LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Speakers are an important part of the NFCA convention. These segments are designed to allow attendees to learn from their peers and other professionals associated with the game of softball.

 

In this week’s segment, we focus on the Friday, Dec. 4 speakers. The group features the head coach of the defending three-time Division III national champion Tufts University, Cheryl Milligan, three assistant coaches, LSU’s Howard Dobson, Auburn’s Corey Myers and UCLA’s Kirk Walker, who all played key roles in helping their respective program reach the 2015 Women’s College World Series, current and former USSSA players and certified Sports Performance Vision Trainer Ryan Harrison.

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Cheryl Milligan | Head Coach, Tufts University
“Building Winners” | Dec. 4 | 9:00 AM

Milligan has guided the Tufts University softball program to one of the most successful runs in all of college softball over the past three seasons, winning three straight NCAA Division III national championships and compiling an 144-7 record during that span.

The Jumbos joined UCLA (1988-90) in Division I and Cal State-Northridge (1983-85) and Cal State-Bakersfield (1988-90) in Division II as the only teams in NCAA history to win three consecutive titles. Milligan’s 2009 and 2012 squads also reached the NCAA Finals, finishing fourth in 2009 and tying for fifth in 2012.

A former starting shortstop at Tufts, Milligan spent six years as an assistant coach for the Jumbos before succeeding her coach and mentor, Kris Herman, as head coach in July 2003. She has a 406-112 overall record in her 12 years at the helm.

Howard Dobson | Assistant Coach, LSU
“The LSU Hitting Approach” | Dec. 4 | 10:00 AM

Howard Dobson enters his fifth season as an assistant coach at LSU. He serves as the program’s hitting coach and assists with recruiting.

Known in some circles as one of the best hitting instructors in the nation, the 2015 Tigers set five team statistical records on the way to Dobson’s fourth trip to the Women’s College World Series, while producing two of the most prolific home run hitting teams LSU has ever seen. LSU finished the season setting a new team record with a .335 batting average, .523 slugging percentage and .425 on-base percentage, driving in a record 392 RBIs and scoring 428 times. The squad finished two homers shy of tying the record set last season with 63, including having the first trio of players with multiple home runs since the mid-2000’s and just the second time ever.

Since joining the staff, Dobson has helped lead a resurgence of the Tiger offense in a big way, as the 2014 team earned the second highest team batting average in program history at .314, while the squad’s 65 home runs were the most in a single year as a group in program history. LSU turned in a 65-point improvement in batting average from the 2012 to 2013 season, improving it another 30 points to jump from .220 to .314 during that span.

Dobson has been heavily involved with USA Softball over the last four summers. He served as an assistant coach on the USA Softball Elite Team in 2012 and the USA Softball Women’s National Team in 2013. He traveled with Team USA to the World Cup of Softball and the Canadian Open and returned as an assistant coach for the senior national team in the summer of 2014.

Corey Myers | Assistant Coach, Auburn University
“Infield Fundamental With Game Applications” | Dec. 4 | 11:00 AM

Myers joined the Auburn softball staff Aug. 16, 2013. He has played an instrumental role in such a short time, molding together a pitching staff that played an integral part in the Tigers’ SEC Tournament title and semifinal appearance in the program’s first-ever Women’s College World Series in 2015.

Myers spent 2013 season as assistant coach and director of player development for the Birmingham (Ala.) Thunderbolts 18 Gold softball team. From 2009-2012, Myers owned and operated the CM Baseball & Softball Academy in Chandler, Ariz.

Myers also served as volunteer coach working with infielders and hitters for Arizona State softball from 2007-08, helping the Sun Devils to the 2008 NCAA championship.

In 1999, Myers was the fourth player taken in the first round of the MLB draft, going to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Myers also played for the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs organizations from 1999-2007.

Kirk Walker | Assistant Coach, UCLA
“Four Key Principles of Pitching ot Maximize Power, Control & Deception | Dec. 4 | 3:00 PM

Kirk Walker begins his 15th season on the UCLA coaching staff in 2016 and his fourth year since returning to Westwood on Aug. 7, 2012. Walker, who was the head softball coach at Oregon State from 1995-2012, previously was a member of the Bruin staff from 1984-94.

Walker returns to UCLA after spending nearly two decades at Oregon State. The all-time winningest coach in program history and the fifth-winningest in Oregon State history regardless of sport, Walker posted a 594-490-3 record (.548 winning percentage) and eight seasons with at least 40 wins. The Beavers made the postseason 10 times with Walker at the helm, including the 2012 campaign, which saw Oregon State post a 36-23 mark and set team records for runs batted in (269) and runs scored (301). Under Walker’s tutelage, the Beavers earned 79 All-Pac-10/12 honors, 28 All-Region accolades and 10 All-American awards.

In 2006, Walker led the Beavers to their first-ever appearance in the Women’s College World Series, as OSU posted a school-record, 28-game winning streak and reached No. 5 in the national rankings with a 43-16 overall mark. In 2005, he guided Oregon State (43-16) to its first-ever Pac-10 Championship (and the first regular-season Pac-10 title for any OSU women’s sports program), earning Conference Coach of the Year honors for the second time (1999). The most wins in a season for Oregon State came in 1999, when the Beavers had 47 victories and went to the postseason for the first time in program history. Along with his Pac-10 COY award, Walker’s staff was named the Speedline Pacific Region Co-Coaching Staff of the Year.

Walker has also earned coaching acclaim away from the collegiate level. He was named one of 12 coaches to form the USA Softball National Team Coaches Pool through the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Walker served as an assistant for the USA Elite Team for three summers (2002-04), and also assisted the USA Red National Team during the summer of 2001.

Ryan Harrison | Sports Performance Vision Trainer | SlowTheGameDown
“SlowTheGameDown – It’s a Visual Game” | Dec. 4 | 4:00 PM

Ryan Harrison, a certified Sports Performance Vision Trainer since 1998, has been working with international softball, collegiate and amateur softball teams, while also being a key consultant to numerous international, professional and collegiate football, baseball and softball squads.

In addition, Harrison has personally trained over 100 Major League Baseball roster players on the visual side of the game. The list includes Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Mike Sweeney, Jason Werth, Delmon Young and Jerry Hairston, Jr.

Harrison, a kicker for the UC Davis football team, earned a degree in exercise physiology. Following his working with top professional and amateur athletes, he conceived the idea of training necessary performance skills with digital technology. The SportsEyesite ™ Softball is a result of his goal to develop training products so that everyone could benefit at a fraction of the cost of having this training and without the need to go to a specialty clinic.

In addition to the four speakers, former and current USSSA players will host a series of chalk talks.  “USA Elite Select Catching” and “USA Elite Infield/Outfield” begin at 3:00 p.m., which will be followed by “USA Elite Pitching” and USA Elite Hitting/Slapping” at 4:00 p.m.