LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three programs each from National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I and II were voted ATEC/NFCA NJCAA Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year, the Association announced on Wednesday.
All six of the programs being recognized are playing in the NJCAA World Series. Paris Junior College (Midwest), Northwest Florida State College (South) and McLennan Community College (West) will represent Division I in Yuma, Ariz., while Lansing Community College (East), Des Moines Area Community College (Midwest) and Copiah-Lincoln Community College (South) will compete in the Division II event in Oxford, Ala.
Paris (50-9) had an exciting ending to its most recent game. Gabby Sosa, the national leader in runs batted in (115) and homers (40), capped a three-run rally with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh that topped Trinity Valley 4-3 on May 5 in the Region 14 final. Teammate Christi McGuire ranks fifth nationally in homers (22) for the Dragons, who lead NJCAA Division I in longballs (103).
Led by head coach Shelby Shelton and assistants Taylor Swisher and Jack Butler, No. 8 seed Paris faces ninth-seeded Butler in a second-round World Series game on Monday.
No. 2 seed McLennan (52-6) heads into a second-round game Tuesday at the NJCAA World Series having won four straight and 22 of its last 23. Led by head coach Chris Berry and assistants Jessica Smith and Julia Herzinger, the Highlanders rank in the top 10 nationally in 17 statistical categories, including second in team batting average (.409), extra-base hits (258) and total bases (1,106).
They also rank third in runs (566), triples (42), RBI (520), on-base average (.483) and slugging percentage (.696), and are fourth in hits (650) and doubles (138). Additionally, McLennan pitchers are sixth nationally in shutouts (17), ninth in batting average against (.217) and 10th in earned-run average (1.95).
Head coach Andy Lee and assistants Natalie Erwin and Nic Nelson have led Northwest Florida State College to a 56-4 mark and a No. 3 seed for the World Series. The Raiders received one of four at-large bids after exiting the double-elimination Florida College System Activities Association tournament earlier than expected, which included a 1-0 first-round loss to Eastern Florida that snapped their 38-game win streak.
Cailyn Heyl, who ranks second nationally in both wins (30) and ERA (0.80) leads Northwest Florida State into Tuesday’s contest against the winner of Monday’s game between No. 14 seed Southern Union and 19th-seeded Arizona Western.
Meanwhile, Lansing (37-18) heads to the World Series off back-to-back victories over Grand Rapids Community College en route to the Great Lakes District B tournament title. Head coach Marc Kibby and assistants Bill Cross, Janet Hengesbach and Miakoda Canfield have led the No. 15 seed Stars to 17 consecutive wins and victories in 30 of their last 33 games.
Under the leadership of head coach Bob Ligouri and assistants Thana Heller, Bailey Richards, Gary Gorman and John Wilkinson, Des Moines Area (55-5) has also won 17 straight games. The fourth-seeded Bears rank in the top 10 in NJCAA Division II in 15 statistical categories, including third in shutouts (19), fourth in opponent batting average (.201) and fifth in triples (28).
Copiah-Lincoln Community College (43-5) is the only one of the six honored teams heading into the World Series off a loss. The fifth-seeded Wolves lost 11-9 to Jones in Sunday’s Region 23 championship and will face No. 18 seed Bryant and Stratton on Monday. Head coach Meleah Howard and assistants Amber Beall and Terry Bauer had guided Copiah-Lincoln to 15 straight triumphs and wins in 41 of their last 43 before the loss their last time out.
To be eligible, the program’s head coach must be an NFCA member and winners were voted by member head coaches in each of their respective regions. The National Coaching Staffs of the Year will be announced on June 5 following the conclusion of the 2025 NJCAA Division I & II Softball World Series.
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded awards program, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to and extensive drills database, to in-person events and National Convention.
