RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
October 6, 2021 was National Coaches Day and we asked our softball community to tell us about a special coach who’s made a difference.
Thanks to all those who submitted entries… here are some of our favorite entries.
Hello!
My name is Reagan Rand and I play for Team Pennsylvania Hall/Sroka; I am committed to Seton Hall to play softball.
The coach that has made the most difference in my life is Richele Hall. She started coaching me officially the Fall of my Junior year, but even before that she was at a ton of my old teams games watching us.
She is the president of Team Pennsylvania and does a great job getting to know everyone and watching all the teams play. She is still my coach right now and has changed my life in so many ways.
She HYPES me up when I get in the box and behind the plate to catch. I feed off her energy and have never felt more motivated and ready to hit than when she is coaching third base!
We are both very intense and passionate about softball which allows us to see eye to eye. We talk almost everyday about how I am training and we have a really good relationship that you should have with a coach.
Coach Hall has also changed my life by helping me get recruited. She was my biggest advocate to college coaches and always did all that she could for me.
I want to thank her so much for believing in me and being the best coach I could ever ask for. She will always be my coach and my family.
Thank you,
Reagan Rand
*****
I nominate Rachel Coleman, owner of Stars National, for recognition for her achievements and her commitment not just to softball but to her players.
Sure, Coach Rachel is talented and competitive: Stars National Coleman/Belfield won PGF Platinum 18U this summer.
But, she also has unmatched integrity that she demonstrates through helping players connect with the right college coaches for their mutual values and skills levels.
She is brutally honest with players & coaches which is kinder than it sounds because her transparency allows players to prove her wrong or adjust their targets & coaches can trust her evaluations & motives.
Coach Rachel is more than this, though: she is unique and special because she wants to see every player’s dreams come true and is selfless & inspirational as the only person in many players’ lives who wants those dreams to come true as much as the player.
I’m so grateful that she is my coach, mentor & friend & I thank God for the opportunity to play for her & for bringing her into my life.
Sadie Armstrong
P.S. please note the height difference. I’m about 6-foot in cleats. I told her that she is a chicken nugget!
Also, the photo is from Stars National 16U Krupit/Coleman’s first tournament win after only one practice which awarded us a berth to Alliance Nationals!
*****
My name is Lilly Garcia, I am a 2022 Pitcher and play for Firecrackers Central California- Wallace. I also play with the Jr Mexican National Team.
I would like to give a shout out to my coach Mike Wallace.
I have played for Coach Wallace for almost seven years now and throughout all of those years I have been taught so many valuable lessons. The biggest one is that being a good teammate is the best trait a player can have.
Coach Mike made a difference in my life by taking a small-town girl with big dreams to the next level. He’s special because he will do anything and everything for his players.
*****
I play for the 16U TN Thunderbolts team coached by Emily Sain. I am a 2024 pitcher.
Emily Bennett Sain played for Union University where set Union’s career triples record. She was also drafted in the 12th round, 45th overall by ASBA.
Emily loves the game and has said on multiple occasions that she coaches so that she can give us the best opportunities to excel at the highest level of play. She is so selfless in this journey; it is about us and we feel this deeply.
We can play without fear when she is behind us. She allows us to make our mistakes and bounce back from them while learning. We can play while loving the game and still learn under her great leadership. God has truly given her a special talent. She can cut up with us, yet we know what is expected when we hit that field.
Coach Sain believes in us and it shows. It’s amazing how well we can play knowing she has our back at all times. We are so excited about our future with this great coach. Coach Em fosters our work ethic and perseverance to push through; therefore, it’s easy to work hard for her each day.
Celia Anne Lamkin
*****
I would like to nominate a coach that has touched my life; the coach that has made a difference in my life is Coach Sam Campbell.
Coach Sam and his daughter Jourdyn Campbell came into my life two years ago.
He has pushed me to become a better athlete and person and has introduced us to helping younger softball players. He teaches us how to give back which is extremely important. He helps us to mentally push through to improve! Coach Sam is so special because no matter the day—bad or good—he’s always consistent.
He makes us work hard, but also teaches us to have fun! And he loves to hit! We love to hit!
Coach Sam pitches us at least 100 balls a night three to four nights a week. He works as hard as we do.
Alisa Sneed, Texas Riptide 14U
*****
Also, we go back to the end of last year when we listed those standout coaches who have “made a difference” at the key levels we cover!
Here are those honorees from 2020…
*****
In the spirit of honoring coaches, we go back to December of last year when we did our…
Extra Elite 100 Rankings for College, Club and High School Coaches
We love how they’ve made a difference in their players lives, too… Here are the Top 10 counted down for each category!
EXTRA INNING SOFTBALL COLLEGE COACH RANKINGS #’S 10-1 (Dec. 2020)
10—Lonni Alameda (Florida State) D1
Alameda led the Seminoles to their first-ever national championship in 2018, and cemented her place in a select group of active coaches who have held the Women’s College World Series trophy. Her staff was named the National Coaching Staff of the Year by the NFCA that same year. She owns five career ACC Coach of the Year awards, and earned pair of similar awards while leading UNLV in the Mountain West Conference. Alameda passed the 700 career wins milestone during the 2020 season, and has never won fewer than 30 games in a year since arriving in Tallahassee. In addition to the 2018 national title, Alameda has also led FSU to an additional pair of WCWS berths and four additional Super Regional appearances.
