August 19, 2008 07:37 AM             

2008 STANDINGS

Keep posting and sending me standings so I can post them!!

2008  Schedules

AAAAA           AAAA            AAA            AA            A

I’m a little behind getting the schedules on the website, but will get those done tonight. Send me your schedules if you haven’t done so and I’ll add them to the website www.texasprepsoftball.net.

Thanks again for your support of our efforts to promote Texas high school softball!

BH

RECORDS PAGE   

OPEN DATES / ANNOUNCEMENT PAGE:    PAGE 1            PAGE  2            PAGE 3

MINUTES FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL CAUCUS MEETING AT THE NFCA CONVENTION

LIST OF COACHES ON EMAIL LIST  AAAAA  AAAA  AAA  AA  A  TAPPS

11/25 RECORDS PAGE UPDATED!!  I have completed the transfer of playoff brackets since 1993, the first year the UIL sponsored a state championship in softball in Texas. I have also completed the "PLAYOFF APPEARANCES" page. There may be a couple of mistakes, but I'm working on it the best that I can do. I should have the Playoff Records pages complete during the Christmas Break. 

After analyzing some of the stats so far, I have found some interesting information:

•     868 schools have made the playoffs at least one time since 1993. (I downloaded the alignments onto a spreadsheet and the UIL has 1033 schools listed as playing softball this year. 

•     The following schools have made the playoffs every year since the UIL sponsored softball in 1993 (15 consecutive years)                   Blooming Grove, Elgin, Mount Vernon, Pasadena Dobie, and Waco Midway. 

I AM READY TO BEGIN ACCEPTING SCHEDULES FOR THE 2008 SEASON TO POST ON THE WEBSITE!!!

10/30/2007  THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SURVEY!!!   Vicki Sorensen (Vice Chair of the TGCA Softball Committee) wanted to thank all of you who voted and responded to her question from yesterday. Looks like the vote is pretty even and there was a lot of great discussion on the issue. Personally I voted for 43 feet, but I am in favor of what the coaches want to do and Vicki and Wes are too. I did interject several issues and opinions in the discussion, but that was to keep the debate going and many of you had some great thoughts and points in the discussion. That is why I have the forum and I appreciate the support that you have given me in my efforts to try to help all of us better our sport.

Also, I have updated the records page to include 2001. Slowly but surely, I’m getting it done. From 2001-present, with so many teams in the playoffs, it takes a little while to compile the information from the UIL website. One thing that I did see is that from 1993 to 2001, 672 schools made at least one appearance in the softball playoffs. I’m sure that number will be over 800 when I get to 2007. It’s taking a while, but I’m enjoying looking at the data. I have a couple of you whom I need to add to the coaches total record list and I’ll get that in this week. If you want to be included on the coaches’ list, shoot me an email and I’ll get it in there this week.

Thanks to everyone!! Good luck to those in the volleyball playoffs tonight!!

BH

1. Vicki Sorensen, vice chairperson of the softball committee has asked me to make this announcement to the coaches on our email list.
   1. The TGCA softball committee is debating on whether or not to change the pitching distance in the ALL-STAR game only from 40 feet to 43 feet. You may vote on the Texas Prep Softball forum or email back to me and I will forward to Vicki. (REMEMBER this is for the ALL-STAR game only, not the regular season.)
   2. You may vote at the following link: http://www.texasprepsoftball.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=660 and I have tried to make it where you don’t have to register for the forum to vote, but I’m not sure that will work or not. You can register and vote immediately since I have changed the registration process temporarily.
   3. Or you may send your vote to me and I will forward it to Vicki.

Thanks for all you do as softball coaches. Please vote so Vicki will know where to go on this issue.

RECORDS PAGES UPDATED THROUGH 2001!! Slowly but surely, I'm advancing on my work on the records page!

SOFTBALL COACHES DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

After yesterday's email about the passing of Coach Harrist of Breckenridge HS, many coaches sent prayers and condolences to Coach Mann, head coach at Breckenridge. He sent me this email yesterday afternoon. I'm so glad to be associated with such a great group of coaches in our great state of Texas! I want to thank all of you for supporting each other in times of need -- you are all so awesome!

COACHES~

WOW, thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.  I never imagined the response that I have gotten from that post.  It is greatly appreciated and my softball girls appreciate it as well.  Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and for some reason which GOD only knows it was Rachel’s time.  She was an excellent friend and coach.  I think Coach Hicks hit the nail on the head when he said sometimes in our line of work we get caught up on trying to beat one another or make it to state but I can honestly tell you that although Rachel loved to win a game it was more about those kids and them learning the game and about life.  Thanks again for your continued prayers.

