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Becky Clark
Over the past 16 seasons of competitive action, the University of South Alabama softball program has only seen one person at the helm; Becky Clark.
Clark has been with the program since its infancy, beginning the program from the ground and raising it to one of the most respected mid-majors in all of Division I softball. Under her direction, South has claimed three Sun Belt Conference Tournament titles (2012, ’13 and ’15) and advanced to the NCAA Regional final in five times (2012, ’13, ’14,’15 and ’21). The Jaguars have also eclipsed the 40-win mark four times during that span.
Under Clark’s direction during that span, 59 student-athletes have received all-Sun Belt honors – 27 first-team selections and 32 second-team selections. USA has also had 21 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region selections and two NFCA Second-Team All-American selections. During that same time, South Alabama has had a SBC Player of the Year selection (Brittany Fowler, 2013), two Freshmen of the Year selections (Haley Fagan, 2013 and Hannah Campbell, 2011) and a SBC Newcomer of the Year selection (Tara Donaldson, 2007).
The Brierfield, Ala., native has also been named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year on two occasions (2011 and 2022).
Clark was named head coach for the Jaguar program in the summer of 2005, prior to the team’s first season and over that stretch, the Jag skipper has steered the program to undeniable competitive success in a short time, in addition to creating a culture that carries over into the classroom. In her 18 seasons at South Alabama, Clark has amassed an overall record of 468-309-1, while also accumulating a Sun Belt record of 197-148. During her 18 seasons as a head coach, Clark has registered an overall competitive record of 649-364-2 combined at her two coaching stints.
The Jaguars have also excelled in the classroom under Clark as USA has had 131 student-athletes named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s list, 97 student-athletes earn Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll honors and 111 players named to the NFCA All-America Scholar list, an award given to student-athletes that acquire at least a 3.5 grade-point average or higher during the academic year. The Jags have had at least seven honorees for the annual award every year since 2007 and posted a program-record 18 selections for the 2020-21 academic year.
After beginning the 2022 campaign with a 5-13 record over the first 18 games, Clark and the Jaguars righted the ship compiling a 20-8 record down the stretch, including winning 16 of their 22 SBC games. The 16 league wins were the most by the program since recording 17 during the 2016 campaign.
South finished second in the Sun Belt standings and had five members of the roster earn all-conference accolades. Olivia Lackie, Mackenzie Brasher and Caroline Nichols were named first team, while Keel and Jenna Hardy received second-team honors. Lackie and Brasher were both named third-team all-South region by the NFCA.
Kamdyn Kvistad ended her Jaguar career as the program’s home run leader (36), while ranking second in RBI (128), third in multi-RBI games (31) and fifth in both hits (172) and extra-base hits (63). Victoria Ortiz led the club with 26 extra-base hits, including 12 home runs and 12 doubles, while establishing a new single-season slugging percentage (.750) mark for the program.
Led by Lackie and Hardy, the Jaguar pitching staff ranked second in the league in opponent’s batting average (.210) and third in ERA (2.59). They also allowed the fewest runs (133) and issued the fewest walks (87) in the Sun Belt.
The 2021 season saw many highlights happen for the program. During the opening weekend of the season, South Alabama picked up a 9-8 victory at 14th-ranked Georgia and then at the beginning of March, the Jaguars picked up the program’s first-ever win over No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The two road wins versus ranked Power 5 members.
Clark also picked up a pair of milestone victories as she earned her 600th career with a 6-1 win over Northwestern State on Feb. 28. Two weeks later, the Jag skipper earned her 450th victory with the program as South defeated App State 4-0 in Mobile.
After a six-year hiatus, South Alabama returned to the national postseason as they were one of four Sun Belt teams to receive an NCAA Regional bid, playing at the Gainesville Regional. The Jags also advanced to SBC Championship game for the fifth time in program history after playing four games in a span of 24 hours.
