Wayne State's Krista Wood named fifth SDSU softball coach since '07

South Dakota State's unusually long search for a new softball coach ended Tuesday with something of a call-up.

Krista Wood accepted the job after a successful run at NCAA Division II Wayne State. She'll look to replicate what she did with the Wildcats: Win on a consistent basis largely with regional talent.

Wayne State went 270-154 under Wood, finishing above .500 in all eight seasons and earning the first Super Regional bid in program history.The team was 10-34 the year before she arrived.

SDSU has been mired in similar territory, posting just one winning record since 1998.

Wood will be the Jacks' fifth coach since 2007. She replaces Kim Aggabao, a California native who resigned in September for family reasons. Assistant Alex Hupp led SDSU on an interim basis in 2014, going 11-36.

"They're doing a lot of great things at South Dakota State," Wood said Tuesday while on vacation. "There's great potential, and they definitely can win there. We've just got to start working hard and getting after it."

An Iowa native, Wood was a standout pitcher for Omaha, helping the Mavericks to a D-II national title in 2001. She knows offense, too, as Wayne State this spring set school records for batting average, runs, doubles and RBI in going 35-18.

Athletic director Justin Sell said the search was aggressive – many calls were made to prospective candidates – and that the outcome improves the program in short order.

"She's had good success in a good league," he said. "If we give her the full amount of scholarships and a good budget she has a chance to do some big things – and she's someone who wants to be here."