Former MLB All-Star Makes Move To College Softball, Joins Idaho State Coaching Staff

It's not often that Major League Baseball and NCAA softball collide, but when they do, it's always interesting.

Billy "Country Breakfast" Butler, best known for his eight seasons with the Kansas City Royals, is joining Idaho State as an assistant coach, according to a report from D1Softball.

The move brings a former MLB All-Star into the college softball ranks after Butler spent the past several years coaching baseball and softball in Idaho.

Filed to @D1Softball: Billy Butler is the new assistant coach at Idaho State. The Kansas City Royals great was an All-Star in 2012 and spent the last several years coaching high school and travel softball in Idaho.https://t.co/t6tfyMVtC7
— Justin McLeod (@justfactsmaam) August 24, 2026

The 40-year-old Butler brings an extensive hitting resume to Pocatello. Selected by Kansas City with the 14th overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft, Butler reached the majors in 2007 and developed into one of the Royals' most consistent hitters.

His best season came in 2012, when he earned his lone MLB All-Star selection and won a Silver Slugger Award. Butler spent eight seasons with Kansas City before playing for the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, finishing his ten-year MLB career with a .290 batting average, 147 home runs and 728 RBIs.

Butler also helped Kansas City reach the 2014 World Series, appearing in all five games of the Royals' American League Championship Series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles and subsequent seven-game World Series loss to the San Francisco Giants.

His transition into coaching began after his playing career ended. Butler was named the hitting coach for the Idaho Falls Chukars in 2021, returning to the organization where he began his professional playing career in 2004.

Butler has since become increasingly involved in softball. He has coached travel softball in Idaho, including with USA Explosion Premier, and most recently served as the softball coach at Idaho Falls High School.

Now, that experience will take him to the Division I level as part of a largely rebuilt Idaho State staff.

Harold Simmons was hired in June as the 10th head coach in program history after spending seven seasons as an assistant at Northern Colorado. During his tenure there, the Bears captured multiple Big Sky titles and reached the NCAA Tournament. Idaho State athletic director Pauline Thiros specifically highlighted Simmons' work developing offense and recruiting talent when announcing his hiring.

ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀᴛᴇ ᴄɪᴛʏ ʜᴀʀᴏʟᴅ ꜱɪᴍᴍᴏɴꜱ 🥎🔥

Idaho State University is excited to introduce Harold Simmons as the 10th Head Coach in ISU Softball history!#RoarBengalsRoar pic.twitter.com/nL9F9kjGzq
— Idaho State Softball (@IdahoStateSB) June 25, 2026

Butler joins a new-look staff that also includes pitching coach Katie Camacho Orona. With Butler handling offense, Idaho State adds a coach whose path to Division I softball is anything but conventional — from MLB All-Star and Silver Slugger to high school and travel softball coach, and now a spot in a college dugout.

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