Student-Athlete Spotlight | Karly Hanosky
As Karly Hanosky wraps up her third season playing softball for the Yaks this spring, she’s also looking to continue her successful collegiate career next year when she transfers to Eastern Oregon University.
Hanosky, a catcher who was honored with the NWAC Academic Excellence Award in 2021 and named the conference’s top performer for softball last season, started playing the sport at the age of 5.
“Both of my older brothers have played baseball since they were 5 and 3 years old as well and so I have been around the sport from the time I was born,” Hanosky said. Throughout those years, she’s grown to appreciate the people and friends that the sport has brought into her life.
“Growing up I played on different competitive teams and was able to get to know girls from other high schools around the area,” Hanosky said. “This really helped me see that the girls that I am playing against are humans too and it helped with my sportsmanship a lot. Being able to play with all these different people has helped me create some of my best friends.”
“The past two and a half years at YVC have really shown me what it’s like to be a college athlete and they have allowed me to grow and become a better player than I was when I graduated high school.” – Karly Hanosky
Hanosky was a two-time all-conference selection and captain of her high school softball team in Rexburg, Idaho, which was named academic state champion her senior year. The summer before her senior year, she was introduced to Yakima Valley College and then head coach Chuck Bodeen while participating in a softball tournament in Centralia.
“On my way home he invited me to stop by Yakima and tour campus,” Hanosky said. “At the end of the tour he offered me a softball scholarship and told me to take my time deciding.”
While Hanosky contemplated multiple offers to play collegiate softball, she said Coach Bodeen’s friendliness and knowledge of the game were the deciding factor in choosing to play for the Yaks.
“Even now that he is no longer the coach here at YVC, he still messages me from time to time,” she said. “He always sends out Christmas cards to all of his players and he is just a great person and coach all around.”
This season, Hanosky and her teammates have welcomed new head coach Renae Koppenhafer and assistant coach Danielle Parks into the program.
“Coach Bodeen was amazing but Coach Renae has really pushed our team to be able to compete even better than before,” Hanosky said.
Noting that Koppenhafer also played catcher at the collegiate level, Hanosky said she’s benefitted from one-on-one instruction in the finer points of playing her position.
“I think it has really helped the entire team as a whole grow together and grow the program in a new way,” she said. “The past two and a half years at YVC have really shown me what it’s like to be a college athlete and they have allowed me to grow and become a better player than I was when I graduated high school. I’m excited for what the future has to hold and to keep growing as a person and an athlete.”
Beyond athletics, Hanosky will graduate this June with an associate of science degree, studying veterinary medicine. At Eastern Oregon she will major in health and human performance with an emphasis in exercise science.
Her favorite classes at YVC have included nutrition, Spanish and American Sign Language.
“Spanish and especially ASL have been super fun as I have been given the opportunity to learn new languages and communicate with people,” Hanosky said. “ASL has definitely been one of my favorites and I love [Instructor] John Paul Cyr. I took ASL 101 in person and he made every day so much fun and learning was so immersive.”
While Hanosky hasn’t settled what to do after her collegiate softball career concludes, her YVC degree has prepared her for a career as a veterinary technician while her major at Eastern Oregon could enable her to work with athletes and possibly become an athletic trainer or coach.
“For now, I am just focusing on school and enjoying softball for as long as I can keep playing competitively.”
