MADISON, SD (PlayNorthStar.com) – Dakota State (S.D.) has hired Erin Skinner as the new head coach of women’s softball, athletics director Jeff Dittman announced Thursday.  Skinner comes from Presentation College (S.D.) after one season.

She was voted the North Star Athletic Association Softball Coach-of-the-Year by the league’s head coaches in 2023.  She coached a pair of athletes who were named to the NSAA Softball All-Conference teams.

Skinner was an assistant coach at Lyon (Ark.) for one season in 2021-22, working primarily with pitchers, catchers, hitters, and outfielders.  She also served as their recruiting coordinator and developed and implemented the team’s strength and conditioning program.

Prior to Lyon, Skinner spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Doane (Neb.).  She assisted in designing and setting up practice plans for hitters and outfielders, constructed and administered the team’s strength and conditioning program, and secured all team travel and hotel arrangements.  In addition to her duties, Skinner also managed the junior varsity team and earned her master’s degree in business administration at Doane.

Skinner worked on a pair of internships at Cressey Sports Performance in Jupiter, Fla., in the summer of 2019.  She also interned at the Grind Fitness and Sports Performance program in St. Louis, Mo., in the summer of 2018.  She was responsible for instructing and educating athletes through both one-on-one training and in small groups.

Skinner played college softball at Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.).  She was a four-year recipient of the American Midwest Conference (AMC) All-Academic team, as well as Daktronics-NAIA Softball Scholar-Athlete in 2018 and 2019.