T-9—Ralph & Karen Weekly (Tennessee) D1
A United States military veteran and a former attorney. One-time Team USA assistant coaches. Hall of Famers. Any number of titles describe Ralph and Karen Weekly, each of them as impressive as the last. During nearly two decades as co-head coaches at Tennessee, the Weeklys have earned 850 wins, shepherded the Lady Vols to seven berths in the Women’s College World Series, and molded the Tennessee program into a postseason mainstay. The duo have become one of the most respected tandems in the country, with players like Monica Abbott; Shannon Doepking; Raven Chavanne; and Madison Shipman all emerging from under their tutelage.
T-9—Mike White (Texas) D1
When White left Oregon to begin a rebuild at Texas two years ago, there was little doubt that he would make waves at his new locale almost immediately. And waves there were. The Longhorns won seventy games in the first two years under White’s guidance, despite the elimination of half of the 2020 season. In his career, White owns five Women’s College World Series appearances – all at Oregon – and guided the Ducks to nine straight Super Regional berths during his tenure in Eugene. One of the nation’s best pitching coaches, White translated his own excellent playing career into a stellar coaching career to this point. While a national title has proven elusive, thus far, he has averaged nearly 46 wins a season throughout his head coaching career.
8—Kelly Inouye-Perez (UCLA) D1
One of just a handful of active coaches that have won multiple national championships, Inouye-Perez and her Bruins are still the reigning national champions following their 2019 title. With 625 wins to her credit in fourteen seasons, Inouye-Perez bookended the 2010s with championships by her team in 2010 and ’19. She also shepherded the Bruins through a 4-year drought of World Series appearances following the 2010 title, but has since guided the program back to Oklahoma City for the last five consecutive years. The Bruins program is famous for their ability to turn out coaches and professional players regularly, and the program has continued that practice under Inouye-Perez’s shepherding.
7—Patrick Murphy (Alabama) D1
Murphy delivered the first-ever national championship to the SEC in 2012, when his Crimson Tide came from behind to win consecutive games in the WCWS Championship Series. As synonymous with Crimson Tide softball as any coach could be with a program, Murphy has led his program to a dozen Women’s College World Series berths in 22 years leading the team. The Crimson Tide own a total of ten SEC titles (6 regular season, 4 tournament) and have appeared in the NCAA tournament for 21 straight years. He has presided over 57 All-Americans and turned out future Division I coaches like Amanda Locke (Northwestern State associate head) and Molly Fichtner (Louisiana-Monroe head).
6—Heather Tarr (Washington) D1
Speaking of a coach being synonymous with a program, Tarr is a Washington softball “lifer.” A former Huskies player and assistant coach, she took over as head coach in 2005 and is now the winningest coach in Washington athletics history, across all sports. The victor of 659 career games entering the 2021 season, Tarr has led the Huskies to seven Women’s College World Series berths and guided the team to the 2009 national title. The 2010 PAC-12 Coach of the Year, she owns a pair of conference championships; has presided over seven conference Players of the Year; and has seen her team ranked in the NFCA Coaches Poll for 186 consecutive weeks entering the ’21 season.
5—Beth Torina (LSU) D1
The highest-ranked coach without a national championship, Torina took over an LSU program in 2011 that was floundering a bit and without solid footing in the SEC race. In the last eight years, she has turned the Tigers into a national power, appearing in the Women’s College World Series four times. She has averaged 45 wins a season since she took the helm of the Tigers’ program, and her team has finished each of the last five seasons ranked in the top ten nationally. The Tigers have appeared in six Super Regionals and have won fewer than 40 games in a year just once under Torina’s guidance.
4—Tim Walton (Florida) D1
It seems hard to believe that Walton has “only” been at Florida for 16 seasons, given all that he and the program have accomplished during that time. Walton should reach the 800-win milestone of his Gator tenure during the 2021 season and has led the Gators to wins in more than 80% of the games they’ve played under his shepherding. The Gators have won eight SEC regular-season championships under Walton’s guidance- the most of any team in the conference – and won four straight regular-season titles from 2015-18. The Gators have appeared in the Women’s College World Series ten times and won back-to-back national championships in 2014 and 2015.
3—Patty Gasso (Oklahoma) D1
“Four-Time Natty Patty” is how television broadcasters nicknamed her. Catchy, albeit a bit cheesy at the same time, Gasso’s success in the game puts her in an all-time elite class. The Sooners have won four national championships under Gasso’s guidance, including back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. The Sooners have never missed the postseason with Gasso as head coach and have appeared in the Women’s College World Series thirteen times under her tutelage. The Sooners have won eight straight Big 12 regular-season titles since 2012, and she has shepherded 58 All-Americans and 13 Big 12 Players of the Year. Gasso owns a dozen Big 12 Coach of the Year honors and has won the award annually since 2012.
2—Carol Hutchins (Michigan) D1
The top two spots in these rankings were obvious from the outset, though deciding who would finish in which position was far more difficult. Hutchins entered the 2020 season as the all-time wins leader across NCAA softball, though the shortened year now has her in second place all-time, and she is nearly synonymous with the game as a whole. A 2006 inductee into the NFCA Hall of Fame, “Hutch” is now in her 37th year at UM. The victor of 1,631 games as a head coach, Hutch stands atop the medal stand for coaches in every division of NCAA softball. She is also the winningest coach in any sport in Michigan athletic department history. The Wolverines have reached the Women’s College World Series twelve times under Hutch’s guidance, and in 2005 became the first-ever program located east of the Mississippi River to win the WCWS national title. Michigan has never ended a season with a losing record under Hutch’s leadership, and have played in the NCAA tournament 27 times, including annually since 1995. She is a 17-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and twice has been named the NFCA’s National Coach of the Year.
