CALIFORNIA (Jan. 14) – After serving last season as an assistant coach, Nikki Yanchak has been appointed interim head coach at California (PA) for the 2025 season.

Yanchak, formerly Nikki Nuzum, helped the Vulcans earn a fourth-consecutive appearance in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament in 2024 after finishing third in the divisional standings. Cal posted a 23-20 overall record last spring and featured a pair of All-PSAC West selections, including the PSAC West Athlete of the Year.

"We are excited to have Nikki Yanchak lead the softball program in Spring 2025 as the interim head coach. She has a great passion for the game and a desire to win," said California Athletic Director Dr. Karen Hjerpe. "Nikki is focused on developing the Vulcans and continuing the long tradition of success on the playing field. She also stresses the importance of academics and graduation, as well as her goals of developing a well-rounded player that will be successful in life."

Yanchak previously served two seasons as the head coach at Alderson Broaddus in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) after one year as head coach in the NCAA Division III level at Franciscan (Ohio). Additionally, she has coaching experience at Penn State-Fayette, Washington & Jefferson, Youngstown State, Potomac State (W.Va.) and West Liberty. As a player, Yanchak appeared in nearly 100 games as a pitcher at Fairmont State from 2011-14.

"I want to thank Athletic Director Dr. Karen Hjerpe and Associate Athletic Director Jenni Morrison for the confidence they have given me to lead the team this spring," said Yanchak. "Coach B [Rick Bertagnolli] created an amazing winning environment at California and I'm thankful for him hiring me last January."

Yanchak served as the head coach at Alderson Broaddus for two years before the school closed in the fall of 2023. She guided the Battlers to a combined 39-69 overall record after the program had won just 21 games over the previous four years while splitting time in two different conferences. A native of West Virginia, Yanchak posted a 10-22 record at Franciscan in the program's initial year as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) in 2021.

The Vulcans are slated to open the season on Feb. 8-9 with a four-game series against Concord in Athens, WV.