Adkins Added to Softball Staff
6/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Coy Adkins was named assistant coach for the Southern Miss softball team by head coach Wendy Hogue in June of 2015. Adkins joined the Golden Eagles' staff after stops at Southeastern Conference schools Arkansas and Florida, and will serve as the Southern Miss pitching coach.
"Coy Adkins will make us better," Hogue said. "We had lots of very qualified applicants but Coy stood out as having every quality on our wish list. His job, first and foremost, will be working with our pitchers. However, he has extensive experience working with hitters, and I look forward to his help in that area as well. He came to us with very high recommendations from some of the biggest names in softball. I couldn't be more pleased to be working side by side with Coy and Mackenzie (Sher) here at Southern Miss. We all share the same vison for our program's journey to the top!"
Immediately prior to joining the Southern Miss staff, Adkins was an assistant at Mena High School in Mena, Ark. He helped the Ladycat softball team to the 2015 4A State Championship with a 27-3 overall record. MHS posted a 19-3 regular season record with an undefeated 7-0 conference record. The Ladycats claimed the 2015 District Tournament Championship as well as the 2015 Regional Championship.
At the collegiate level, Adkins worked at the University of Arkansas from 2011-14. Adkins' role with the Razorbacks included working with the pitching staff and assisting head coach Mike Larabee with the hitters. During Adkins' tenure, the Razorbacks signed four state Gatorade Players of the Year and one National Gatorade Player of the Year. At the time of his departure from Arkansas, Adkins helped the Razorbacks to the ninth-ranked recruiting class for the 2015 season.
In his first season in 2012, the Razorbacks recorded an overall record of 29-28 and advanced to an NCAA Regional Final for the first time in program history. The 29 victories was an increase from 13 wins the season prior to Adkins arrival.
During Adkins' first year, the team ERA dropped from 4.77 to 3.60. The staff also boasted multiple double-digit winners, Chelsea Cohen (14) and Kimmy Beasley (11) -- the second time since 2004 that a coaching staff has produced multiple 10-game winners.
Offensively, the Razorbacks set multiple school records including; on base percentage (.354), home runs per game (1.05) and team OPS (.787). Adkins' coaching led to numerous accolades for the team. Devon Wallace became the first ever First-Team All-SEC performer in school history. She was also named the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Beasley finished the season being named to the SEC All-Freshman team with 11 wins. She tallied wins over No. 1 California, an 8-1 decision over eventual NCAA Champion, No. 3 Alabama and a win vs. No. 7 Baylor. Cohen and Beasley combined for a no-hitter on May 2 against Missouri State after Beasley was removed after the first inning because of injury. Cohen came in and finished the first no-hitter at Arkansas since the 2008 season.
In 2013, Arkansas improved to an overall record of 36-20 and once again made an appearance in the NCAA Regional Finals. The Razorbacks entered the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll on May 7, 2013 for the first time in program history.
For the second consecutive year, Cohen (13) and Beasley (12) posted double-digit victories apiece. For her efforts on the field, Beasley was tabbed Second-Team All-SEC. All four of the Razorbacks' pitchers had an ERA of 3.51 or lower with two Arkansas pitchers finishing the year in the SEC Top 10 for Conference ERA on the season. As a team, the Arkansas pitching staff notched a collective 2.86 earned run average.
Offensively, Wallace led the NCAA in on-base percentage with a .627, marking only the second time in SEC history a player finished the season with over a .625 on-base percentage.
In Adkins' final season in 2014, the Razorbacks posted 27 wins with Grace Moll (10) posting double-digit wins on the season. Wallace was selected Second-Team All-SEC, finishing the year with 48 hits, including 12 home runs, a triple, eight doubles and a team-best .653 slugging percentage and a team-high .534 on-base percentage.
Adkins formerly worked at the University of Florida.
While at Florida, Adkins worked as first base coach, while also overseeing the outfield positions and assisting on offensive coaching. The 2010 Florida team hit a then-Southeastern Conference-record 109 home runs. The Gators reset the record in 2011, smacking a nation-leading 124 home runs. Adkins assisted the Gators to a berth in the 2010 and 2011 Women's College World Series and an overall record of 105-23 (.820) during his stay. Florida was National Runner-Up in 2011.
In addition to his college coaching career, Adkins brings years of softball coaching experience to the Golden Eagles, including experience as a state championship-winning head coach on the Florida high school level. He led Wewahitchka High School to the 2008 Class 2A State Championship, compiling a 27-2 overall record. As assistant head coach, Adkins helped the squad to the 2007 Class 2A title. In 2008, the squad hit a state-record 43 home runs. In his six year head and assistant coach career at Wewahitchka HS, the softball team advanced to the state playoffs every year while winning five Regional Championships. Adkins compiled a 162-34 (.827) overall record at Wewahitchka HS.
Before Wewahitchka HS, Adkins served as the head coach for Chipley (Fla.) High School from 2002-03, where he compiled a 47-14-1 (.766) record. The 2003 Chipley HS team won the first Regional Championship in school history.
Adkins founded Team North Florida and served as head coach from 2004-09. Team North Florida was an Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) 16U National Championship participant in 2006 and placed ninth in 2007.
Adkins earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics education from Florida State University in 2001. He began his college career at St. John's River Community College on a basketball scholarship after being named to Florida's High School All-State Team in 1995.
Adkins and his wife, Sonya, have three daughters, Kenna, Anniston and Rayna, and one son, Hayden.