2013 TROY TROJANS SOFTBALL
TROY SOFTBALL GLOSSARY Don Atkins - The Trojans and the game of softball lost a dear friend in 1999 when assistant coach Don Atkins passed away. Atkins was involved in different aspects of softball in Alabama for more than 50 years. He played amateur softball from 1948-62 and coached several women’s slow-pitch teams. He served as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama, Bevill State Community College and Gulf Coast Community College. In 1993, Atkins came to Troy and served as an assistant coach for six years. Conference Tournaments - Troy University has hosted the A-Sun Tournament three times. In 1999, Troy advanced to the finals before losing to Florida Atlantic while hosting the tournament in Dothan, Ala. In 2002, Florida Atlantic claimed its fifth-straight title over Georgia State. The 2003 season marked the second time the tournament had been held at the Trojan Softball Complex. In 2008, Troy hosted its first ever Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Trojans defeated North Texas in their first game, however Troy dropped its next two contests to ULM and North Texas. Troy hosts the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2013. Fitness Twins - Two Lady Trojans have made their mark in the world of fitness competition. Adria and Natalie Montgomery have both gained worldwide recognition and numerous accolades from their “Fitness Twins” routine. Adria was named Ms. Fitness World in 2001 and Natalie was named Ms. Fitness USA in 2001. Their routine displays strength, flexibility, entertainment, gymnastics and energy. Both women had outstanding careers at Troy in softball, with both serving as team captains in 1996. Home Sweet Home - The Lady Trojan Softball Field was home for the Lady Trojans from 1993 to 2000. Located adjacent to Trojan Arena, the Lady Trojan Softball Field was the site for some of Troy’s biggest wins, including their sweep of Southeast Missouri to advance to the NCAA Regionals in 1996. Troy held a 134-42-1 record all-time at the field. In 2001, Troy played at the Troy SportsPlex while its new facility was being built on Elm Street. The Lady Trojans enjoyed a 15-9 record at the off-campus facility during that year. Since 2002, the Trojans are 149-78 at the Trojan Softball Complex located on Elm Street. Honors - In 2011, head coach Melanie Davis earned her 800th career win and her 700th at Troy. She is also Troy’s all-time winningest coach in any sport. She is a member of the West Alabama Softball Hall of Fame and a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association 800 win club. She was inducted into the Wiregrass Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Alabama ASA Hall of Fame in 2012. NCAA Regionals - After claiming the Mid-Continent Conference championship and defeating Southeast Missouri in the play-in series in 1996, the Lady Trojans made their first appearance in the NCAA Regionals. Troy was seeded fourth and had to face eventual national champion Arizona in the first round. Troy then fell to South Florida in the loser’s bracket. Professional Trojans - In the summer of 2009, Heidi Johnson became the first Trojan to ever play professional softball. She signed with the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch League. In her rookie season, Johnson scored seven runs as a pinch running specialist. She had a single in her only at bat.
@TroyAthletics
Strikeouts - In 2009, Ashlyn Williams broke the school single season record for strikeouts with 312. She did herself one better by breaking the record again during her junior season in which she recorded over 400. Williams holds the school’s all-time career mark for strikeouts with 1305. Television - In 2003, the Lady Trojans appeared on TV several times on Troy-TV. In 2001, Troy University had its first television appearance when it faced off against Florida Atlantic in the A-Sun Championship. The game was broadcast on the Sunshine Network on a tape-delay basis. Troy appeared on television in both 2007 and 2008. The 2007 Sun Belt Conference championship game was carried live on CSS. Troy’s visit to LSU in 2008 was carried live on Cox TV across much of the southeast. The 2008 Sun Belt Conference Championship game that was played at Troy’s Trojan Softball Complex was also carried on CSS. The Trojans appeared on television in 2010 in the conference championship game. Top 25 Competition - Troy University is not afraid of Top 25 competition. The Trojans have played 48 games against teams ranked in the top 25 in the last 10 seasons, going 10-38. In 2002, the Lady Trojans went 1-2 against No. 20 Florida State, who appeared in the College World Series, along with No. 15 DePaul. In 2003, Troy defeated No. 3 Nebraska in extra innings, 4-3, to record its biggest win over a nationally ranked school. In 2005, Troy split a double header with No. 17 Georgia Tech losing the first game 4-2. Troy rallied for the win in the second game for a final score of 8-2. In 2006, Troy defeated No. 5 Michigan 4-2 and scored a victory in the final game of a weekend series against No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette. The next year in 2007, Troy defeated No. 21 LouisianaLafayette 8-5 in Lafayette. In 2008, Troy hosted No. 2 Alabama in front of the Trojan Softball Complex record 1,025 fans. In that same season they took No. 10 LSU to 11 innings in Baton Rouge before falling 7-6. In 2012, Troy knocked off three top 25 teams, including then #8 Louisiana-Lafayette, #21 Auburn and #22 Florida State. Wins - In 19 years of play, the Trojans have collected 737 wins in just 1,186 games. Troy is averaging over 40 wins each season and has appeared in its conference tournament each season that it has been eligible to attend. Troy has won two conference titles since it began competition in 1994. In its third season of Division I competition Troy won the Mid-Con conference title in 1996 and advanced to the NCAA Division I Regional. In 2005, Troy won its second title in its final season as a member of the Atlantic Sun conference. Troy then advanced to the A-Sun tournament where it lost to UCF in the finals and was named tournament runner-up. The Trojans would reach the finals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament in 2007, and again in 2010, dropping both of those contests. Where They Are Now- Troy Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Sandy Atkins played for the Troy softball team from 1994-95. In two seasons with the Trojans Atkins earned all-conference honors both years. Atkins holds the school record for career batting average (.359) and is fifth alltime for career stolen bases (67). Atkins holds the school record for runs scored in a season (54) and hits in a season (85). Atkins is also second in the Troy record books for stolen bases in a season (36), third for at bats in a season (228) and sixth for batting average in a season (.373). Atkins has worked within the Troy athletics department since 2001. Former Trojan Barbara Sherwood is now the pitching coach for Virginia Tech. Sherwood (1995-98) is the winningest player in Troy history as she was a part of teams that won 176 games. She spent one season as the head coach of the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch League. In her only season with the Racers, her staff earned the Diamond Sports 2009 Coaching Staff of the Year award. Another former Troy player, Mindy (Porep) Rankin, was recently named one of the top “40 Under 40” accountants in the country. The list is compiled by The CPA Technology Advisor, the leading technology publication and digital content provider for the tax and accounting profession. Rankin works for Jinks & Moody Public Accountants of Panama City, Fla. Ranking played for the Trojans from 2001-02.
63