Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Marissa Puckett knows softball. While a player at Floyd County High School, she was a four-year starter, and was named first team all-state and played in the Virginia High School Coach’s all-star game as a second basemen.
After serving a year as assistant coach at Radford High School, she has been given the keys to the varsity squad and is looking to a new era for the Bobcats. The team said goodbye to Dink Morris who retired after 15 years as captain of the ship.
Puckett had served as an assistant under Morris this past season when the Bobcats finished 13-9 and fell in the region playoffs. She is very excited and humbled about this opportunity. “It has always been a dream and a goal of mine to coach softball at the varsity level.”
Puckett has coached at both the middle and varsity levels and helped Floyd to win its first ever state softball title as a player in 2013, and also served as Floyd’s first ever middle school head coach, only losing one game. She also served as the middle school coach in Stokes County, North Carolina, posting a 14-0 record before coming back to the New River Valley last year.
“I knew I wanted to continue coaching after my last high school game (as a player) because we came up short and that passion for chasing a championship has never left,” she said.
The Radford situation, according to Puckett, is the perfect place to fulfill her hopes and dreams. “The community is very supportive, and softball is gaining a lot of popularity. We’ve got a great group of current players and an exciting young group coming up. Working for Radford City Schools has provided me with so many great opportunities, and I want to continue to serve this system and these girls in the best way that I can,” she said.
Since taking over the softball program, Puckett has been very intentional about trying to establish a program instead of working towards just a good team or a few good years.
”I want to build a program that endures for years to come and puts Radford on the map as a very competitive softball program. Being my first year, my thoughts going in are looking at the bigger picture and how we can work towards that goal. We are in a rebuilding year but the girls are working hard. I would say it’s been a work in progress, but my players, coaching staff and I are determined to get us where we want to be,” she said.
When Dink Morris and Kenny Shepherd allowed her to come on last season, she immediately wanted to be mentored and learn.
“Last season I got to experience different styles of coaching that helped me understand the Radford (High School) softball program in a closer way. Both Dink and Kenny laid the foundation for this program and I was blessed that they allowed me to be a part of it. They taught me valuable coaching methods and life lessons that I hope to pass on to my athletes as well,” she said.
“Last season I got to experience different styles of coaching that helped me understand the Radford (High School) softball program in a closer way. Both Dink and Kenny laid the foundation for this program and I was blessed that they allowed me to be a part of it. They taught me valuable coaching methods and life lessons that I hope to pass on to my athletes as well,” she said.
Growing up in Floyd, she was involved in a very successful high school program.
“I always catch a little grief since I played at Floyd but truthfully, my career at Floyd ignited a passion for sports, specifically softball that has strongly shaped who I am. I played under Wes Starkey and Joel Pratt as a freshman until my senior year. They invested so much time into me and encouraged me to take on coaching. I can’t tell you just how much softball knowledge they provided me, in addition to current Head Coach Scott Thompson. Coach Thompson’s style of play is something I have always admired and have studied closely,” she said.
Sitting in the visitor’s dugout will feel strange to Puckett when the Bobcats travel to play Floyd, but she admits she is truly happy to be a part of the new program.
But it’s that time as a player in a winning program, she believes will help her to establish a new culture at Radford.
”When I was at Floyd, I gained a lot of experience. I’ve played in a lot of different scenarios. I can relate trying to get a third out when the pressure is on or up to bat with two outs looming in the seventh inning when the game is on the line. I’ve been in those exact same spots. I think those experiences, some joyful and painful, have helped me develop a better coaching perspective to direct my players in their own softball careers,” she concluded.
