Gardner has served as the Head Coach/Co-Founder of Platinum Softball for the past two years and has been a private hitting and fielding instructor in the Austin area for the past three years. Her 18U Platinum squad has all three eligible seniors committed to play collegiately this year.

The sixth softball coach in the university’s history, Gardner comes back to St. Edward’s after serving as the assistant coach in 2007 and 2008. She helped guide the Hilltoppers in back-to-back appearances in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. In 2008, the squad advanced to the NCAA World Series and finished tied for third in the nation. That team broke the school record for wins with a 53-17 record and the Hilltoppercoaching staff was honored as the NFCA South Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

A native of Katy, Texas, Gardner graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. While at UT, she was a four-year letterwinner for the Longhorns, gaining All-America honors in 2000. She was a three-time Big 12 all conference performer and Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2000, at which time she also set the UT single season record with a .421 batting average.