Scott Mann

2008 Frisco Coaches Clinic (hosted by Max Bledsoe) will be held on January 12, 2008. Click here for more information.

GREATER WEST TEXAS SOFTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION REGISTRATION and CLINIC (December 8, 2007). For more information click here and contact Robby Dickenson (Frenship) or JJ Johnson (Lubbock Coronado). 

2008 GULF COAST SOFTBALL COACHES CLINIC ---- JANUARY 10-11, 2008

SPEAKERS:  PAT MURPHY (ALABAMA), TERESA WILSON (TEXAS TECH), CINDY MOSTELLER (GARLAND), SHERRY ROGERS (WACO MIDWAY). 

USE THIS LINK TO GET MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION FORMS

OCTOBER 16, 2007

SAD NEWS IN BRECKENRIDGE – 

KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS (smann@breck.esc14.net )

Yesterday morning, Coach Scott Mann of Breckenridge High School made the following posting on the Texas Prep Softball forum concerning a member of the BHS Softball Staff.

”If you would please keep your prayers with the Rachel Harrist family. She was my assistant coach this past year and towards the end of last year she came down with Leukemia. She passed away this morning at the young age of 24. Although, she is in a much better place now if you could please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you

Coach Mann”

I have been in touch with Coach Mann by email to send our condolences to Coach Harrist, her family, and the players and coaches at Breckenridge High School . I know that we spend a lot of time in our own little worlds with our own agendas trying to beat the next person or team on our schedules in games, politics, and life, but moments like this make us need to slow down a minute and take in everything that is good with our lives. We don’t know how long we will be here on this Earth, but we need to celebrate all of the good things that we do in our profession and in our personal lives.

I hope that each of us says a special prayer today for the young ladies in the softball program at Breckenridge HS, the coaches, the community, and most importantly, Coach Harrist and her family for strength in this time of sadness. I hope that they can celebrate the great things that Coach Harrist did during her life and the great things she did to positively impact students.

I also did a small search hoping to put her picture on the Texas Prep Softball website, but I did find the following information. Coach Harrist played high school softball at Canyon HS and graduated from Tarleton State University . She taught and coached one year at Temple and has been at Breckenridge HS for the past two years. She does have a myspace page that is public at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=58437059 and from looking at it, she was well loved by her friends, her students, her players, and her family.

Below is the email that I received from Coach Mann last night with the funeral information.

You may send emails to Coach Mann at smann@breck.esc14.net.

Here is that information sorry it is in the afternoon when I got it to you just been a little busy.

Rachel Diane Harrist

105 Lee Trevino

Stephenville , Texas 76401

Funeral Services are set for tomorrow 10/16 @4 pm at Stephenville Funeral Home

The family has requested any donations be made to the Leukemia Society or Tarleton Scholarship Fund instead of sending flowers.  I appreciate all the posts this morning and I know the family thanks you as well.

Thanks,

Coach Scott Mann

October 12, 2007:

Welcome:

Chris Hill (Bonham)

Roger Masters (Iola)

Roy Klein (Bandera)

Justin Kniffen (Harleton)

Misty Wiechring ( Pleasanton )

Christina Ochoa (China Spring)

Melissa Lynch ( Canyon Lake )

Alice Webb (Moody)

Doug Harrigan ( Salado )

Rex Cook (Cross Roads)

October 1, 2007

1. Welcome: Jim West ( Longview Pine Tree), Perri Smith ( Kingwood Park ), Tim Kelso ( Florence ), Syna Donart (asst. Wichita Falls Hirschi).

2. Remember the format for submission:

            SCHOOL (bold if possible)

            Open Dates / Announcements

            Coach’s name

            Email address

            Phone number

3. Also, I want to know if coaches on my email list (453) would like to start a coaches’ poll for softball. Let me know what you think, or you can post in the forum on www.texasprepsoftball.net. Lee Grisham’s (TGCA 1^st Vice President) volleyball website runs a weekly poll voted on by coaches at http://eteamz.active.com/TxHSVBPoll/news/index.cfm?cat=0&subsite=4402152 . I’m in contact with Coach Grisham to see how he sets it up. It looks like just about the same thing that I want to do. I would need volunteers from each part of the state to help me with the voting and I would start with AAAAA at the very beginning to make sure it works. This is not a substitute for the TGCA poll, just another forum to promote softball, like NCAA football with their multiple polls. I think it would be fun – and I won’t be voting, just compiling the votes.

4. The speakers have been finalized for the 4^th annual Gulf Coast Softball Coaches Clinic, Jan 10-11, 2008 at the Gulf Greyhound Park in LaMarque.

