LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The NFCA welcomed four new members to its Hall of Fame at the 2014 convention in Las Vegas on Friday evening at Planet Hollywood. The highly anticipated event concluded day three of the convention in which five speakers made presentations on different aspects of the game.
NFCA Executive Director Lacy Lee Baker, SUNY Cortland head coach Julie Lenhart, Oklahoma City head coach Phil McSpadden and Alabama-Huntsville head coach Les Stuedeman comprise the class of 2014.
Lacy Lee Baker, NFCA
As only the second full-time Executive Director in the history of the NFCA, Baker has proven to be an invaluable contributor during a time of unprecedented growth and prosperity in the national fastpitch softball coaches’ organization.
Named to her current position in 1994, she recently celebrated her 20th year with the Association and serves as the primary liaison to the NFCA’s Board of Directors.
A native of Jackson, Miss., Baker possesses more than 30 years of experience in the sports industry, including seven years at the NCAA, where she served as assistant and associate director of championships, while administering all three NCAA softball championships.
Prior to that, she worked for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee as project director and editor of Olympic Record, the official daily program of the 1984 Olympic Games.
Baker got her start in athletics in sports information, working at San Diego State and Stanford universities. Later she served as the Associate Director of Athletics at Truman State University.
A graduate of Delta State University and the University of Southern Mississippi, Baker is married to NFCA Hall of Fame coach Jay Miller. They have one daughter, Nikki, who is in graduate school at Illinois State University and just accepted an assistant coaching position at Wittenberg College.
Julie Lenhart, SUNY Cortland (University of Wisconsin-Platteville0
The winningest coach in program history at Division III Cortland, Lenhart has recorded a 665-255-2 (.726) record in 20 seasons at the helm of the Red Dragons. Combined with her five seasons and 120 wins at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, she has the distinction of being just the seventh coach in Division III history to reach the 700-win plateau (785-332-2 / .704) and is fourth all-time in victories among Division III head coaches.
Under her guidance, Cortland qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs seven straight years from 2007-13 and three consecutive years from 1997-99 and 2003-05, including World Series appearances in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013.
In 2013, the Red Dragons put forth their best NCAA Tournament run in program history, a national runner-up finish at the Division III World Series. In addition, Cortland finished 35-17 on the season and posted its then-12th straight 30-win campaign.
She is a four-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year, was the 1997 NFCA East Region Coach of the Year and her staff has been honored seven times as the NFCA Division III Northeast Region
Coaching Staff of the Year.
Before Cortland, Lenhart coached five seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where her teams went 120-77, earning her Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(WWIAC) Coach of the Year honors in 1990 and 1992, while winning the league title in 1992.
Phil McSpadden, Oklahoma City University
In 27 seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma City University, McSpadden has built the Stars’ program into a major NAIA powerhouse. He has guided his squad to eight national titles (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007) and 13 total championship games, both NAIA records, during 25 visits to the NAIA Championships.
A four-time NFCA NAIA National Coaching Staff of the Year and seven-time NFCA NAIA Southwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year honoree, McSpadden reached the 1,400-win club in which he has accumulated a staggering record of 1,413-357 (.798), to sit at the top of the list of active winningest coaches in NAIA softball, and led his program to 17 Sooner Athletic Conference crowns. In addition, McFadden’s squads have won 50-plus games 18 times, while four have totaled 60 or more, including a NAIA record 69 in 1999.
He has also coached over 75 All-Americans, more than 35 NAIA scholar-athletes and had four former OCU players help their respective countries win Olympic medals.
Most recently in 2014, the Oklahoma City University and NAIA Hall of Famer guided the Stars to 55 victories, a second straight title in the NAIA Championship Opening Round and to the NAIA Championships for the 23rd consecutive season and NAIA-best 29th time overall.
Les Stuedeman, University of Alabama-Huntsville
As the only coach in University of Alabama-Huntsville program history, Stuedeman has compiled an 894-278-1 record over 19 seasons. She has guided the Division II Chargers to 12 straight NCAA tournament appearances and averaged 47 wins each season. Her teams have never had fewer than 24 wins, and she has never had a losing season.
In 2014, Stuedeman earned her ninth career Gulf South Conference (GSC) Coach of the Year award. Her staff, meanwhile, has been chosen as NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year six times.
The third winningest active coach in Division II, Stuedeman became just the 17th coach in Division II history to win 800 games as she passed the milestone with a win in the regular season finale in 2012. Through the 2013 year, she ranked 20th among active coaches in winning percentage across all divisions.
Named GSC East Divsion Coach of the Decade in 2010, Stuedeman’s teams have earned 17 NCAA berths and won four South Region titles (1999, 2001, 2009, 2011). Alabama-Huntsville was the Division II runner-up in 2009 and 2011.
Under Stuedeman, the Chargers have appeared in 12 Gulf South Conference championship games, winning a conference-record eight titles and three straight from 2006-08.
In September, Stuedeman was inducted into the Huntingdon College Athletic Hall of Fame, where she was a catcher from 1990-92, earning all-district honors all three seasons and garnering All-American status in 1992.
The final day of the convention begins with an early morning speaker, attorney Tracy Warren, immediately followed by the Coaching Staff of the Year Brunch. Drill, Drills, Drills rounds out the first half of the day.
After lunch, roundtable topics, speakers Rick Pauly, pitching coach at Georgia, Tori Nyberg from Elevate Performance Counseling and Dr. Chris Mazoue and the Travel Ball Curriculum round out the convention.
Continue to send along your unique or funny tweets during the NFCA Convention (follow us at @NFCAorg) for a chance to win a free registration to the 2015 NFCA Convention in Atlanta. To enter your tweet in the contest you must add the official hashtag of this year’s event: #NFCAallin