LIBERAL, Kan. Kimber Cortemelia has been named the ninth head coach in the history of the Seward softball team by Associate Vice President of Athletics Cody Cole of Seward County Community College.
I’m quite appreciative and thrilled about the chance to take over as head coach at Seward. “Cortemelia said.” I’d like to express my gratitude to Cody Cole for supporting me and my program idea. I’m excited to construct a program that values perseverance, self-control, and sportsmanship while working with our softball student-athletes to enhance their talents, character, and leadership abilities. Everyone’s support for our athletic department is unique, and it’s wonderful to know that it starts with SCCC President Brad Bennett and works its way down. I can’t wait to get to know Liberal residents and build on the foundation that has already been established.
After serving as an assistant coach at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, for two seasons, Cortemelia (pronounced Cort-uh-meal-ia) will join Seward. She led the Butler Grizzlies to two regular season titles in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC), an NJCAA Region 6 Tournament title, and a 2025 berth to the NJCAA Division 1 World Series.
Cole remarked, “We are thrilled to have Kimber join us as our next Head Softball Coach.” Our program will benefit from Coach Cortemelia’s unwavering enthusiasm and extensive game understanding. She has achieved success at the NJCAA and NCAA Division 1 levels as a student-athlete and as an assistant coach. We are eager to observe her impact on this program.
In 2023, Cortemelia started her coaching career as an assistant at Butler and ran a private softball lesson company. She assisted in training more than 30 young softball players and two different travel ball teams in the Butler County area.
In addition to managing the Grizzly infield, Cortemelia assisted with travel and spent time recruiting while traveling.
The Grizzly defense finished 14th in NJCAA Division 1 with a fielding percentage of.960 in 2025. Over the course of her two seasons, she assisted seven different infielders in earning All-Jayhawk Conference recognition, and she witnessed several players earn two-time All-Conference status. Additionally, in 2024, Cortemelia assisted Butler in producing an NJCAA All-American. During her two seasons as Butler’s assistant, the Grizzlies’ conference records were 89-19 and 57-7.
“I am grateful to Morgan Bohanan and the Butler staff for providing me with the chance to begin my coaching career in such a wonderful environment,” Cortemelia stated. Over the past few years, all of the coaches and mentors I’ve had along the way have been invaluable to me. Without my network of support, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
Cortemelia, a former NJCAA All-American infielder, has a wealth of NJCAA and NCAA D1 playing experience.
After graduating from high school, Cortemelia signed a contract with Michael Lotief, the head coach at the time, at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. After a coaching change in the middle of the season, she redshirted in her only season with the Ragin Cajuns in 2018 before moving to Blinn College.
In 2019, Cortemelia spent one season playing for head coach Rick Church’s Blinn Buccaneers (NJCAA D1). She was selected as the 2019 NJCAA D1 third team All-American, the 2019 Region XIV South Player of the Year, and an NFCA D1 All-Region Midwest second team player. With a.490 on-base percentage, 73 hits, 16 doubles, and a.422 batting average, she led the Buccaneers. Cortemelia and the Buccaneers won the Region XIV South Division Championship and completed with a program-record 23-1 conference record.
Cortemelia went to the University of Texas at Arlington (NCAA D1) after her season at Blinn, where she played for four seasons (2020–23), playing in 104 games and making 94 starts. Cortemelia, a genuine multipurpose swiss-army knife, played in the Mavericks’ outfield and at first, second, third, and shortstop. She recorded 72 hits, 52 RBI, 11 home runs, and a.357 on-base percentage while fielding.955 during her career. She equaled for the second-most RBIs in program history with seven in a 2020 victory against UTSA, and she was selected Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week during the season.
The University of Texas at Arlington is where Cortemelia, a native of Lake Jackson, Texas, earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2021. In 2023, she graduated from UTA with a Master of Science in policy and leadership studies.
About the softball team at Seward County Community College
Seward County softball was seventh out of nine schools in the regular season conference standings with a 10-22 record in the KJCCC and an 18-32 record in the 2025 season. In the program’s existence, the Saints have won three Jayhawk West Conference titles (2005, 09, 10), four Region 6 titles (2005, 06, 09, 10), and two trips to the NJCAA World Series (2009, 10). The first season of the show aired in 1999.