1—Mike Candrea (Arizona) D1
Candrea squeaked into the solo top spot based on his plethora of national championship rings. He also currently holds the all-time wins record by a total of two victories, with 1,633 to his credit since he arrived at Arizona. Coach Candrea’s career record, including several years at Central Arizona College, tops 1,800 career victories. No head coach owns more national championships than Candrea as his eight career titles and career winning percentage both are Division I records among active coaches. When he reached the 1,600-win plateau during the 2019 season, he became the fastest coach to reach the milestone victory in any sport in NCAA history. The Wildcats, under Candrea’s guidance, have made 23 trips to the Women’s College World Series and have reached the NCAA postseason 33 times under his leadership. He has shepherded 51 players to a total of 104 All-American awards, and also led Team USA to a pair of Olympic medals, including the gold from the 2004 Games.
*****
EXTRA INNING SOFTBALL CLUB COACH RANKINGS #’S 10-1 (Dec. 2020)
T-10—Jay Roberson (Birmingham Thunderbolts 16U)
Coach Roberson has coached club softball for 15 years and in that time has coached three Birmingham Thunderbolts teams to a pair of 3rd place finished at PGF Nationals and three Top five finishes. Active as an event producer as well, he runs the Bolts 5-Star Showcase and is well-known in the softball community for impacting players’ lives and his keen ability to bring in athletes who will fit his program and progress into being a college-level player. One of the most impressive stats regarding Coach Roberson’s tenure: every single student-athlete who has played for him has signed with a DI program. Among the notables who’ve worn the Bolts Purple & Gold are KB Sides (Alabama), Mary Katherine Tedder (Texas), Lilly Agan (Washington), Kaylen Madrey (LSU) and Annabelle Widra (Michigan) as a small sampling of the national exposure his players get. “My belief has always been that if a kid knows you love them, have confidence in them and believe in them, then they will play hard for you,” he explains about his formula of success. “I’ve always surrounded myself with great players and I’ve allowed the kids to just go play without having to worry about any fallout for making a mistake. That has led to my kids playing loose and at the top of their ability.” Impressively, Coach Roberson and staff have turned down elite players who he felt weren’t a good fit for his team. “I’ve also surrounded myself with great families,” he adds, “and that has led to a drama free environment which also helps performance between the lines.” And he credits his coaching staff too including his wife, Amanda Roberson, who he calls “the best pitching coach in country in my opinion” along with assistants Ted Flannery and Keith Dorsett, who himself is a PGF National Champion coach.
T-10—Ryan & Taylor Taylor (Aces Fastpitch 18U/16U)
If you’ve been to an event recently where the Aces teams competed, you’ve no doubt come across the Taylor family and their three young children who often are watched by parents of Aces players while Coaches Ryan and Taylor are on the field. The husband-and-wife duo have been coaching together since 2012 but prior to that each coached for four years before meeting. Since taking the field together, their list of accomplishments is impressive on a national scale: 9th at PGF 18U Nationals in 2016, 5th at PGF 16U in 2018, undefeated 18U champions at Boulder IDT in 2019, 5th at 14U IDT in 2018 and 5th at Sparkler/fireworks 16U in 2019. The Aces also won the championship at Top Club 16U Nationals in 2019 and took 3rd at 18U in 2020. Their family approach is working in developing players, too, as they produced five Gatorade State Players of the Year, five of the Top 10 in the 2021 Extra Elite 100, multiple PGF All-American Game participates and such well-known talent as Kiki Stones, the All-American, World Series participant and NPF player. Both coaches are former DI athletes and Coach Taylor explains: Every day is an opportunity to learn and grow as a coach. We are constantly studying the game, having conversations with people better than us, and work with players through film and instruction to improve their skills. Ryan is always trying to find opportunities for our athletes and he exhausts every option for their collegiate careers to be successful athletically but also academically. One parent, who has had multiple daughters play for the Taylors, beginss: “The biggest thing that amazes me about Ryan and Taylor is their selflessness. They have three little kids of their own to manage, their own jobs, but yet they give and give for all of their Aces girls and families. When I think about all the hours they sacrifice away from their kids/family to provide their Aces kids what is needed to be the best they can be and achieve their dreams, I am in awe. They don’t just coach a team, they run an entire organization and everything that goes with that, handle the recruiting for all of their Aces kids, and now they have the Alliance/Heart of America Fastpitch League. They are always pushing or trying to find ways to give softball girls the best they can and the best opportunities.”
T-9—KC Jackson (Impact Gold – Jackson 18U)
Coach Jackson has been in the game for over 25 years. Some of the top players he’s coached are Paige McDuffee (UCLA), Demi Turner (Alabama), Riley Sartain (Texas A&M), Nadia Taylor (Texas), Baylee Klingler (Washington) and Tori Vidales (Texas A&M). One of his teams reached the PGF 18U Premier national championship game in 2010. “I’ve coached several teams that have won national championships, but I have to credit the talented players I’ve coached,” Coach Jackson said. “Actually, a little known softball fact, my team played in the inaugural PGF Championship game on ESPN which I believe was one of the first club softball championships ever aired on television. I am a part of the founding members of the Texas Fastpitch League. One accomplishment I’m most proud of creating is the Impact Gold Organization years ago during a time when softball organizations were not popular.” Coach Jackson is known for his offense. “I’m a hitting guy!” Jackson said. “An offensive-minded coach with a big emphasis on mental preparation. But the best thing I do well is prepare kids to play in college!! The kids that play for me are expected to start in college and my job is the ensure that happens. Yes, my practices are tough, yes, it’s going to challenge your physical toughness as well as your mental toughness … It’s the main reason why my kids are more successful in college than others.”
