DAVIS, Calif. - Former South Dakota head coach Amy Klyse and Pacific assistant coach Gina Carbonatto are the newest members of UC Davis softball's staff as announced by head coach Erin Thorpe on Wednesday. Klyse, the winningest coach in USD softball's history, and Carbonatto, the former first assistant at her alma mater, join the program as its new assistant coaches.

"We are extremely excited about the addition of Coach Klyse and Coach Carbonatto to our coaching staff," said Thorpe. "Both of them bring a breadth of knowledge, experience to the field, and know what it takes to help a program succeed. I look forward to their impact as we continue to build a strong tradition of excellence."

Throughout her 10 years at the helm of South Dakota softball, Klyse successfully led her program's transition to the Division I level, collected 211 victories and earned a birth in the Summit League Tournament every season following her team's jump from Division II competition.

Once the Coyotes joined the Summit League, they quickly established themselves as one of the conference's top programs. Just three years after becoming eligible for postseason play, USD finished second during the 2015 regular season and advanced to the championship game of the conference playoffs.

South Dakota ended that year ranked No. 15 in slugging percentage, No. 17 in home runs, No. 27 in batting average and No. 28 in scoring out of 289 Div. I programs.

Klyse first joined USD's staff in 2007 as its pitching coach before she was named the team's interim head coach the following year. After the 2008 season concluded, South Dakota removed the interim tag.

Throughout her tenure as head coach, 21 student-athletes captured all-conference accolades. Of that group, eight players earned All-Summit League honors and two received National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region recognition.

In addition to posting a top 20 GPA, among all Division I programs four years in a row, 16 Coyotes collected NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete awards and another three earned CoSIDA Academic All-America distinction.

By holding an Academic Progress Rate among the top 10 percent in the sport, the NCAA bestowed its Public Recognition Award to her program in 2015.

Shortly after Klyse, a Sacramento native, graduated from Augustana in 2003 with a degree in communications, she joined the staff as its pitching coach.

When she began her coaching career, Klyse held Augustana's record for the most wins and strikeouts in program history with 89 and 682 respectively. Those marks are currently the second- and third-highest in each category. Her 1.21 career ERA is currently the fifth-lowest in program history.

One of the most decorated alumni in Pacific's history, Carbonatto returned to her alma mater in 2015 for her second coaching stint in Stockton. Throughout her two-year tenure as the Tigers' top assistant, the West Coast Conference bestowed 10 all-conference awards to Carbonatto's players.

With Carbonatto on staff as a volunteer assistant in 2011 and 2012, Tiger hitters, and outfielders alike, flourished under her tutelage. During the '11 season, her instruction helped Pacific earn its first Big West Conference championship and post a 71-39 record.

Before returning to her alma mater in '11, she joined the Washington Huskies as a member of its coaching staff. In 2008, she was its volunteer assistant before the program selected her as one of its full-time assistants the following season.

In her first season in Seattle, UW advanced to the Regionals; the following year saw the Huskies win 51 games and finish the year as the No. 1 team in the nation by defeating Florida at the Women's College World Series. With those back-to-back victories against the Gators, Washington collected its first national title.

After the Huskies won a Pac-10 championship in 2010, Carbonatto returned to her alma mater to pursue a graduate degree three years after capping one of the most successful individual careers in program history.

During the 2004 season, her first as a Tiger, the Big West's Freshman Field Player of the Year also earned the first of four consecutive All-Big West first team selections. That year also marked the first of three occasions that the NFCA selected her as an All-American ('06, '07).

In the following seasons, the three-time team MVP ('04, '06, 07) and Most Inspirational Player recipient ('04, '05, '07) earned additional conference awards when the Big West named Carbonatto as its Player of the Year in 2006 and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2007.

The two-time Academic All-Region selection ('06, '07) ended her career as the league's all-time leader in runs (178) and batting average (.401) - a percentage that shattered Pacific's previous record of .333. By doing so, Carbonatto became the first Tiger to end her career with an average of .400 or above.

Due to her athletic and academic excellence as a student-athlete, her jersey is one of only two numbers retired by the program.

Once her undergraduate career concluded, Carbonatto played professionally as a member of the New England Riptide of National Pro Fastpitch League for two seasons. In 2007, she posted the team's third-highest batting average (.295); the Lake Stevens, Wash. native ended her second season as a pro with the team's second-highest runs (21), walks (18), stolen bases (7) and doubles totals (7).

Carbonatto, a six-time Dean's List honoree, graduated cum laude from Pacific in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in sport sciences. Six years later, she earned a master's in sport pedagogy.