Tabitha Beard is engaged in all aspects of the New Hope High School softball program.
In the fall, Beard coaches the perennial state champion Lady Trojans slow-pitch team. In the spring, she coaches the fast-pitch program, which remains in the hunt for this year’s state championship.
For high school softball to grow in this state, Beard feels more schools need more coaches to be invested and to be knowledgeable about the game.
“We need coaches with a skills set for coaching softball,” Beard said. “A lot of former baseball players are coaching fast-pitch softball. That does not mean they are not great coaches. However, they have to understand the differences between the games. The hitting technique is different. There are some similarities, but you have to understand the differences.”
Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, and the University of Southern Mississippi each have new softball coaches this season. Since fast-pitch softball still is a relatively new sport in the state of Mississippi, the depth of talent in the sport at the high school level is maturing, which is why everyone involved with it shares the responsibility to help it grow.
“There are several different groups who are responsible in helping the sport grow,” Hamilton High School coach Bryan Loague said. “I think it takes a commitment. You have to have players who have a passion for the game. You also have to have administrators who will help make fast-pitch softball a priority.
“College coaches will always sign the best players, whether it is in-state or not. You have to find a way to grow your sport and make the product better. If that happens, the college coaches will come.”
This season, 211 members of the Mississippi High School Activities Association field high school softball teams. The state’s championship format is slightly more than a decade old. Still, the playoffs only recently expanded to include a state champion in all six classifications. The state expanded from five to six classifications for the 2009-10 school year.
Despite the growth in the state, MSU, Ole Miss, and USM have nine in-state players on their rosters. While baseball rosters are slightly less than twice the size of softball rosters, the state’s “Big Three” have 43 baseball players from the state of Mississippi.
“There has to be some changes in the way the game is played,” Ole Miss coach Windy Thees said. “The game on this level is played at such a faster pace. There needs to be more running. There needs to be more aggressive play. Catchers need to call their own games.
“When you play in the Southeastern Conference, you have to have players who can step in and be ready to contribute. It is difficult when you are teaching the basics of the game before you can have players step in and contribute.”
MSU coach Vann Stuedeman has made an immediate impression on Beard. The New Hope coach feels players can gain valuable experience watching as many senior college softball games as possible.
“Vann has really reached out and embraced the community,” Beard said. “That is so big. It is great when players are asked to come to games, encouraged to come to games. The game is so different on the senior college level. It can pay huge dividends when players are in that type of environment on a regular basis.”
When Stuedeman was hired in June 2011, she said her mission was to help softball grow in this state. To help achieve that goal, the Bulldogs played games in Flora, Meridian, Tupelo, and Starkville in the fall. MSU players and coaches also took part in numerous clinics and camps. Stuedeman, who spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama, watched fast-pitch softball grow in the state of Alabama, and feels a similar growth pattern would be benefit everyone in this state.
“I think it is up to everybody to help the sport grow in this state,” Stuedeman said. “The senior colleges have a responsibility, just like the parents, players, coaches, and administrators on the high school level. This is our state, and we want the sport played on the highest level possible inside the state. If you help the sport grow, it will come back and be a blessing to your program many times over.”
Florence High softball coach Cliff Thames also has slow- and fast-pitch on his yearly planner. Thames said he already has seen the state’s senior college coaches make a stronger commitment as the sport continues to grow.
“For a long time, it was like we know you exist but you are not in a position to help us,” Thames said. “In the last five years or so, that has changed for the better. Now the college coaches are saying we are here to help you. Now they are asking what they can do. The sport is growing, it just moving at a slow pace.”
Beard said the ingredients for faster growth are natural. Players need to play the sport year-round. Coaches need to stick with the softball program and not pass time between football seasons. Schools need to invest in better facilities. Fast-pitch softball needs to become a priority.
“The game has improved tremendously in the last 10 years,” Beard said. “However, there is so much more that needs to be done. Softball needs to receive equal treatment to baseball in more areas. It is not uncommon for the local media to come to a baseball game. They film, shut their cameras down, and leave. They do this while we are playing next door.
“Girls want to feel like they are doing something that matters. They like to see themselves on highlights. They like to see their names in the paper. We do get our coverage because we are a major high school and we have had success. But what about the other coaches and players, who are trying to build something?”
Starkville High fast-pitch coach Wendy Jolly just completed her first season with the Yellow Jackets. She feels like the ability to motivate players to play year-round will help the game reach a higher level.
“Softball has to be a passion and commitment,” Jolly said. “It is not something you can do for three months. You need repetition. You need to be constantly working at getting better. Football players and baseball players are doing something 12 months a year to get better at their sport.
“The right things need to be put in place for high school softball players to have the same type of involvement.”
Some administrators point to slow-pitch softball as a major deterrent to the growth of fast-pitch softball in Mississippi. The Mississippi High School Activities Association made a major commitment toward fast-pitch softball and volleyball at the turn of the century. The original plan was for volleyball to replace slow-pitch softball as the sport of choice for female athletes in the fall. Despite slow-pitch softball being placed on the endangered list, 240 schools still fielded slow-pitch softball teams last fall.
While many of Mississippi’s senior college coaches aren’t advocates for slow-pitch softball, Beard feels the two can co-exist.
“You have to understand what slow-pitch softball can do to help your fast-pitch team,” Beard said. “The best thing about slow-pitch softball is that it keeps a softball in your players’ hands for another three months. Baseball players play the game year-round. Softball players need to do the same. Softball players need to understand what slow-pitch softball can do to help their game.”
Beard said the Lady Trojans also try to incorporate fast-pitch techniques into the slow-pitch game.
“The biggest advantage we use it for is to teach defensive technique,” Beard said. “In a fast-pitch game, an outfielder may get one ball per game. In slow-pitch, they have a chance to catch one most innings. You can get a lot of practice on your defensive skills if you approach the slow-pitch game the right way.”
Newton County High has won six fast-pitch softball state championships. With everyone returning from last year’s title team, the 2012 Cougars are favored to repeat in Class 4A. In the national USA Today/NFCA High School Top 25, Newton County has been ranked at least once in each of the past three seasons. It is the only school from this state to have been ranked in the poll.
“Our success has been mainly because our players play all of the time,” Newton County coach Justin Chaney said. “Travel softball is very good in this area. Our travel teams play on the Florida Gulf Coast. They play throughout the summer. We have seventh- and eighth-graders on our varsity team. This means, they play together for a long stretch of time. Softball is a lot like baseball in that it is a game of repetition. Softball is like anything else. You get out of it what you put in.”
Chaney also has seen the sport grow in the past 10 years. He feels state high schools are closing the gap, and that people won’t recognize the sport in 10 years.
“Shelby Bishop, our All-American catcher, has signed with Delta State (University),” Chaney said. “Do we have players who can play on the next level? Absolutely! The key now is having more of them. We are closing the gap on the other states, but it is still very much a work in progress.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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