How cool would it be that if, as a teenage softball player, when you go to practice with your club team or compete in travel ball tournaments you’d be coached by a two-time Olympic gold medalist?

Or if you’re a pitcher looking to fine-tune your game, you get to work with a three-time All-American whose legend was so impressive, she’s been selected to be in four Hall of Fames?

It’d be very cool… and very much the reality if you play these days in the Strykers Fastpitch organization out of Houston, Texas.

That’s because the program created by Charlie Esparza brought in softball legend Christa Williams-Yates three years ago to be a head coach with the org’s 14U to 18U teams and serve as the Pitching Coordinator for the entire Strykers organization.

And how has that worked out since she’s been involved?

“Not only is Crista a phenomenal coach and teacher of the game,” Esparza explains, “but she’s an even better person to her athletes. She holds players accountable to standards that translate to life-long memories.”

“Bringing Christa to the Strykers has meant tremendous growth over the past few years as she’s passed on knowledge to countless players playing in the NCAA now.”

Not surprising, the program head is proud of his decision to bring Williams-Yates into the fold.

“When I founded the Strykers and was at all the complexes across the country,” he concludes, “who better to bring in than a legend like Christa? She’s been an extremely big part of what we do.”

*****

A bit of context and history to appreciate Christa’s greatness in the sport as her name is etched into softball history, and she has accomplished what most players can only dream about.

The legendary right-handed pitcher dominated at the University of Texas where she was a three-time All-American and in 1998 she led the Longhorns to the Women’s College World Series after being named the Regional Tournament MVP.

That same year, Christa led Team USA to the World Championship Gold Medal as she recorded a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA and 17 strikeouts.

She had also won a gold medal with the USA Softball Women’s National Team two years earlier when she went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Four years later, Christa captured her second gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

The athlete would then go on to a tremendous three-year career in the National Pro Fastpitch league from 2004 to 2006 before moving into her role as a title-winning coach.

Today, Christa is the head softball coach at Kingwood (Texas) High where she started in 2023. Last Spring (2025), she led the Mustangs to a 33-4-1 record and, more importantly, the Class 6A Div. 2 state championship.

Looking back over her illustrious career in the circle, Christa’s excellence has been recognized with inductions into multiple Hall of Fames, including:

• the USA Softball Hall of Fame,
• the Texas Sports Hall of Fame,
• the University of Texas Women’s Hall of Honor,
• and the Pasadena ISD Athletic Hall of Fame.

Be it as a player at the highest levels of the game or as a coach in charge of developing the next generation of top softball players, Christa has reached levels of success that very few in history have…. that, no one can dispute.

She’s still very much a part of the game and has her opinions of what’s going right… and in certain directions she’s not so high on.

“The basics of the game are still the same,” Christa says. “I do love the popularity that the sport has gained and given others an opportunity to make a living. However, I don’t like the portal and believe that—in its current status—it hurts the younger generation from making their dreams come true.”

The Texan’s legacy is more than just medals, titles and record-setting performances, though—today, she brings to the field a standard for how the game should be taught and how athletes should be developed.

What makes Christa Williams-Yates extraordinary isn’t only about what she accomplished as a player and coach—it’s what she gives back to the game and to young and aspiring softballers.

“My philosophy with working with any athlete is to create trust and a relationship with each kid first,” Christa explains.

“I do that by being honest and genuinely caring about the kid!”

The softball legend admits she has a special place in her heart for on particular type of athlete.

“I always have rooted for the underdog,” the coach admits, “and that’s the kid or kids that need me most.”

Prior to taking the head coach position at Kingwood, Christa was the head coach for the Friendswood High softball team where one of her athletes was Baileigh Burtis.

Baileigh played for Christa from 2021 to 2023 and is now at Rutgers University competing in the Big Ten. The current sophomore infielder with the Scarlet Knights raves about her time under Williams-Yate’s coaching influence.

“Coach Christa was such an incredible coach to me,” Baileigh begins. “She truly cared about all of her players and inspired me to keep playing at a time when I thought I was done with softball.”

“She held us all to the standard of being the best player and person we could be, and without her coaching, I doubt I would be playing at such a high level I am at today. Coach always had our backs in every situation possible and protected us on and off the field.”

“She truly was such an amazing coach to me, and I miss playing for her every day. Even though I didn’t get to finish my high school career playing for Coach Christa, I’m so proud of all her accomplishments at Kingwood. She deserves all the success in the world!”

