WEST PLAINS, Mo. – A name that is synonymous with girls softball in southern Missouri has been hired to lead Missouri State University-West Plains’ (MSU-WP) Grizzly Softball team, and he’s bringing some familiar faces with him.
Don Long began his duties as head coach on April 18. Joining him on the coaching staff are Amy Marshall as assistant coach and Ashley Cooley as team coordinator. Both have worked with Long in the past.
“We’re thrilled to have Don, Amy and Ashley leading our Grizzly Softball team. The experience and acumen they bring to the program is well known throughout the region and will be a top selling point as we bring in recruits. We look forward to watching the team they field when games start this fall,” said Interim Athletic Director Crockett Oaks.
Long has more than 40 years of coaching experience in the West Plains area. He coached softball, basketball, cross country and track at Fair View School from 1972-2003, and was head softball coach at West Plains High School from 2005-2017.
He also coached the freshman boys baseball and basketball teams at West Plains High School from 2008-2018, and he has returned to his post as freshman boys baseball coach at West Plains this spring.
During his tenure as the Lady Zizzers softball coach, he posted a 256-86 record, averaging 20 wins a season. He guided the Lady Zizzers to two Ozark Conference Championships; the 2016 district and sectional championships; and a quarterfinals appearance in 2016. His teams also were runners-up four times in the conference championships and placed second three times in districts.
Not only has Long led the Lady Zizzers through some of their best seasons, he spearheaded the effort to form the program in the early 1990s by gathering signatures on a petition and presenting it to the West Plains R-7 School Board. The board agreed to establish a girls softball team, and Long served as a volunteer coach for the team for the next four years.
Long said he is looking forward to the challenge of starting a new program at the collegiate level.
“I’ve coached a number of sports, but softball has always been my passion, so when the opportunity came to coach softball at the collegiate level, I took it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I couldn’t pass it up,” he said.
He’s also glad he will have Marshall and Cooley as part of his staff. “We worked together for eight or nine years at the high school, and we work well together. They know their role and how they will fit into the program,” he explained.
That will be key as the trio searches for players for the team. “Our biggest challenge right now is getting recruits to sign this late in the season. You really have to sell your program,” Long said.
Long hopes he can add some players to the team during tryouts May 3-5 at the Richards Sports Complex, 3411 Division Dr., in West Plains. Check-in begins at 3 p.m. and tryouts will be 4 to 6 p.m. each day.
Those who would like to participate need to have proof of athletic physical. Personal equipment will be allowed. Field waivers will be signed on-site. Those who are under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
When the Grizzlies take the field this fall for the first time, fans can expect them to play “small ball,” Long said.
“I really like small ball – bunting, stealing, hit and run,” Long explained. “You create pressure on the other team. You scratch out a run here and there then play good defense and field a pitcher who will keep you in the game.
“It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m excited about it,” Long added. “We’re really going to try to concentrate on good kids who make good grades, want to play hard and love softball. Those qualities are a good combination for a player.”
For more information about the team or tryouts, contact Long at 417-372-1368 or visit the “Missouri State University-West Plains Women’s Softball” Facebook page, Facebook.com/GrizzlySB.
