Luke Folkerts promoted to coach Muldrow fast pitch softball, Armer stays on for slow pitch
Muldrow has elevated fast pitch softball assistant Luke Folkerts, a 2005 Arkansas boys basketball state tournament MVP, whose work ethic made it an “easy hire” for athletic director Jana Armer.
“He always spends the extra time, the individual time with the kids to help perfect whatever thing it is basketball or softball," Armer said. "He doesn’t mind staying there late, getting there early."
Former coach Jamie Armer, Jana’s husband, will remain a girls basketball assistant under his wife and as the slow pitch coach in the spring. According to Jana and Folkerts, he stepped down to alleviate from the year-round three-sport workload and allow for an easier transition into basketball.
The fast pitch coaching promotion was made official in May, according to Jana.
Under Jamie, the fast pitch Lady Bulldogs went 30-24 in the last two seasons and reached the Oklahoma Class 4A regional tournament both years. In 2021, Muldrow went 16-12, which included wins in its first 13 games. Folkerts was Jamie’s assistant during that timeframe.
Folkerts said that he doesn’t envision much change in how the program is run and that his general coaching philosophy, regardless of sport, is that athletics teach you about yourself with situations of dealing with adversity and “taking what life gives you.”
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Folkerts was an all-state basketball player as a sophomore and junior at Pleasant View, a school since consolidated with Mulberry, and as a senior at Alma on Airdales’ 2005 Arkansas Class 5A state championship team. From there, the 6-foot-3 guard was a part of 2006 NJCAA National Champion University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.
After transferring and playing as a sophomore at Southwest Baptist, he later earned a bachelor’s degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State in 2011.
During his career he has served as a coach and as an assistant in multiple sports. At Salina (Oklahoma), he was the boys basketball and volleyball coach in his last two of three years there.
Then, Folkerts wanted to come closer to family and moved for his first tour at Muldrow, as the baseball coach, and went 10-19 in the 2015 season. After spending time as junior high football and basketball coach at Alma, the current Muldrow boys basketball assistant moved back to a place he now identifies as home.
“My wife, we’ve been dating or married since 2008 and it just seems like I’ve gotten to know so many people and they’ve all been very welcoming,” Folkerts said. “Muldrow is home to me now and the community has been great. The superintendent and administration have been great to me, the school has been great to me, the players have been great to me and the students have been great. It’s been a very smooth transition for me and I’ve always been used to being around new people because I went to a lot of different places growing up and it’s really nice to feel like Muldrow is my last stop.”
You can follow Bryant Roche on Twitter @BRocheSports and you can email him at BRoche@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Luke Folkerts promoted to coach Muldrow fast pitch softball