            FEATURED SPEAKER:     Pat Murphy, University of Alabama   ( 5:30-7:15 on Thursday; 10:00-11:00 or 11:00-12:00 on Friday)

            SPEAKERS:             Theresa Wilson, Texas Tech University (10:00-11:00 or 11:00-12:00 and 12:00-1:00 on Friday)

                                                Cindy Mosteller, Garland High School (4:30-5:30 on Thursday)

                                                Sherry Rogers, Waco Midway High School (9:00-10:00 on Friday)

            I will get the flyers and registration out by the end of the week, along with hotel rates.

5. Finally, I have been asked to post this announcment:

My name is Jeannie Ray; I am the Head Softball Coach at Agnes Scott College in Decatur , Georgia . I am currently looking for players for this season and also next season. Agnes Scott is a small Division III liberal arts college. ASC is also a women's institution that is 6 miles away from downtown Atlanta , Georgia . Also, we are less then ten minutes from Georgia State University and Georgia Tech. We do offer cross-registration which means that our students can also take classes at Georgia State , Georgia Tech, or Emory.

If you know of a player(s) that may be interested in ASC she must:

1.    Have a 3.0 or higher (it's better if she has a 3.5 or higher)

2.    Have already or is about to take the ACT or SAT

      a.  Score at least a 22 on the ACT (25 is the average) or score at least a 1530 on the new SAT (1700 is the average)

Please contact me if you know any girls that you believe may be a good fit for our program. I am looking for players in ALL positions.

jray@agnesscott.edu

September 3:  All 1998 Playoffs, 1993-1998 Playoff Wins / Appearances added today.

August 13: 

*         I changed the format of the standings page to a pdf. format by region so that it will be easier for me to cut and paste from Excel and print by you. I will be asking for help during the spring and will send out a format for those who help me keep track of district standings in the spring.

*         I'm working on a history page with a link to the UIL playoff history page and will eventually download it to my site too as a back up. One piece of history that I'm looking for is for records of coaches in our state. I know that many of you don't like publicizing your records, but now that we've been playing softball in Texas since the early 90's, people are asking where everyone stands. I will post a list of the records of high school coaches with 100+ wins as soon as I get records from you. The coaches do not have to be active (example: Janice Williamson from Bryan has over 400 wins, but she now out of softball in her new role as assistant AD at Bryan ISD). So if you can send me your records, I'll post them.

AUGUST 8:  2008 OPEN DATE LIST HAS STARTED!! CLICK HERE!

I sent out the first letter of 2007-2008 on Tuesday to my e-mail list. There are many coaches who have changed school, so as those e-mails are rejected, I am deleting the addresses until I get an updated or corrected address. If you didn't get a new e-mail, send me your e-mail address to coachhicks@texasprepsoftball.net and I will get you added to the list. 

2007-08 COACHES CLINICS:

CENTRAL LOUISIANA FALL SOFTBALL COACHES CLINIC

NOVEMBER 10^TH 2007        Information

LINK TO NFHS WEBSITE FOR NEW RULES FOR 2008

(Metal Cleats allowed for HS softball / 10 second rule for batters)

July 13: TGCA Summer Clinic Speakers were very good this year! Congrats to Mike Ledsome (Plano West), Debra Manley (1st Vice President TGCA from Pittsburg HS), and Sam Tipton for doing a great job in getting our speakers this year!!!

July 11: The TFCA now has its own website! www.tfcasoftball.com. I will be the webmaster for that site which will contain TFCA information, while I will continue to support this website out of my own resources with the same services that I have given to coaches and fans in the past 3 years. Thanks for all of the nice things that many have said about the resources that I try to get out to coaches to help out. 

June 5:   CONGRATULATIONS TO 2007 STATE CHAMPIONS!!!!

A -- BOSQUEVILLE LADY BULLDOGS (Head Coach - Clint Zander)

AA -- TROY LADY TROJANS (Head Coach - Bobby Cervenka)

AAA -- Castroville MEDINA VALLEY LADY PANTHERS (Head Coach -- Wade Womack)

AAAA -- BOERNE LADY GREYHOUNDS (Head Coach -- Jennifer Fox)

AAAAA -- GARLAND LADY OWLS (Head Coach -- Cindy Mosteller)

        Thanks for visiting our website!!!  Hopefully we can service the 985 high schools in the state of Texas that are listed by the University Interscholastic League as playing softball in the 2006 season. If you have any suggestions, updates, scores, schedules, etc., please let Coach Billy Hicks of College Station A&M Consolidated High School, webmaster, know, so he can improve this site for our coaches, players, and fans!! Coach Hicks's email addresses are listed at the bottom of this home page. 

e-Mail:   coachhicks@texasprepsoftball.net       or       bhicks@csisd.org