Lackie and Keel earned first-team all-SBC accolades, while Abby Krzywiecki and Brasher received second-team honors. Keel (first team) and Lackie (third team) were also named NFCA All-Region.
Lackie became just the second pitcher in program history to earn Sun Belt Conference weekly accolades four or more times in a season, joining Devin Brown who did so five times during the 2016 season, while the Lackie was selected as the Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week (3/9) and the DISoftball Freshman of the Week (3/8) after her complete-game shutout victory at Alabama.
Keel ranked 10th in the SBC in hits (54), while Kvistad finished the season tied for fourth in the league in home runs (11) and tied the program’s career home run as she hit her 28th versus Texas State in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championships.
The 2019 season saw the Jaguars post some impressive offensive numbers as the club nearly tied the single-season mark for doubles, recording 76 and finishing one shy of the mark set by the 2012 squad. South also saw a power surge in its line up ending the season with 53 home runs, second-most in a season at USA. Nine players recorded at least one home run with eight of those finishing the season with three or more.
The Jaguars ranked second in the Sun Belt in doubles and third in home runs, batting average (.291), hits (388) and slugging percentage (.523).
Kennedy Cronan led the way with 11 long balls, which were tied for fourth-most in the SBC, tied two other players for second-most in a season and tied a freshman mark. Cronan also earned third-team NFCA all-region honors, marking the ninth-consecutive season in which a Jaguar has earned all-region accolades from the organization.
Brittani Reid and Ortiz also had impressive offensive seasons as the duo led the Sun Belt in doubles (17), and set the single-season program mark in that category. Both Reid and Ortiz earned Community Coffee Player of the Week honors during the season and were both named first-team all-league at year’s end, extending South’s streak of first-team honorees to six straight seasons in which one player on the Jag roster has done so.
In 2018 under Clark’s direction, Brown and Kaleigh Todd became the second and third players in Jaguar history to earn first-team all-league honors for three times during their careers (Hannah Campbell). Haleigh Lowe as also named to the league’s second team.
The duo also left their mark in the program record books leaving Mobile the career leader in several categories. Brown – who all ready owned the double-digit strikeout games mark (39) – picked up two more milestones during her final collegiate season as she became the program’s all-time strikeouts (932) and complete games (31) leader. The Jag senior also concluded her career ranked fourth all-time among Sun Belt Conference pitchers in strikeouts and was one of just five players to ever eclipse the 900-strikeout mark for their careers. Todd also set new career program standard marks in hits (231), batting average (.374), stolen bases (75) and multi-hit games (63).
Todd finished the 2018 campaign ranked second in the Sun Belt in batting average (.388), while her 69 hits were third-most in the conference. Brown also finished atop the league leaders in several different categories, ranking second in both strikeouts (231) and strikeouts looking (66), while also finishing third in earned run average, opponent’s batting average and innings pitched. Brown’s strikeout tally also ranked 25th-best in the NCAA at the end of the season.
Brown and Todd also became the fourth and fifth players, respectively, to be drafted professionally as the former was the 29th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2018 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft by the Cleveland Comets, while the latter was the 33rd overall selection by Moh-BEEL! USA in the Inaugural American Softball Association Draft.
Clark started her second decade at the helm with the Jaguars during the 2017 campaign. South Alabama opened up the season by winning 13 of its first 14 contests which tied the 2014 club for the program’s best record after the first 14 games of the season. The solid start continued as the Jags posted a 17-3 mark after the first 20 games which tied with the ’14 and 2011 squads for the best record after the first 20 games of the season.
Todd continued to elevate herself as one of the top hitters both in the Sun Belt and nationally as she finished the season ranked second in batting average (.398), while her 74 hits were not only second-most by a Jag for a single season and third highest in the league, but also ranked 35th in the NCAA. Todd also ranked among the SBC Top 10 in triples and stolen bases (third), runs scored (seventh) and on-base percentage (10th). Todd earned third-team all-South Region honors from the NFCA.
