HS SOFTBALL: McAlester names Hollye Jernigen as head softball coach

Dec. 5—Hollye Jernigen smiled as she reintroduced herself to her team.

McAlester school officials announced Monday she was elevated to head softball coach, with Lady Buffs team members being the first to hear the news.

Jernigen said she was thrilled to be taking on the role, and immediately started the ball rolling for the offseason.

"I'm very excited to get started. I do think it'll be a little bit of a change and process," she said. "I'm looking forward to changing that softball culture at McAlester."

Jernigen takes over after former McAlester softball coach Kelleya Cox retired following 23 years in coaching, including the last eight at McAlester.

McAlester athletic director James Singleton said the department researched and interviewed multiple applicants, but Jernigen immediately started to stand out as someone to lead a new era of Lady Buffs softball.

"We went through these applications and tried to find that person," Singleton said. "After we went through this extensive research and checked these people out, the best person we had was already here."

He liked her loyalty to the school and program, and that her resume brings a lot of successful experience to the fold.

"She's turned programs around at three different programs, she's won district championships, she's been regional coach of the year, and she's had success everywhere she's been," Singleton said to the Lady Buffs. "So it was a no-brainer after we went through the entire interview process that this was the person. Because I know, as the head coach, she's going to be high energy, she's going to be passionate, and she's going to push you and make you do things you don't want to do."

Jernigen is a 2005 Indianola graduate, and has been coaching in softball for 12 years — with stops in Mounds, Glenpool, and Hominy before coming to McAlester as an assistant coach earlier this year. She has won multiple district championships, as well as being named Regional Coach of the Year in 2017.

But coming back to an area she has grown up in to work and coach has been a blessing for Jernigen.

"I really enjoy being at McAlester, teaching and coaching," she said. "It was like a move back home, sort of...I've really enjoyed it, I'm glad to be back (in Pittsburg County)."

Jernigen hit the ground running with her new head-coaching duties, and told her players that she was implementing a new workout and skills work to already lay the foundation for next fast-pitch season.

"We are going to start with lifting weights three times a week, softball drills two or three times a week — so they will stay pretty busy," she said. "Hopefully we can see a change in the weight room pretty quickly by the end of spring. I'm really looking forward to that."

Jernigen described her coaching style as intense in practice, but calm when it comes to game day. She said her method is that since the Lady Buffs will have put in the time and effort in practice, it'll translate to second nature by game day.

"If you look at me at a game, you're going to be like 'she's very mellow,'" she said. "But to me, most of my coaching is going to happen in practice. So when they get to a game, I expect our practices are going to be so intense that by game time, hopefully they can just take over. That's what I want it to be."

Jernigen again expressed her excitement over being put at the helm of the McAlester softball program, and is already looking forward to how she and the Lady Buffs can grow together.

"I do want to thank coach Singleton and the (McAlester Board of Education) for trusting me with this," she said. "But I do think that with McAlester softball with the next few years, you'll see a change."

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.