Kristin “Z” Hallam should have known better.
While attending Hofstra University, Hallam thought she might graduate from softball player to strength and conditioning coach.
Silly Z.
She’s a coach, all right, but it’s in the sport that runs through her blood as she enters her fourth year as a University of Pennsylvania softball assistant.
And, as usual, she’s making an impact.
“It’s really not easy to capture all that Kristin is to me and this program in writing,” Penn head coach Christie Novatin said in an email. “She brings so much to the table beyond the Xs and Os and really is building a respectable reputation in the coaching field.”
Not surprising.
Anyone who watched the shortstop at Nottingham High saw someone who played with abandon, talent and, most importantly, joy. She graduated as the Colonial Valley Conference’s all-time hits leader, a record since broken.
At Hofstra, Hallam compiled a career average of .355 with 222 hits and a school-record 83 stolen bases. She is among the top 10 leaders in program history in batting average, hits, runs and steals.
Her major was exercise science, and she figured on coaching in that field.
“The coaching beast is always there with me,” Hallam said. “I was gonna be strength & conditioning, I wanted to be a coach. I wanted to teach, I wanted to lead, I wanted to help people be better versions of themselves.”
Fate had other ideas.
Better ideas.
She would coach, but not in the weight room.
Before graduating, Hallam heard from former Hofstra teammate Michaela Transue, a University of Missouri volunteer assistant at the time, that Tigers head coach Larissa Anderson needed a graduate assistant. Anderson coached both women at Hofstra, so Hallam wasn’t going in blind.
“That was the turning point,” she said. “Am I gonna do all these internships? Am I gonna do strength and conditioning or should I take this opportunity and give the softball side a go.”
It wasn’t a hard decision.
“I get a lot more joy out of softball, a lot more benefits and I get to travel,” the former Northstars wrestling scorekeeper said. “To actually be on this side of it starting at Penn, it’s been awesome working with the kids and getting to know their journey.
“I’m happy (Transue) presented me with that opportunity because I’m not sure I would have sought it out until I gave strength and conditioning a go. It kind of just fell into my lap. I’m really lucky that it did.”
Hallam served her two years well at Mizzou and earned a master’s degree in sports science with a 4.0 GPA after earning a 3.91 at Hofstra. There was no debate about the next step. She applied at Penn, where former Hofstra standout Novatin was the new head coach.
The two did not know each other but knew of each other, as Novatin watched Hallam play when she was an assistant at Princeton and Connecticut.
“Kristin’s loyalty was a big factor for me,” Novatin said of her hiring decision. “She committed to Hofstra and even as things were changing and people were jumping ship, she stuck with her commitment and bought in to the mission to rebuild the program back up. It shows a lot of maturity and when taking over a program that you want to restore to success, someone with Kristin’s background, loyalty and professionalism was a no brainer.”
Hallam was hired in July 2024, and her new job required more than softball knowledge when instructing intellectual players from diverse and often wealthy backgrounds.
“These kids have dreams and aspirations that are way bigger than softball,” Hallam said. “I know that’s the case at other schools and a lot of kids are still playing for the education, but these kids want to be doctors and lawyers. They’re gonna treat me one day!
“It’s been really cool to get my first gig in the Ivy League, get a little different experience than I would being an assistant elsewhere. I miss the mid-major mentality, I miss blue collar, working hard for everything you got. We’re trying to build up that culture and bring back some success.”
The staff inherited a program that had won just eight games in 2023. The Quakers improved to 11 in 2024, slumped to three in 2025 but won 17 this past spring, the most at Penn since 2019.
“I hope we can keep on the same trajectory; we’re really making an impact where this program is gonna go,” Hallam said. “This year is gonna be a big year for us. We’re gonna have some depth at pitching and depth in the field.
“Two years ago we were lacking a lot of depth. There was one time where we thought we’d have to forfeit. We had a pitcher playing the outfield. That was a struggle but I think we’re turning it around and the kids are starting to believe.
“Going into year four I’m excited. This is our first class of all our own kids that we recruited. It’s been cool to see my own progress as a coach. See how I’m doing recruiting, are we finding the right kids, the good kids from good families? Will we be leaving this program better than we found it?”
Her boss feels they are doing just that and gives Z ample credit for the progress.
“Kristin is a little bit of a coaching unicorn because she has experiences and perspectives you don’t find every day,” Novatin said. “She was a former Division I shortstop, which is an asset in itself. She could both slap and swing away, which is another unique skill set. And she was an elite baserunner. She can even talk pitching, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“That versatility shapes the way she teaches the game and allows her to speak to so many parts of it. With a high softball IQ, strong fundamentals, and a natural ability to connect with players, she’s able to break the game down in a way that’s easy to understand. She has a great eye for movement patterns which makes her an excellent teacher and recruiter. And let’s not forget that she’s a winner!”
Hallam takes that winning attitude into her coaching. She knows not every player embraces the game like she does, but that’s part of the challenge.
“I like to push them to be better at softball,” Hallam said. “I’m not gonna try to convince them to love it as much as me. But that’s OK, it’s just my own personal learning how to get the best out of kids that are different backgrounds than me. That’s what’s fun about being at Penn.”
Her job has gotten easier with the type of players the Quakers have been acquiring.
“It’s really hard when you try to corral kids who either don’t want to be there or don’t know what it takes to win or don’t believe they can do it,” Hallam said. “Now the kids are buying into our vision and they believe that they can win.”
Hallam has been recruiting at travel tournaments throughout the summer. She acknowledges the challenge of recruiting Ivy League players, since talent is not the only prerequisite. The players need to be academic standouts to be accepted.
“We have to know on the front end what we’re getting into,” Hallam said. “We could have the best player in the state and they’re not able to get into Penn so we’re not going to waste our time going to watch them. A lot of it is word of mouth. We have a lot of connections that tell us they have a kid with high academics.”
When the coaches find a girl who can cut it academically, they make certain that player knows what is expected on the diamond.
“We want kids that love softball,” Hallam said. “There’s still the academic side of them that they want to pursue a little bit more than softball but with these recruits we are flat out up front – ‘Why do you love softball? We love softball and we want to be the best, we want to win.’ We’re telling them our vision and if they don’t want it they don’t have to come. We don’t hide it. It’s no secret.”
It’s also no secret that Hallam loves what she is doing. But when it comes to wanting a college head coaching job, Z is hesitant because of the challenges presented by the transfer portal and name, image and likeness compensation.
She looks at friends Gaby Bennett and Taylor Offredo, who coach Nottingham-Hamilton, and said, “I feel they are loving life. Teaching, coaching, and getting off all summer. How awesome is that!”
Hallam’s future is on the back burner for now, as she is content with her current lot in life. Like Bennett, Offredo and Lawrenceville coach Karen Prihoda, Z is a product of the Hamilton Girls Softball Association.
She feels it was the perfect launching pad.
“Playing in the HGSA definitely gave me the knowledge and foundation of the game,” Hallam said. “I had incredible coaches, most of who still coach to this day, and a lot of memories on those fields.
“We had a great age group of kids that were competitive that made me into a better player, and I’m still good friends with them. My experiences were very positive and inspired me to continue playing as well as giving back to the game in ways that coaches and teammates gave me growing up there. I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am without HGSA and all those who were part of it with me.”
It has put her in exactly the right spot.
“I’m a coach, I am what I wanted to be in some way or another,” she said. “This is what I was meant to do. I wasn’t meant to be in the weight room all day. I still run some things with our team – speed and agility, strength conditioning. That side is still there. But the softball side has absolutely taken over.”
And the sport of softball is better for it.