Once again Brown continued to command the circle as she led the conference in opposing batting average (.184) and fewest runs allowed (44), while her earned run average (1.51) was second-best in the Sun Belt. Brown also ranked fourth in the NCAA with 12 shutouts, and among the national leaders in ERA (30th) and strikeouts (34th). As a staff, South Alabama was third in the SBC and 33rd in the NCAA in ERA at 2.31. Brown also earned Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week accolades four times, tossed her fourth-career no-hitter versus Tennessee Tech and became just the second Jaguar pitcher to eclipse the 700-strikeout mark.
Both Brown and Todd were rewarded for their play as the duo was named first-team all-Sun Belt. Kristian Foster, Amanda Minahan and Destin Vicknair were also named all-league second team.
Following the season, Brown and Todd (Tuscaloosa site) and Lowe and MC Nichols (Auburn site) were selected to participate on two all-star teams from the state of Alabama against the USA Softball National team.
During the 2016 season, South Alabama ranked second in the conference in batting average (.294) and on-base percentage (.389), and were led at the plate by the all-conference duo of Emily Messer and Todd. Messer (.429) and Todd (.415) each earned first-team all-league accolades after ranking second and third, respectively, in the conference in batting. Stephanie Pilkington, Haleigh Lane and Lowe also earned second-team all-SBC honors in the field during the season.
In the circle, the Jaguar pitching staff again was stellar as South Alabama led the Sun Belt in opponent’s batting average (.204), hits allowed (256) and batters struck out looking (120), while ranking second in earned-run average (2.12), strikeouts (427) and runs allowed (128). As a staff, USA also ranked 14th in the NCAA in ERA that same season.
Brown continued to develop as one of the top pitchers in the conference in ’16. Brown – a five-time SBC Pitcher of the Week selection during the season – tied for the league lead in ERA (1.66), while her .165 opponent’s batting average was also a top mark in the Sun Belt. Brown recorded three no-hitters during her sophomore season, including the just the third perfect game in program history against UL Monroe (3/20/16). For her gem in the circle, Brown was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Co-Pitcher of the Week.
Brown also ranked among the top 25 nationally in several categories in 2016 – strikeouts per 7 innings (second, 11.0), shutouts (third, 11), strikeouts (fourth, 324), hits allowed per 7 innings (11th, 4.13) and ERA (23rd, 1.66). Following the season, Brown was named first-team all-Sun Belt and along with Messer, was a second-team all-South Region for her efforts.
Messer became the first Jaguar position player to be drafted as she was the 31st player selected in the 2016 NPF Draft by the Akron Racers, capping off a season in which she set single-season marks in hits (76) and batting average. The 17 Sun Belt wins by the Jaguars during the ’16 season also a new school record.
South Alabama posted a its fourth-straight 40-win season during the ’15 campaign, finishing with a 40-13 overall mark and a 16-4 record in league play. USA finished the season ranked 23rd in the final USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll. After finishing second during the regular season, South Alabama entered the SBC tournament as the second seed and battled back from the loser’s bracket to win the program’s third conference tournament title, defeating 10th-ranked Louisiana 2-0 in the championship game. Kaitlyn Griffith was selected as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
With the tournament championship, South Alabama made its fourth NCAA Regional appearance in Auburn, Ala., where the Jaguars advanced to their fourth-straight regional final against the Tigers, who eventually advanced to the College World Series.
Kalen McGill and Chloe Rathburn earned first-team all-Sun Belt honors, while Griffith, Farish Beard, Minahan and Pilkington were named to the league’s second team. Griffith also became the program’s single-season home run leader in 2015 as she registered 13 homers. Beard was also selected as the 33rd overall pick by the Dallas Charge in the NPF Draft at the conclusion of her career.
In 2014, the USA pitching staff, led by former standouts Campbell and Beard, secured the NCAA ERA title for the first time ever as the Jaguars posted an ERA of 1.29. South Alabama also ranked nationally in fielding percentage (seventh, .976) slugging percentage (24th, .492).
South Alabama finished the season with a 42-14 overall record and a 15-6 conference mark, advancing the SBC tournament championship game. USA also made its third-straight NCAA Regional appearance, advancing to the final against Alabama.
The Jaguars climbed as high as 11th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll that season and as high as 12th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. The Jags would go on to end the year ranked 23rd in both polls.
Campbell, now an assistant on the Jaguar staff, became the first South Alabama female student-athlete to be selected in a professional draft when she was selected third overall in the 2014 NPF Draft by the Akron Racers. Campbell also earned NFCA All-American honors for the second-straight season.
The 2013 season will go down as one of the most memorable one to date in program history as USA won a single-season record 48 games and hosted its first-ever NCAA Regional after repeating as SBC Tournament champs after sweeping through the league tournament. As it did for most of the season, the Jags rode its pitching staff throughout the postseason as they allowed just one run in the opening game and then recorded three-straight shutouts en route to their second conference title.
Behind the pitching of Campbell and Beard, South Alabama finished third in the NCAA with an ERA of 1.43.
South Alabama also had a program-record eight all-SBC selections, including six first-team selections. Fowler (Player of the Year) and Fagan (Freshman of the Year) picked up individual league accolades during the season and Campbell was named the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the second-consecutive year.
Clark and her staff were also honored for their efforts as they were selected as the 2013 NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year after helping the program end the season ranked 17th in the final USA Today/NFCA poll and 18th in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
Under Clark’s direction, South Alabama posted the program’s first 40-win season during the 2012 campaign, finishing the season with a 41-17 overall record and a 17-7 mark in Sun Belt action. USA also swept through the SBC Championships, capping off its tournament run with a thrilling 3-1 victory over top-seeded and sixth-ranked Louisiana to earn the program’s first conference championship. Campbell was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after allowing just one run in 22.0 innings of work. The Jaguars would go on to make their first NCAA Regional appearance advancing to the regional final before falling to regional host and eventual national champion Alabama.
In 2011, the turnaround for Clark and the Jags began as USA finished with a 37-17 overall record – the program’s first winning record since the inaugural season – and a semifinal appearance at the SBC Tournament. For her efforts, Clark was named the SBC Coach of the Year.
Outfielder Evelyne Pare became the first Jag to earn both first-team all-SBC and Louisville Slugger/NFCA second-team all-South Region honors in 2008.
Clark began laying the foundation for her program from the outset as her first club finished with a 36-23 record and a fifth-place finish in the Sun Belt after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. Tara Donaldson was also named the Sun Belt’s Co-Newcomer of the Year that spring as four players were also selected second-team all-SBC.
Clark came to South Alabama in the summer of 2005 after three stellar seasons at the University of Mobile. In her final season with the Rams, Clark led the 2005 team to a 51-13 record and its second-consecutive fourth-place finish at the NAIA National Tournament. In her three seasons with the Rams registered an outstanding 156-33-1 record and three national tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2003. She also led Mobile to three consecutive GCAC Tournament championships.
While at Mobile, Clark coached two Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Year, three GCAC Pitchers of the Year, six NAIA first-team All-Americans, six second-team All-Americans and three honorable mention All-Americans.
Prior to joining the head coaching ranks, Clark had stops at the University of Mobile (1994-99), The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, Calif. (2000) and Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) Community College (2001-02). While an assistant at Mobile in 1998, Clark was also a member of the NAIA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.
Clark began her collegiate playing career at Troy in 1990-91 before transferring to Mobile, where she played three seasons before graduating cum laude in 1995 with a B.A. in English and a minor in marketing. In 1999, she earned an M.A. in education from Mobile, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. As a player, Clark was twice named an Academic All-American while with the Rams garnering the honor in 1993 and 1994.
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