T-9—Nathan Nelson (Hotshots Premier 16U)
Coach Nelson has a competitive playing background, having played baseball for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and then four years in the Houston Astros organization. He moved to coaching softball when his daughter was old enough to play and says he quickly fell in love with the sport. “It’s the greatest sport around!” he says enthusiastically. “These young ladies play the game the right way and you deal with very little ego from the players as they want to learn and get better.” His softball resume shows that what he’s doing is working well: since started the Hotshots in 2015, Coach Nelson has compiled a 439-114 record and has coached eight teams to National Championships and seven others to Top 10 finishes. The Hotshots 16U season in 2020 was particularly impressive as the team won three big titles: USA/ASA Gold, Top Club Nationals and Triple Crown SW Nationals. His list of players he has, or is currently, developing is noteworthy: 2022’s alone going to major programs includes Kennedy Powell (UCLA), Reese Atwood (Texas), Cecilia Vasquez (UL), Ashlyn Jones (Texas A&M), Madison McClarity (Texas Tech, Nyjah Fontenot (Arkansas), Chloe Riassetto (Louisiana), Madelyn Lopez (Syracuse), Ellington Whitaker (Baylor) and Madison Applebe (Ole Miss) for starters. Nelson credits his coaching staff saying, “I feel I have one of the best staffs around who are very like-minded and understand our process. The assistants include Rick Vasquez, Joe Torres, Jason Applebe and Mickey McKee. He credits two things for leading to the Hotshots success. “For one,” he starts, “the success of a coach is having the players respect you. If the players do not respect you then you will not be very successful. Secondly, you have to surround yourself with like-minded people. All of my team’s success goes to the girls with all the hard work they put in. Then it is the staff as a whole. As an organization I feel we have the strongest core of like-minded people helping one another anyway possible for our local teams.
8—Greg Schnute (East Cobb Bullets 18U)
Coach Schnute is one of the longest-tenured coach in the club ranks and has been of the most softball. This year he’ll hit the quarter century mark taking the fields as he started the East Cobb Bullets Fastpitch program in 1996 and has great success as a team and in producing players. Another former baseball player, he played at Florida State where as a senior his Seminole team lost the NCAA Championships to the Univ. of Southern California (USC) in the bottom of the 15th on a swinging bunt with two strikes. “Not that I remember,” he jokes. The Bullets were the first fastpitch program in Georgia and Coach Schnute says, “We have been fortunate to have won several National Championships in different age levels over this time, and one of my favorites was the 2018 group that won the 18U Triple Crown nationals. That was a fun group!” He and his fellow coaches have placed over 500 Bullet players in colleges including recent stars such as Kelly Barnhill (Florida), Bailey Hemphill (Alabama), Lexi Kilfoyl (Alabama), Kassidy Krupit (South Carolina),Megan Litumbe (Georgia State), Sydney Pennington (Oklahoma State), Kelly Sinclair (College of Charleston) and Morgan Walters (Missouri). “One of our goals within the Bullet program,” Coach Schnute explains, “is to not only teach our young ladies how to play the game at the highest level, but also speak with them about the Life Skills that will become important when their days of playing are over. We take pride in developing these young ladies not only as terrific fastpitch players, but great human beings.”
7—Scott Smith (Texas Bombers 18U)
Coach Smith started the Texas Bombers organization 20 years ago and it has become one of the major organizations in club softball. Coach Smith’s teams were named the NFCA Region Travel Ball Coaching Staff of the Year in 2015, the NFCA National Travel Ball Coaching Staff of the Year in 2016, they won the 2016 USA Gold National title, the Triple Crown Colorado Fireworks title in 2016, the 2016 Triple Crown USA Nationals runner-up in 2016, they were Triple Crown USA National runner-up in 2018 and they were WFC USA Elite Select National runner-up in 2019. Some of the top players to go through his organization were Makinzy Herzog (Texas A&M), Sam Show (Oklahoma State), Talor Pleasants (LSU), Georgia Clark (LSU) and Shelbi Sunseri (LSU). “I think he is a very good person that has a great eye for talent!” Pleasants said. “He is very knowledgeable in all aspects of the game. When I first began playing with him, the one thing that stood out more than anything was how passionate he was about his time in the service and how honored and lucky we are to be able to play the game we love!”
T-6—Kevin Shelton (Texas Glory 18U)
Coach Shelton has one of the most accomplished background of any coach in the country on and off the field. He holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M and an M.A. in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University. Shelton was also an eight- year veteran of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force and has worked in executive for companies such as Procter & Gamble, Frito-Lay and Pepsico. He has been involved in softball for over two decades and his expertise ranges from teaching private lessons to coaching in the pro ranks. Coach Shelton has been coaching fastpitch since 1997 and has worked with over 550 college players. His daughters Kristyn and Kathy played college softball; Kristyn at Stephen F. Austin and Kathy at Baylor where she was a three-time All-Big 12 honoree, leading the conference in hitting in 2011. Kathy was two-time NFCA All-Region selection and holds multiple offensive single season and career records. In his accomplished career, Shelton has produced 38 high school All-Americans, three Texas Gatorade Players of the Year, one National Gatorade Player of the Year (Jayda Coleman, 2020), three Texas High School Heisman Award winners, five Collegiate Conference Players of the Year and eight collegiate All-Americans. The Texan has consistently delivered top player and top team results and in 2014 earned NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year and 2014 and 2017 was the NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. Shelton’s extensive list of championships ranges from 2001 10U ASA & USSSA State Championships to finishing 5-0-1 at the 18U inaugural Alliance Cup in Oklahoma City this fall. One of the coach’s primary goals, he says, is “We are focused on player development, not wins.” Some of the notable alums to pass through his program include Amy Hooks, an Easton All-American and the 2011 Big 12 Player of the Year, Amanda Lock, also an Easton All-American and a 2013 National Champion, Whitney Canion, an All-American at Baylor who owns every pitching record at the school and played on the USA National Team, Taylor Hoagland, another member of the USA National Team, Morgan Turkoly, the 2018 Conference USA Player of the Year, Lindsay Edwards, the 2019 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year.
T-6—TJ Goelz (Tampa Mustangs 18U)
Coach Goelz holds an honor that no one else can lay claim to when it comes to the Extra Elite 100 Coach Rankings—he makes the Top 10 not just for club ball, but also for his high school accomplishments at Lakewood Ranch High in Bradenton, Florida. In his club career, he has won 1,044 games versus 237 losses, but it’s success at playing deep into tournaments, especially the elite ones, that is most impressive. Coach Goelz—over the last five years has finished in the Top 5 of 19 of the 20 national level events his Mustangs have played in and in 15 of the 20, they finished Top 3. In five of the 20, his travel team won the championship including 18U titles at the TCS Southeast Nationals and WFC in Viera, Florida this year, the Texas Impact Gold Invitational and Scenic City Invitational (16U) in 2018, and the TCS Sparkler Power Pool TV Bracket in 14U in 2017. What may have put the Mustangs – TJ team on the map nationally, though, was a 2015 PGF 16U Nationals title when the team lost the play-in game but went on an amazing 11-game streak in the Loser’s Bracket to take the title. Showing that his Mustangs plays their best when the competition is raised, Coach TJ’s team has gone 37-11 at PGF Nationals with four Top 5 finishes there and three Top 5’s at ASA/USA Gold Nationals. His development of players has been outstanding as well, with 44 of his former athletes going on to play college softball and 42 of those making it to DI schools including his two daughters, Kinsey and Avery, who are now playing for the Florida Gators. In 2015, Goelz and his assistants were chosen as the NFCA National Travel Ball Coaching Staff of the Year and since then have twice (2017, 2019) been finalists.
5—Patrick Lewis (Georgia Impact 18U)
Coach Lewis has coached travel ball since 2006 and has helped put the Impact on the national map with PGF Championships in 2015 (14U) and in 2018 (18U). In 2019, his team finished 2nd despite the loss of several elite players who graduated and went to college. At ASAU/USA Nationals previously, his Impact teams also had four Top 10 finishes. Says assistant coach Lincoln Martin, who made the Extra Elite 100 Club Coach list also: “Patrick is the best at creating culture and accountability. What he’s done over the last six years is impressive.” Coach Lewis has helped develop top national players including Skylar Wallace, Hannah Adams, Kelley Lynch, Julia Cottrill, Bailey Dowlin, Charla Echols, Savannah Stewart, Jana Johns, Ashley Morgan, Karly Heath, Ava Tillmann, Gabby Sprang, Gabby Teran, Kelsey Bennett and Raigan Barrett. The quality of players has been outstanding too; Coach Lewis has had seven players on the last two USA Jr. Women’s National teams and at the last tryouts seven Impact alums were on the field among the 29 overall players. What has worked so well with Lewis and his strong coaching staff? “My players know I love them even when holding them accountable,” he begins. “I surround myself with coaches that are smarter than me (this is key to any successful leadership position) and I let them do their job within our framework.” The key he adds is to “get all on my staff to believe into our vision and execute the plan I layout for the team and our coaches. I try to help my players be better people as a result of being a part of our program and culture.” Will Tomasello, the founder of Georgia Impact adds: “When I brought him in to coach the flagship team of the club, I didn’t know how great Patrick would be. He has nerves of steel, knows when to make the right decisions and absolutely knows how to develop players. He’s one of the best I’ve seen at it.”
T-4—Bill Conroy (Bevery Bandits 16U)
From humble beginnings, Coach Conroy has built the Bandits into a national dynasty and the preeminent travel ball program in the Midwest. The former college wrestler has been coaching and running the Bandits, which began as a start-up rec ball team from Beverly, Illinois, 22 years ago. The program has won 11 national championships including Colorado Fireworks 16U (2001), Boulder IDT 18U titles in 2007, 2011 and 2015 and PGF Nationals 16U championships in 2016 and 2019 and an 18U PGF Nationals title in 2017. Additionally, the Bandits have had eight other Top 5 finishes in these major nationals including two at ASA and six at PGF Nationals. Conroy and his assistants were selected as the NFCA National Coach Staff of the Year in 2011 and 2017. Some of the familiar names to come out of the Illinois-based program include two Extra Elite 100 #1 players: Jenna Lilley (2014, Oregon) and Miranda Elish (2016, Texas) as well as other college standouts like pitchers Taran Alvelo (Washington) and Alexis Holloway (Notre Dame). In those two decades-plus, Coach Conroy has sent 449 players into college including 440 who have gone DI. “That’s something I’m very proud of,” Conroy says. Key to having so many great players come through the Bandits, he says, has been getting the individuals to buy into the team concept. “In my opinion, my greatest strength has been in recognizing talent and getting a group of talented players to put aside egos and play for each other as a single unit.” Coach Conroy has also been involved in the pro game as he was the original owner and GM of the Chicago Bandits. During the four years in the NPF, he also served as the NPF League President and saw his team get a combination of four league titles between the NFP’s regular season and playoffs. But with all the on-field success, Conroy’s legacy may for his founding the non-for-profit event Empowering Girls for Life, which has featured speakers such softball celebs Jennie Finch and Jessica Mendoza. “Having these amazing role models is something that has longer-lasting effects on young women than anything I can do on the softball field,” Conroy concludes.
T-4—Dave Mercado (Athletics – Mercado 18U)
Coach Mercado has created one of the most prolific softball programs in the country. It started with his daughter, Danica, Sydney and Sierra Romero along with multiple other future NCAA players with the 12U Blazers before turning them into Mark Campbell’s 14U Victory team. Mercado went on to the So Cal Athletics organization before eventually starting his own organization. During that whole run he won two 12U national titles, a 14U championship and an 18U PGF national title. Kinzie Jansen (Oklahoma), Quincee Lilio (2021, Oklahoma), Presleigh Pilon (2021, LSU), Mo Mercado (Arizona), Danica Mercado (Oregon) and Raeleen Gutierrez (LSU) are some of the talented players that have gone through his program. “I think it’s all the girls he helped make it to the next level and his five National Championships,” assistant coach Mark Smith said of Mercado’s top accomplishments.
T-3—Tony Rico (Firecrackers – Weil/Rico 18U)
Coach Rico has become one of the prominent names in travel ball history, but many may not know he actually played baseball at the collegiate level and overseas before he entered the club world in 1991. As a single parent, he gave lessons at home while working in charge of player development under the Firecrackers founder, Gary Wardein, in the first generation of Firecracker teams. Rico eventually took over the program in 2003, where over the next 15 years he would establish the Firecracker brand by winning every major national championship in the U.S. He also served as an assistant for Team USA on the Junior World Championship-winning team in 2011 under the head coaching leadership of Karen Johns. Where Coach Rico has really been a vanguard in the sport is how he has rolled the Firecrackers brand and image across the nation, even the world, to build teams and programs in other states as well as create a Firecracker Softball, Inc store. Rico was one of the first in the sport to focus on the mental side of the game and emphasize how a player needs to approach an at-bat or pitch intellectually as well as physically. His attention to details and instinctive abilities to develop talent has succeeded on the team side, as he’s overseen 10 Colorado Fireworks championships, five Canada Cup championships, two ASA national champions, a pair of TCS national championships and one PGF championship, as well as on the player front as he’s been instrumental in developing some of the greatest players in the sport, with FC alumni including all-time legends such as Megan Langenfeld, Lauren Chamberlain and Sis Bates, to name a few.
T-3—Bruce Richardson (So Cal Athletics 18U)
Coach Bruce’s So Cal Athletics are a formidable team every year at the PGF Nationals. They set the tone for excellence by winning the PGF 18U Premier national championships from 2010-13. Coach Bruce’s teams are always in the hunt at the PGF Nationals and his organization has won 11 national titles. “As a coach, Bruce has high expectations, is humble, and treats all of his players with respect,” Boston College-committed C Hannah Slike said. “He always plays the best competition, never makes excuses, and always inspires the team to get better. Bruce’s priority is his players and their future beyond softball. He always encouraged his players to find a school that is the right fit for them and does not direct players to certain programs. Being on his team has prepared me for success in college both on and off the field. Bruce believed in me and gave me a unique opportunity to play with some of the best players in the country as a freshman and for this, I will always be grateful.”
2—Mike Stith (OC Batbusters 18U)
Coach Stith has been in the travel ball world for 25 years and has a reach across the nation. He has won six national titles and been the assistant for six more national titles. His teams won back-to-back PGF 18U Premier national championships from 2014-15. “I think just the long term consistency is something I am very proud of,” Stith said. “I’ve been head coach of six national championship teams and assistant for six more and won the Cowles Cup and an NPF championship. I think the thing I do best is create an expectation level and culture that only the toughest players want to reach for. Hard work pays off and so I walk the walk as I want my players to do and just try to not leave without my best effort. ‘Players play like coaches coach.'” Some of the top players he’s coached are Amanda Lorenz (Florida), Sydney Romero (Oklahoma), Delaney Spaulding (UCLA), Hannah Flippen (Utah) and Dejah Mulipola (Arizona). “Mike Stith is a coach that not only envisions success for his athletes, but he makes that success come to life because of the coach he is,” said Taylor McQuillin, who won two PGF national titles with Coach Stith before going on to Arizona. “I owe Mike so much for the athlete and the person I am today. He truly pushed me to become better in all aspects of life and even talking with him today, I still feel so grateful to have a coach like Mike in my corner. Having Mike as a coach was the best thing for me growing up playing softball in Southern California. I think the biggest thing that makes Mike such a great coach is that he has truly grown with the game of softball while still being able to maintain that traditional value it had years ago. I think it’s extremely important for coaches to be able to grow with softball because times have changed so much just from when I was in high school and travel ball.”
1—Marty Tyson (Corona Angels 18U/14U)
Coach Marty formed the Corona Goldrush when his daughter Dena, who would go on to become an All-American at Washington, was 11 years old. He ended up creating the Corona Angels organization, which is now 22 years old. “Marty has a passion for the game that is immeasurable,” said Dena. “He has a will that relentless. In his mind there is no uncoachable player. He never waivers his standard for any player. The best player on the team down to the role players will get his same energy. I believe this is why a player can leave PGF Nationals without one at-bat and still become a starter as a freshman in college. EVERY PLAYER GETS THE BEST MARTY!!” Coach Marty has had many impactful players over the years, including Brittany La Rosa (Cal), Neena Bryant (Oregon), Taylor Edwards (Nebraska), Rachel Garcia (UCLA), Shay Knighten (Oklahoma), Stephany La Rosa (UCLA), Alexis Osorio (Alabama) and Megan Faraimo (UCLA). Eight of his organization’s teams have reached the PGF Nationals finals and he’s had three PGF national championships. One of the main ways Coach Marty has made an impact is with black and brown players in softball. “Although a touchy subject and some don’t like to hear it, but back when I played and almost up until Marty began coaching it was unspoken, but for minority girls we understood that we needed to dial back … too much ‘personality’ could be taken out of context,” Dena said. “And I do believe, especially in California, you didn’t always see too many all together on the same team. When the Corona Angels started, for whatever the reason, the minority girls became the majority. They could play the game the way they wanted to play. If that’s dancing on the field, making rap songs into cheers, they weren’t looked down upon. To be able to play the game and be you is refreshing. However, I also feel with this foundation that Marty started even Caucasian girls got a benefit out of it. Marty has just received a text from a stranger about a past player and they couldn’t believe how well she could adapt in many aspects of life and the past player attributed to playing in an organization where she got to be around minorities and truly understood that judgement should ALWAYS BE ON CONTENT CHARACTER AND NOT COLOR OF SKIN!”
*****
EXTRA ELITE 100 HIGH SCHOOL COACH RANKINGS #’S 10-1 (Dec. 2020)
T-10. TJ Goelz (Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, FL)
Coach Goelz has been one of the top club coaches in the country for years and he brought that same winning mentality to the high school game when he took over as Lakewood Ranch’s coach in 2017. It’s only been four seasons with the Mustangs, but he already has an 89-9 record, four district titles, two regional championships and two State Final Fours. He was the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s Softball Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019, the FACA District 8 Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and the NFHS Florida High School Softball Coach of the Year in 2019. From 2017-2020, Coach Goelz has sent 24 players on to play at the collegiate level including both his daughters, Kinsey and Avery, who are currently on the Florida Gators roster.
T-10. Mary Jo Truesdale (Sheldon, Sacramento, CA)
Coach Truesdale has been coaching softball since the 1970s and has 759 career wins. She has spent the past 23 years as the head coach at Sheldon where she has won eight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championships. “I miss all of it,” Truesdale told the Sacramento Bee. “I worry about the well-being of my players, especially the seniors, who don’t have a next season to play in high school. I keep in track through Facebook, texting. But it’s not the same. We know there are things going on in life that are much bigger than softball, and that’s what we’re all learning. We just can’t wait to get back out into the dirt and play ball.”
T-9. Dale Palmer (Sparkman, Harvest, AL)
Coach Palmer picked up his 1,000th career win earlier this spring. “It’s a great honor,” Palmer told AL.com after reaching the milestone. “It’s a tribute to a lot of hard-working kids. There have been a lot of folks who paid a great price to give us the opportunity to enjoy this tonight. We try to worry about the next one; one game at a time. It doesn’t seem like it’s been long enough to have won that many. Time has flown by.” Palmer, who originally had his sights set on being an assistant football coach at Sparkman before ending up as the softball coach, is in his 25th season as Sparkman’s leader and he has led the Senators to six state championships (2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016).
T-9. Jerry Goodpasture (Hoover, North Canton, OH)
Coach Goodpasture was named the Coach of the Decade for the 2010s after leading Hoover to four consecutive state titles from 2011-14. Goodpasture has more than 350 career wins and won two more state titles in the previous decade (2006 and 2008) and two more (1998 and 1999) as a pitching coach under Jeff Hite. “I was very fortunate,” Goodpasture told The Repository. “I always say to win a state title that you have to be good and you also have to have a lot of luck. I knew how hard it was to win the first one in that streak. There were some close games and a couple of plays that could have gone either way that decided those games. To think that we were going to add three more after that was unthinkable at the time.”
T-8. Mike Noel (Clovis, CA)
Coach Noel took over as Clovis’ head coach in 1995 and he had already guided the Cougars to back-to-back CIF Central Section championships by 1996 and 1997. Noel’s Cougars have become the standard of excellence in the Central Valley of California. Noel has gone on to guide Clovis to eight CIF Central Section championships, most recently with back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. He reached the 600-career win milestone in 2017 when he was also selected the Cal-Hi Sports Coach of the Year and he’s is already closing in on 700 wins.
T-8. Rex Mack (Brecksville-Broadview Heights High, OH)
Coach Mack has 25 years of coaching experience, including the past 10 as BBHHS head coach. Mack has led the Lady Bees to six conference championships, six section titles, six district championships, six regional appearances and a 188-56 record. He was voted as the Northeast District Softball Coach of the Year by Ohio High School Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2014 and 2015. In addition, he was voted as the Conference Coach of the Year in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. Possibly the most impressive accomplishment, the varsity softball team’s collective cumulative GPA has ended higher in each and every season than it was at the beginning while he has been the head coach. It has become a standard of the BBHHS Softball Program for players to achieve NFCA Scholar Athlete status. The majority of graduating players have gone on to play at the college level.
