In one month’s time, Madi Sue Montgomery got a new job, a team, and a new last name. Safe to say it’s been a busy fall for the former Oklahoma State standout.
Montgomery spent the last two seasons in a graduate assistant role at her alma mater and was beginning to settle into a new video analyst role in Stillwater when an assistant coaching position opened at Tulsa. Though she had been choosy about what full-time coaching roles she looked into since her playing career ended, the job just an hour up the road had too much potential not to dig into it a little deeper.
“I was very particular on where I wanted to go,” Montgomery said. “I wanted to go somewhere I knew I wanted to be, [a place that] I was going to be happy there. I was comfortable being at Oklahoma State… then [Oklahoma State assistant and former Tulsa head coach] John Bargfeldt had heard that Tulsa needed somebody and he mentioned it to me and that’s when I started looking at it and I was like ‘that’s where I want to go.'”
A desire to coach was a quality that Montgomery said she always had, but one that truly developed during her own playing career in Stillwater. “I gave lessons while I was playing, and as I got older, I really enjoyed that relationship,” Montgomery said. “Giving that feedback to that kid, like when that light bulb hits and seeing what that was like for them. I really like working with people and helping them get where they want to be.”
After she recognized her own interest in the Tulsa position, the process took several weeks to complete, ultimately ending in her hiring. During that process, Montgomery had to maintain a balance of being present in her continuing role at Oklahoma State, while also holding out hope that her dream of being a full-time softball coach would soon be fulfilled.
“I really wanted the position [at Tulsa], but I also would think, ‘You know, I think it’s going to play out how it’s supposed to. If I’m still here at Oklahoma State, I love it here and I’m comfortable here,’” Montgomery recalled. “So I was trying to ride the wave, just trust the process and believe that God was going to lead me wherever I needed to go.”
Making the waiting process even more interesting was the simultaneous task of planning her wedding. Set for October 24th, the pending nuptials not only kept Montgomery quite busy, but also played a role in her decision to apply for the Tulsa assistant’s job: “I didn’t want to be five states away coaching and still planning a wedding in Oklahoma!” she noted with a laugh.
Her own playing career and success are positive traits that factor into Montgomery’s make-up as a coach, and she agrees. “To me, being a former player is a huge deal and having played recently can help me for sure,” Montgomery mused. “I’m able to relate to the players and understand where they’re coming from, and some of them might even remember me playing and respect me from that. I also played infield and outfield through travel ball and college both, and I feel like that’s a huge help in understanding the game and understanding the positions. I learned from some great people, and in all my experience of being around people that really know the game, I’ve always tried to soak up as much of that as I can.”
Officially hired and announced in the middle of the fall, one of Montgomery’s first official game ventures as a Tulsa assistant was in familiar territory: Back in Stillwater, in a fall ball matchup against the Cowgirls.
“The game was originally supposed to be [played] at Tulsa and they had to move it, so it was kind of weird from the start. It was almost kind of nice though, because I knew where I was and there were a lot of familiar faces,” Montgomery said. “They gave me a super nice ‘welcome back’ announcement from the PA announcer and the girls were great about it.”
For the player that Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski referred to as “The Ultimate Cowgirl”, a return full of honorariums should have been no surprise. The traits that earned Montgomery both praise and success as a player will serve her well as she begins her coaching career.
