In the early 2000s, few softball players were better than Jamie Southern. A pitcher for the perennial-contending Fresno State Bulldogs, Southern was a four-time All-American including three first-team honors. She won the WAC Pitcher of the Year award in all four years of her career and was later named to the ESPN All-Decade Softball Team for the 2000s.
Beginning during her career at Fresno State and continuing after it, Southern was part of Team USA. She helped lead the team to a gold medal at the 2006 World Championships and was a #1-overall draft selection to the professional softball league at that time. She was inducted into the Fresno State Hall of Fame in 2012.
To make the understatement of the year, you could say she was “pretty good”.
Some years after her playing career ended, Southern jumped into the collegiate coaching fray. After spending a stint as volunteer assistant at Abilene Christian, Southern joined the Idaho State staff as an assistant coach this summer. Following her arrival in Pocatello, she talked about her lauded playing career; rejoining the college softball world as a coach; and her style and philosophies between the white lines.
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Extra Inning Softball: When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in college coaching?
Jamie Southern: About a year and a half ago, the thought came about, but it wasn’t a good time with my husband’s job as well as COVID shutting down the softball world. This past June, I ran into an old teammate and she put the idea back into my head, so I started to look at which jobs were available.
EIS: Describe your coaching style. What do you feel are your biggest attributes as a coach?
Southern: My coaching style is based on loving these young ladies first and coaching them second. I have to look at my role as teaching spins and mechanics, preparing them for success on the field and allowing them to continue to grow during their years with me in college. They shouldn’t peak when we recruit them…my job is to get them better! I have three young daughters myself and if/when they go play in college, I would want this for my daughters!
EIS: What is your favorite moment or memory from your softball career to this point?
Southern: There are so many favorite moments in my career and most are based off of the connections and memories with my teammates. Fighting for wins is such a great feeling and to do it with teammates that I respect and love is even better! But now being in a place where I’m starting the journey with my own children, I find that the best moments are the ones that I got to spend with my dad on the bucket and in the coaching box. My dad and I are already close and to have him be apart of my journey side by side is something that I will cherish forever!
EIS: What were the biggest pieces of knowledge that you gained during your playing career that have benefitted you as a coach?
Southern: Knowing how to find a way to win! This fall at Idaho State, I have been working with my pitchers on finding ways to win the battle with the batter. Using their individual strengths to be able to beat them. I have been coached by the best coaches of this game and the one thing that they all have in common is the desire to win!
EIS: Tell me about your experience with Team USA and what it was like to wear the red, white, and blue.
Southern: Representing the USA was one of the biggest highlights of my career. At the start of my softball journey, I had goals of playing at the top levels. It wasn’t until after my freshman year in college that I got my first invitation for the USA tryout and achieved one of my goals. To play on a team with the best in the world and travel the world was such an experience.
EIS: Your trophy case is quite full; two-part question here: Part A, do you have a favorite award that you won? And Part B, how does such a decorated playing career help you guide your student-athletes as a coach?
Southern: One of the awards that mean something special to me are the two years in college that I had the lowest ERA in the country. Guiding the Idaho State pitchers to come up with their own game plan and strategic workouts will be able to help them in their goals to lower their ERA.
EIS: If we’re having this conversation a year from now, with your first season at ISU under your belt, what needs to have happened for you to be able to say ‘this has been a successful year’?
Southern: As the fall is coming to an end, I’m already so proud of the pitching staff as they have more confidence and are excited for this season. But at the end of the year, I would find success in my first year if their strikeouts and ERA have improved from last year. With these improvements, they will have given their team a better chance to win every game.