7. Brad Walraven (Frankenmuth, MI)
Walraven is one of five high school coaches with 1,100 career wins. “It’s a nice achievement, but it’s not why I’m still going,” he told mlive.com. Walraven has won four state championships, appeared in 10 state finals, and was elected into the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as coach of Bay City All Saints in 1995. “At this point, I do it because I enjoy the kids — they respond to me and I enjoy the competitiveness the sport brings. There is also a lot of good camaraderie with other coaches and I respect what they do. I just enjoy the softball, and still enjoy teaching the game.”
6. Carol Mitchell (Gibbs, Corryton, TN)
Coach Mitchell lives and breathes Gibbs softball. She was Carol Zachary when she pitched for the Lady Eagles under former coach Dennis Ray and won state championships in 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987. She was an assistant coach for Ray for one season and then took over as head coach in 1994. Gibbs has won 10 state titles and Mitchell has been on board for nine of them as a player or coach. She’s coached the Lady Eagles to state championships in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2012 and 2017. In May 2019 she reached 900 career wins. “Winning has become important and a tradition,” Mitchell told NBC 10 News in Tennessee. “I’m just glad to be along for the ride with them. I just feel like this is where I belong.” She is considered the “heart and soul” of Gibbs. “I have a few more years until I finish, but this is where I feel I need to be, and where my heart is.”
5. Diane Laffey (Regina, Warren, MI)
Not only is Laffey the winningest softball coach in Michigan history with a record of 1,212-485-5, but she’s also No. 5 in girls’ basketball with a record of 651-463. She has been coaching both sports since the 1970s and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. She has guided her softball teams to seven state championships and will be looking for another one when she enters her 50th season this spring. “Oh, yes,” Laffey told the Detroit News about her love for softball. “In fact, now more so since we’ve had to sit all spring, so I’ll be raring to go when school starts. I really miss seeing the kids, that’s the bad part. I’ve stayed in contact with them with Zoom and texts but looking at them on Zoom is just not the same.”
4. Rob Weil (Los Alamitos, CA)
Weil’s team was ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps when the 2020 season came to an end due to the Coronavirus. Weil has led his teams to six CIF Southern Section titles and a MaxPreps national championship in 2017. Weil won five of those championships at Pacifica from 1997-2004. Weil’s 2017 team went 28-3, beating mighty Norco in the championship game. “I told them when we were in pregame today, ‘We’ve beat every team that we’ve played this year,’” Weil told the OC Register. “We lost to La Habra, played them the second game and beat them. Played Mission Viejo, beat them in the second game. I said, ‘Let’s go out and do the same thing tonight.’” Weil was named the National Softball Coach of the Year by USA Today in 2017.
3. Todd Peterson (Papillion-La Vista, Papillion, NE)
Coach Petersen is in his 16th year at Papillion-LaVista, including the past 14 years as head coach where he has compiled a record of 449-61. He has been named the Nebraska Coaches Association’s Softball Coach of the Year in 2012, 2018 and 2020. He has guided the Monarchs to the state tournament 14 times and to Class A state championships in 2007, 2010, 2017, 2019 and 2020. He has coached three Gatorade State Players of the Year. “I’ve been very fortunate to coach this very talented and close-knit group,” Petersen said after leading his team to the state title this fall. “They are hard-working and never got complacent; instead, they stayed focused on winning another state championship and going undefeated for a second straight year. They are also great kids who are leaders on the field, at school and in the community.”
2. Franklin DeLoach (East Coweta, Sharpsburg, GA)
Coach DeLoach has created a dynasty in the Southeast during his 20 seasons at East Coweta. DeLoach has coached the Lady Indians to fifteen State Finals, 15 region championships, and 20 trips to the state playoffs. In 2008, the Lady Indians were the AAAAA State Runner-Up. In 2015, the Lady Indians finished third in the state. In 2009, 2012 and 2016, the Lady Indians finished in the Final Four. In 2017, the Lady Indians won the AAAAAAA State Championship by going an unprecedented 36-0. In 2018, the Lady Indians went 32-2 and won the state’s highest classification becoming back-to-back state champions. This year, the Lady Indians won their third state championship in the state’s largest classification going 36-2. Before coming to East Coweta, Coach DeLoach was the head softball coach at Creekside for two years. Coach DeLoach’s overall softball coaching record is 569-144. He is also the head baseball coach at East Coweta. On Nov. 11, 2020 all 10 seniors signed National Letters of Intent to continue their softball careers at the collegiate level.
1. Rick Robinson (Norco, CA)
Rick Robinson’s coaching numbers would be impressive on their own, but he has done it while playing in arguably the toughest region of the country. Southern California, specifically the Inland Empire, is loaded with talent and Robinson always schedules his teams in the toughest tournaments. The coach is 602-173-3 in 26 seasons, which includes five seasons at Centennial of Corona and 21 years at Norco. He is the first CIF Southern Section coach to win seven section championships (1996 at Centennial and 2003, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2019 at Norco). He also won two other section titles at Corona (1991 and 1992). Robinson also reached the section finals with Norco in 2013 and 2017. His Cougar teams won state championships and mythical national titles n 2012 and 2019. Norco is 103-6 over the past four seasons and Coach Robinson’s Norco team has four 30-win seasons. “I have been blessed with great talent and great staff,” Robinson said.
— Carlos Arias, Extra Inning Softball (Follow Carlos on Twitter @Los_Stuff)
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