Another pitcher who lavishes praise on the instruction she’s received from Williams-Yates is current Texas Riptide 18U standout Hunter Quentel, a Class of 2027 pitcher who was a key member of the Kingwood 6A State championship team.

She was named as a 1^st Team Texas 6A All-State selection at Kingwood High and will take her outstanding talents to Oklahoma State next season.

“Coach Yates has been an amazing coach and role model,” Hunter says, “and I appreciate how much she has helped me mature both mentally and physically.”

“As a pitcher, I feel especially lucky and blessed to be able to learn from a two-time Olympic champion and All-American pitcher!”  

*****

Christa’s husband, Mark Yates, is also a softball coach and marvels at how many lives his wife has touched.

“When speaking to many coaches currently coaching,” Mark relates, “it’s always funny hearing how they played with or against Coach Christa. This to me is a valuable asset in teaching our youth who are playing with some of the best teachers in softball.” 

“I strongly feel as the Strykers’ Program Director, there is no better mental mentor in the game, and I believe her love and passion for the sport is unmatched.”

You don’t have to look very far in the club organization to see other players who credit Christa for helping elevate their game.

Two of them are the daughters of the club founder himself.

KK Esparza, who is now a grad student at the University of Pittsburg. competed for Coach Williams-Yates at Friendswood as a catcher

“Coach Christa has helped shape me not only as a player, but as a person,” KK says.

“Four years of high school and now in my fifth year in college, she’s still someone I can lean on and talk to about anything.”

“She’s been there every step of the way, always supporting me and that says everything about the kind of coach and person she is.”

And one more Esparza who offers a glowing testimonial is Charleigh Esparza—a first year catcher at Baylor who also played for the coach at Friendswood High and is adamant about how the Olympic champion has impacted her softball career.

“Coach Crista is truly the best coach I’ve ever had,” Charleigh begins. “She has helped me change for the better as a player and person.”

“Coach Crista helped me build all my self-esteem and believe in myself academically and athletically. She is always so supportive still and, as I’m a freshman in college at Baylor now, I know that if I ever needed anything, I could always talk to her.”

*****

The softball great’s fingerprints are all over the Strykers organization… and that’s a very, very good thing says Charlie Esparza.

“Christa’s experience as a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and more recently a Texas 6A state-championship coach doesn’t just add credibility — it adds purpose to the way Strykers athletes are trained,” Esparza told Line Drive Softball.

“She pours elite knowledge into everyday development, helping pitchers understand not only mechanics, but how to compete with confidence, handle pressure, and own the circle.”

Charlie emphasizes that the mission of Strykers Fastpitch matches what Christa offers in her way of building strong fundamentals in young athletes

Fans of the softball legend loves how she understands that greatness isn’t born — it’s developed.

The Houston-born athlete has made a career out of seeing what others might miss—the raw arm that needs refining, the athlete who needs confidence, the pitcher who needs someone to believe in her before she believes in herself.

That’s why Charlie Esparza felt he struck gold when Coach Williams-Yates agreed to work with his athletes.

“At Strykers Fastpitch,” the colorful coach continues, “the mission has always been bigger than tournaments and trophies; the focus is on building complete players with strong fundamentals, a confident mindset, leadership skills and true preparation for the next level of softball.”

“That’s where we believe Christa’s collaboration with us becomes so impactful.”

This isn’t just about travel ball success, either; it’s about shaping athletes who are ready for high school, college, and wherever life takes them beyond their days in the dugouts.

The best witness to the impact the former player-turned-coach brings is the person who sees Christa out in public but also within the walls of their own home.

“Having grown up knowing nothing but baseball,” husband Mark admits,” and having played that game, being around Christa with our daughters and the girls she surrounds herself with and—seeing the knowledge, passion, and love she has not only for the game but the girls–is incredible.”

“It’s truly been a blessing to be around her and learn from the best about a game I knew very little about.”

Think about it: Mark Yates is a former standout baseball player who is now an impactful softball coach thanks to his wife’s tutoring.

For all her great accomplishments in the sport, the once-in-a-generation athlete has a lot to be proud of… but what means the most to her again shows the quality of her character.

“I am most proud of the young women that I have had the privilege of being a part of their journeys,” Coach Christa says.

“I love trying to help them see their path and what they are capable of both on and off of the field!”

While Christa’s playing and coaching successes are legendary—and everyone involved with the Strykers program is excited to see those winning ways instilled in them—perhaps what’s most exciting is that there are no limitations to what the future holds.

That legacy is still being written… one player, one lesson, one practice at a time.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball