PRESS RELEASE: APRIL 29, 2024
SJR State softball head coach Joe Pound named FCSAA Coach of the Year
SJR State softball head coach Joe Pound named FCSAA Coach of the Year.
After winning the team’s first-ever Sun-Lakes Conference and FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Championship, softball head coach Joe Pound has been named FCSAA DII Coach of the Year.
“It's an honor to receive the award. To me, it's a team award. It means we had a really good team and a great season,” said Pound.
Setting a new standard for the SJR State Softball program, the Vikings made several team and individual records during the season, including the winningest team in program history and winning their first Sun-Lakes Conference and FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 DII Championship.
“When I got this job, my sights were set on this season,” Pound said. “This is the first season with a group of players that were all recruited by this coaching staff. After the fall semester, I knew this was going to be a special team with the talent we had on the roster.”
The Vikings finished their season with 44-14 wins overall and 26-4 conference wins. Pound led the team for a .759 win percentage.
This is Pound’s third year coaching the Viking softball team. Prior to taking over the Vikings Softball Program, Pound spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Vikings baseball team as the hitting coach. Over that four year span, the Vikings baseball team ranked in the top 4 in the FCSAA in home runs each year, leading the FCSAA in home runs during a COVID shortened 2020 season (30) and the 2021 season (59).
According to Pound, SJR State will head to the district tournament May 9-12 in Alabaster, Alabama, to play for a spot in the World Series held May 20-25 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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This year's softball team was the winningest team in program history and also won their first Sun-Lakes Conference and FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 DII Championship.