Dottie Cupp's working hard as coach of the Weatherford College Lady Coyotes softball team. And they won't play their first game until the fall of 2011.

"I've been out pretty much every weekend," said Cupp. "Right now, recruiting is the single most important thing."

Cupp spends many weekends watching softball tournaments. The rest of the week she is on the phone with players and coaches, or she is sending e-mails.
And there are the visits from interested players.

"We've had quite a few girls on campus so far," said Cupp.

Cupp recently made the Lady Coyotes' first official signing. Pitcher Emily Ditmore of Azle made history.
"I'm very excited about Emily," said Cupp. She has a good presence on the mound. It's a good place for us to start."

Cupp was a pitcher herself in college. She was also on a first-year program at Central Florida in 2002 and loved the experience.
"It was exciting. Everything was a first," said Cupp. "As a player I wanted to set the bar.

"When I heard about the new program here at Weatherford College I became very interested because I remembered the feeling I had."

Cupp came to Weatherford after serving two seasons as an assistant at Towson University.  She was the head coach at Polk Community College in Florida before that, leading the team to a regional tournament berth.

"I think a lot of kids are excited about being the first," said Cupp. "They'll get to build the tradition."

In the meantime, Cupp continues to travel and look for teammates for Ditmore. She has trips lined up for Oklahoma, Florida and California, along with more trips around Texas.

"I will be working a lot," said Cupp. "There are a lot of players out there for me to find."

by Rick Mauch