Rounding Third Softball

This week RTS’s Lee Dobbins goes On-Deck with new Texas Tech Coach Sami Ward. Ward has taken four other programs to success (Loyola Marymount, Academy of Art, North Dakota, and Dakota Wesleyan) before landing in Lubbock in her first Power 5 position. The LMU graduate and former standout in the circle for the Lions takes on the task of getting the Red Raiders back on track with their recent successes after former head coach Adrian Gregory resigned this past fall after an internal investigation of the program.

Dobbins: You are a veteran head coach that has had multiple stops and successes as a collegiate coach. Other than the obvious reason of a Power 5 Coaching Position, why the move to Texas Tech? 

Ward: The opportunity at Texas Tech provides a different quality of life for my family.  My husband and I are able to buy our first house and give our young daughter a yard to play in.  When I came out to Lubbock on my interview, I felt at home.  I called my husband and said “This is it!” The program has had some great success and was left in a position to continue building on past success and with the vision to continue leading it further into postseason.  We want to be consistent postseason contenders, and we believe we can do so here.

Dobbins: You obviously came from what is considered the top softball area in the country in Southern California while coaching at LMU. Now you are in West Texas where there might be some good quality PSAs, but not as an abundance. Outside of competing with the other Big 12/P5 institutes in the talent rich areas in Texas like Houston and Dallas, what are your plans on the recruiting front moving forward?

Ward: So much of this business is relationship building.  We have been so lucky to build trust and relationships with a lot of the coaches in Texas.  So many of the top coaches in the state tell us how much they love Texas Tech and how they want to see their kids play here.  We have really enjoyed building our in state connections and look forward to continue attracting great Texas talent to our team.  We also spent the past 10 years in California, so I think those combined forces will help us get great talent from that region as well. 

Dobbins: You take over a program at TTU that has experienced an upswing in success in the last several years, but has also experienced “issues” internally within the program. Obviously those issues resulted in you being brought in. What are you doing to change these perceived issues and keep the program on-track with its recent successes?

Ward: I’ve been blown away at the top notch character and coachability that we have on our current roster and how they took the change in stride.  When we first got a chance to Zoom with them once the announcement was made we told them, “We know you didn’t choose us, but we chose you!  We want to build the future of the program along with you all.” Our mindset as a team is moving forward together.  We are here to win and we are all moving in the same direction.  I’m excited for what is to come for Texas Tech Softball.

Dobbins: Texas Tech seems to have a unique situation that is actually more prevalent in softball than the general public might think. You actually have your husband Randy Ward on your coaching staff as associate head coach. He has worked on all your staffs and is considered one of the best recruiters and infield coaches in softball. Talk a bit about that dynamic where you literally spend 24/7/365 with your spouse, and how that has been an obvious key to the success you both have experienced. 

Ward: Randy is a phenomenal coach.  He often doesn’t get the credit he earns, to be honest.  He is passionate about player development and is always learning so he can be the best he can be for our players.  I believe that having two strong assistants on my staff allows me to be the best coach I can be and the best mom that I can be. Both Randy and Brittany are amazing at what they do.  Our success at LMU was because of those two.   Communication is the key to all relationships and I believe we have figured out how to communicate well together while continuing to push each other to continue growing.  We challenge each other because we know we still have a lot to learn and we want to see how great we can help our program become.   

Jennifer Cassell has been named head softball coach at Olivet College. Cassell joins the Comets with 20 years of coaching experience. She has made stops with programs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Ancilla College and Purdue University North Central.

Louisiana Tech interim head coach Bianca Duran has rounded out her coaching staff adding Megan Johnson as an assistant coach. Johnson joins the Lady Techsters from Glenbrook High School in Minden, Louisiana where she coached the last three years. She also had stops on staffs at UT-Tyler, Otero Junior College, Cushing High School, Arline High School, Evangel Christian Academy.

Charleston Southern wasted little time filing their open head coaching position. Just a week after former coach Venus Taylor departed the program for a similar position at North Central College, the Buccaneers have named journeyman DI assistant coach Christi Musser to lead their program. Musser most recently was associate head coach at Grand Canyon serving on staff with the program from 2015 to 2020. She also has made stops on staff at New Mexico and Kansas.

It’s been a busy 24 hours for conference realignment, and the woes for the Southland Conference continue as a focal point in these moves. After losing four member institutes from the State of Texas to the newly revamped Western Athletic Conference, it now looks as if the Southland will lose its only member from the State of Arkansas. Central Arkansas is poised to make their move to the Atlantic Sun Conference starting July 1. The Bears departure will now leave the Southland Conference with seven softball playing members down from 12 just 24 hours ago.

In a move that had been expected for some time now, the Western Athletic Conference made a huge step in conference expansion today. In the move to increase its membership the WAC also grabbed five new softball playing members. Abilene Christian, Sam Houston State, Lamar, Stephen F. Austin, and Southern Utah now join the revamped conference. The addition of the four Texas institutes that are members of the Southland Conference makes the biggest impact dropping that league from 12 softball playing members to eight. Southern Utah is a member of the Big Sky Conference, but their departure might have the most important long-term affect dropping its softball playing membership from seven to six which is the minimum number for the league to keep ahold of its automatic qualifier status to the NCAA Postseason.

Ouachita Baptist has stuck close to home naming local high school and club coach Derrick Grimes their new head coach. Grimes, a former North Little Rock firefighter, has spent the last 24 years as head coach of Cole Minnows Softball and in private instruction. He replaces Leslie Dean who resigned in December due to health reasons.

Lee Chong-hoon has been elected president of the Korea Baseball Softball Association. CEO of DYC, a company that produces automotive parts, Chong-hoon was vice president of the federation to previous KBSA President Kim Eung-yong.

San Jose State has hired James Davenport as their new hitting coach. He joins the Spartans after spending the pandemic shortened 2020 season at Texas Tech. A former collegiate baseball player and minor leaguer with the Seattle Mariners, Davenport also had coaching stops as a volunteer assistant with the San Francisco Giants and Cal State Northridge Softball program.

RTS is saddened to report the passing of nationally known softball scout Robby Wilson earlier this morning. Wilson served as the National Scouting Director for Softball for National Scouting Report (NSR). He was also an accomplished club coach helping train and place numerous prospective student-athletes at the collegiate level throughout the country. Wilson had been hospitalized due to complications of COVID-19.