SSHS names title-winning coach to lead softball team
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/60211/
SILOAM SPRINGS — Siloam Springs has named assistant football coach Chris Cope as the school’s new softball coach.
Cope replaces Dwain Pippin, who will be an assistant baseball coach next season under new head coach Jonathan Johnson.
Cope led Dardanelle to the Class 4 A state softball title and a 31-8 record in 2007, then accepted an assistant football coaching job at Siloam Springs.
“ Winning that state championship ring made me miss it more, ” Cope said about his one-year absence from the sport. “ I really enjoyed being around the kids and the opportunity came about of taking over the Siloam program, so I took it. ”
Cope, in three years as a head coach at Harrisburg and Dardanelle, has a 79-38 overall record. Before coaching at
Dardanelle, Cope
was an
assistant for seven
years at Harrisburg. As the head coach he guided the school to a regional softball tournament for the first time in school history.
Cope, a 1991 graduate of Beebe High School where he was a three-sport athlete, takes over a Lady Panthers team that finished 6-8 this season in the 5 A-West Conference and missed the state tournament.
The Lady Panthers graduated one senior in third baseman Jordan Rackleff, but Cope is excited about the talent returning.
“ We’ve got a good group of girls coming back, and I’m excited to know that we have three pitchers who have gameday experience inside the circle, ” Cope said.
Juniors Lauren Mills and Ashley McIntosh pitched the majority of the season, while freshman Maci Lewis also received some innings in the circle. Lewis tossed a no-hitter in a win against Little Rock Christian.
“ We have to be strong at our pitcher and catcher positions, because in our conference, we’re playing against some of the toughest competition in the state, ” Cope said. “ From the River Valley on up to Bentonville, it’s a whole different game. The level of competition is intense and there are a lot of good teams within northwest Arkansas. ”