{"id":202784,"date":"2026-03-03T21:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/202784\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T21:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:37:08","slug":"sacramento-state-hires-tim-strader-from-texas-am-as-new-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/202784\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento State hires Tim Strader from Texas A&M as new head coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014\u00a0Sacramento State Director of Athletics\u00a0Mark Orr<\/a>\u00a0announced that Tim Strader has been hired as the Hornets\u2019 next head women\u2019s soccer coach. Strader becomes the fifth head coach in the history of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled to welcome Tim as our head coach for Sacramento State women\u2019s soccer,\u201d Orr said. \u201cThroughout the national search process, Tim demonstrated a commitment to building a strong team culture and a clear vision to building competitive success on the field, in the classroom, and within the Sacramento community. He brings a wealth of championship experience through his many years leading student-athletes at the collegiate level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to thank the tireless efforts of the staff that partnered with me in the search process including, Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator\u00a0Pamm Zierfuss-Hubbard<\/a>, Senior Associate Athletics Director Tina Tubbs, head men\u2019s soccer coach Michael Linenberger, and women\u2019s soccer alumna Caitlin Prothe. The future is very bright with Tim Strader leading our program as we enter the Big West Conference in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Strader, \u201cFirst and foremost, I would like to thank President\u00a0Dr. Luke Wood<\/a>, Athletic Director\u00a0Mark Orr<\/a>, and the entire search committee for their belief in me and in my vision for the future of this women\u2019s soccer program. Being named the head women\u2019s soccer coach at Sacramento State is truly a dream come true. We are committed to building a program that Sacramento State, our alumni, and our local community will be proud to support. Our foundation will be built on academic and athletic excellence, equipping our student-athletes for success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community \u2014 developing Hornets for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strader joins the Hornet program after spending the 2025 campaign as an assistant coach, and later, the interim head coach at Texas A&M following the retirement of 33-year sideline veteran G Guerrieri \u2014 the only head coach in the Aggies\u2019 history.<\/p>\n

Focusing his efforts on the defensive half of the field for Texas A&M against a schedule that featured five top-25 opponents, he helped recruit an incoming class for the Aggies that ranked among the top-15 in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com.<\/p>\n

Prior to his stint in College Station, Strader was an assistant coach at future Big West Conference rival California Baptist for five seasons (2018-22) before being elevated to the position of associate head coach for his final two years (2023-24). He helped usher the program into its Division I era while helping the Lancers to the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth as well as being a part of the 2023 WAC Coaching Staff of the Year.<\/p>\n

During his time at CBU, the Lancers finished 70-36-22 (.633) and averaged 10 wins per season, which included an 15-match unbeaten streak in 2023. That year, California Baptist ranked No. 25 in the NCAA in goal differential (plus-26), was No. 26 in the nation in winning percentage (11-2-6, .737), and stood No. 30 in the nation with a 0.68 goals against average.<\/p>\n

He helped the Lancers lead the WAC in shutouts for three consecutive seasons, while mentoring eight all-region honorees, 29 all-conference selections, and five student-athletes that went on to professional soccer careers. Off the field, he oversaw the team\u2019s academic progress that resulted in a combined 3.65 grade point average over six years and had 69 players named to the WAC All-Academic Team.<\/p>\n

Prior to a one-year stint as the Director of Coaching with Slammers FC in Orange County, Strader spent four seasons as the head women\u2019s soccer coach at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind., where he helped the Wildcats to a National Christian College Athletic Association national runner-up finish in 2017 and four Crossroads League Tournament berths from 2014-17.<\/p>\n

He elevated the program from four wins in his first season to a 15-4-3 overall record in his last, earning votes in the NAIA Top 25 for three straight years. Strader mentored three NCCAA All-Americans, two NAIA All-Americans, 14 all-conference players, and one conference defensive player of the year. In the classroom, his teams earned the NAIA Scholar-Athlete Team award all four years and led the NAIA for most Academic All-Americans in 2014.<\/p>\n

Strader\u2019s coaching career began in Southern California at CSUN, helping the program claim its first Big West Conference tournament title and advance to its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2012. That season, the Matadors posted wins over the likes of Arizona State and Michigan along with draws against No. 21 Portland, No. 22 Tennessee, and USC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat excites me most is the opportunity to lead a program that will compete for Big West championships and pursue national success,\u201d Strader said. \u201cI am incredibly grateful for the experience and knowledge I gained working in the SEC at Texas A&M, as well as at CBU, Indiana Wesleyan, and CSUN, all of which have prepared me for this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gained coaching experience as an ECNL coach with Indiana Fire and Strikers FC, leading his team to the North America Cup semifinals and a top-three finish in the Southwest Conference.<\/p>\n

Holding a Premier Coaching Diploma from United Soccer Coaches and a National \u201cC\u201d License from the United States Soccer Federation, Strader earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in recreation and sports management from Indiana State in 2007 and completed his master\u2019s degree in recreation, sport and tourism management from the University of Illinois in 2011.<\/p>\n

Strader and his wife, Beth, have two daughters, Kennedy and McKinley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also want to thank my family \u2014 especially my wife \u2014 for her unwavering support and belief in this dream,\u201d Strader said. \u201cOur mission is to invest in the lives of student-athletes through the game of soccer, building champions not only on the field, but in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, I would like to thank Kristen St. Clair, G Guerrieri, Mark DeMichael, and the many former colleagues and mentors who have shaped me into the coach I am today. I am excited to hit the ground running and start building relationships. Stingers Up!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014\u00a0Sacramento State Director of Athletics\u00a0Mark Orr\u00a0announced that Tim Strader has been hired as the Hornets\u2019 next…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-202784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento-headlines","10":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}