Greenville, S.C. – Kristina Burkhardt has joined the Furman softball program as an assistant coach, it was announced this week by Paladin head coach Mary Beth Dennison.
 
Burkhardt arrives in Greenville after serving the past two seasons as an assistant at Illinois State University. She helped guide the Redbirds to consecutive 16-11 records in Missouri Valley Conference play and back-to-back trips to the MVC Tournament semifinals. Burkhardt helped coach three Redbirds to All-MVC honors in 2025 while Illinois State rank second in the MVC with a .967 fielding percentage.
 
"I'm excited for the addition of Kristina Burkhardt to our staff,", said Dennison, who was hired as the Paladins' head coach in June. "She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will impact the program immediately."
 
Burkhardt began her playing career at the University of North Carolina, garnering first team All-ACC honors in 2019 and second team honors in 2021 while patrolling the Tar Heels outfield. Academically, she earned undergraduate degrees in both sport administration and communication studies in Chapel Hill, N.C.
 
Prior to the 2022 season, Burkhardt transferred to the University of Michigan, adding Big Ten All Defensive Team and NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team accolades to her resume. She also earned the prestigious honor of being one of only nine inaugural winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award as a right fielder.

Burkhardt is a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., with various ties to the athletics community, including sisters who played softball and volleyball in college, respectively. Her older sister played softball at Purdue University (2012-2015) and continued to play professionally for the Dallas Charge, while her younger sister played volleyball for Old Dominion University (2019-2022) and UAB.
 
In addition to her years as a coach, Burkhardt has gained experienced in operations and creative marketing from her time at Ashley Burkhardt Training, LLC where she implemented brand image helping to increase social media interaction. She was also a skills instructor for the company, providing training to athletes at camps and clinics across the country. Burkhardt recently earned her master's degree in sports management at Illinois State.
 
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