentage is still in the Top 15 NCAA record books. In 1999, Kyla was inducted into the Louisiana-Lafayette Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2011 into the Lousiana Sports Hall of Fame as the first female softball player.
Holas was named to her South Houston high school's Hall of Honor in 2011, and the Pasadena ISD Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as an athlete and coach in 2015.
““I am thrilled to assist these talented athletes in representing the USA in Columbia,” Holas said. “Competing internationally and representing your country is what every athlete and coach aspires to. I would like to thank USA Softball for this opportunity and look forward to October. My goal is for them to learn each others strengths as quickly as possible and play the game as passionately as possible to best represent the name on the front. Go USA!”
Kyla Holas: Short Bio
Current USA Softball Coaching Pool Candidate
Current WBSC Coaching Commission Member
OnBaseU Fastpitch Advisory Board
Owner More Than a Game Since 2016
ESCA Camp Instructor 2022
NFCA Convention Speaker 2019, 2018, 2011
THSCA Convention Speaker 2011, 2019
WBSC Bulgaria Softball Federation Instructor 2019, 2021
USA Softball U18 Head Coach World Cup Stage C Dallas, Texas 2024
USA Softball U15 Head Coach Pan Americana Lima, Peru, Utsugi Cup Japan, World Cup Japan 2023
USA Softball U18 Head Coach Pan Americana Columbia, World Cup Lima, Peru 2021
USA Softball U17 Head Coach Pan Americana Colombia 2019
WBSC Lesotho South Africa Instructor 2018
NPF Assistant Coach Chicago Bandits 2017
University of Houston Head Coach 2000-2016
Softball Coaching Bible Vol 2 Chapter Contributor
CUSA Coach of the Year 2007, 2008
Assistant Coach University of Florida 1996-1999
Assistant Coach Northern Illinois 1995-1996
Player Louisiana Lafayette 1991-1994
3x NFCA D1 All-American
2X Finalist Honda Broderick Cup
USA Select Member Haarlem Cup 1993
Hall of Fame Induction ULL/ Jersey Number 11 Retired
LSHOF Induction 2011 First Female Softball Player
2011 South Houston Hall of Honor Inductee
2015 Pasadena ISD Hall of Fame Inductee