Did you play a sport when you were in school?

Wrestling and baseball in high school at Walton; Baseball in college at KSU 

How long have you been coaching?

14 years

What is your favorite aspect of coaching your sport?

I enjoy seeing players make progress as student-athletes over the course of a season.  Sports, like other extracurricular activities, present challenges for athletes to overcome as they work to improve individually and as a team.  I enjoy working with kids to overcome these challenges and improve as students, athletes, and young people. 

What inspired you to become a coach?

I’d be lying if I said I had a passion for it early on.  I got into the field of education to teach in the classroom.  Coaching was something I started doing because there were several sports at SHS that were short-staffed.  Through those early experiences, and working with some great coaches, I found that I really enjoy working with players and seeing their progress and improvement on the field.  I also love being involved with activities at the school.  

What is the most difficult part of being a coach?

Feeling like you’ve let down your players.  This can happen for any number of reasons, but as a coach, you’re trying to prepare players for every possible scenario they might face on the field.  That is very difficult to accomplish in the small amount of time we have before the season begins.  Additionally, when you start to think of the person over the player, that challenge becomes more difficult as you are trying to help each player recognize their value and develop their identity as they take on their role on the team.

Do you have any attributes that you look for in an athlete?

I’m always looking for the athletes that go the extra mile.  My ability level was always pretty average when I was younger, and I had to work really hard to be good.  I’m always looking for that work ethic in my players, as those are the kids that have a chance at playing at the collegiate level.  Aside from work-ethic, another important attribute for young players is the ability to be “coachable” and open to making adjustments in order to improve. 

What is your goal for your team this season?

I believe a realistic goal for the 2021 Softball team is to make it to the Elite 8 in Columbus.  Making the playoffs and advancing at least to this point would be the culmination of a difficult journey that would involve many players stepping into new roles and having success.  More simply, my goal for the team is a daily goal – show up for each other, work hard, and have fun playing this game with their teammates… and the rest will take care of itself.