Haylee Williams knows what it's like to go from nothing to success in a short time, and that's what she plans to help bring to the Weatherford College softball program.

Williams was hired recently as the first assistant coach in the program's history. She will join inaugural head coach Dottie Cupp in getting the team ready for its debut season next year.

"Being able to start something, to help build the program and put your stamp on it is unique," said Williams. "This is a good thing for my career."

Williams has been working as an assistant coach at Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. since 2009. She played two seasons for the school before that after playing two seasons at Hill College. She played second base at Hill and moved to third base at Henderson State. Before college, she played club ball in Byron, Georgia, near Macon.

The 2010 Henderson State squad finished second in its conference, a team featuring seven freshmen in her first recruiting class. The current team is still playing and, despite some injuries, will probably again finish high in the standings, said Williams.

"That was rewarding, taking a team from the bottom to near the top," said Williams.
Cupp said she was immediately impressed with Williams.

"I'm very excited to have her on board," said Cupp. "Her enthusiasm and coaching experience were the biggest factors.
"We're getting close to our first season and good things are happening. She's going to be a big part of it all."

Williams was immediately impressed by Weatherford College, largely because of the success of its programs across the board over the years. "Look around. In every sport there is success," said Williams. "They're willing to put the resources in there to make them successful. Having that support is really important."

Williams is enthusiastic to join Cupp, one of the main reasons being she believes Cupp wants to join the aforementioned list of successful sports in a hurry.

"What I was impressed with most are her goals," said Williams. "She's not using being a first-year program as an excuse to lose. She wants to be competitive out of the gate."

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by Rick Mauch