Destini Anderson has guided the East Central University softball program to eight winning seasons after taking over as head coach in the summer of 2006. She will be heading into her 19th season at the helm.
After a shortened year in 2020, the Tigers went 17-22 overall and 13-20 in the Great American Conference in 2021.
2020 was a shortened season, after the NCAA cancelled the remaining season in March due to COVID-19. Before the suspension of play, the Tigers went 4-15.
The 2019 season saw eight seniors leave the team after having made a strong impact on the program. Mariah Ewy highlighted the group, having been the Great American Conference nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year. The 2019 ECU George Nigh top-5 finalist was a standout in the classroom and on the field. She was the second ECU softball player to earn 2019 Google Cloud (CoSIDA) Academic All-America honors. She also left the program with three top-10 career records and two All-GAC honors.
The 2019 senior group also saw Sable Hankins named to the D2 CCA and NFCA Central Region teams, as well as an All-GAC First Team pick. She also claimed seven single season top-10 spots and two career top-10 finishes.
In total seven players combined for 18 single season top-10 and 18 career top-10 records. As a team, the Tigers also set 12 top-10 single season records.
In 2018, made its seventh-straight trip to the Great American Conference Championship and saw seven players named to the All-GAC teams. Catherine Barrera (3B) earning second team honors and Jacey Henry (P), Alissa Taylor (1B), Mariah Ewy (SS) and Claresha Clemons (OF) earning honorable mention honors.
The Tigers also succeeded in the classroom, with Ewy earning Google Cloud (CoSIDA) Academic All-American Third Team honors, becoming the fourth softball player and the seventh ECU student-athlete to earn the honor.
Ewy and Crawford were also named to the Google Cloud (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 7 teams and GAC Elite Scholar Athletes (highest GPA in the GAC tournament field). Crawford was also bestowed with ECU’s 1950’s Science Fund and Physics Centennial scholarships.
The 2017 season saw the Tigers land six players on the All-Great American Conference teams. Alissa Taylor led the group as an All-GAC First Team pick, while Mariah Ewy and Aundrea Hamric claimed second team honors and Kelbie Crelia, Claresha Clemons and Breecia Crawford were honorable mentions.
The season also saw an ECU player earn top honors in the classroom, in Carlee Henderson. The Ada, Okla., native was named the 2017 ECU George Nigh Award winner, as the top graduating senior. Henderson also was named a Crafton Tull Elite Scholar and two the GAC and D2ADA All-Academic Teams, with her 4.0 GPA.
The 2016 season was highlighted by a group of seniors that collected conference, regional and national honors. Autumn Suydam led the group by earning her second-straight CoSIDA Academic All-America honor, this time as a first team member. Suydam was also named the D2 CCA Central Region and Great American Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team and All-GAC First Team.
The group of seniors also claimed at total of six All-GAC honors, with three named to the first team, one on the second team and two honorable mentions. Taylor Davis was also recognized as a NFCA All-Region First Team honoree.
The Tigers had their best season in school history in 2015, earning the team’s first Great American Conference Championship Title and the first trip to the NCAA Central Regional. ECU advanced to the NCAA Central Regional Finals and in the process became the first Tiger team to earn a win in an NCAA postseason game. The Tigers went 2-2 in the regional, with wins over Winona State (5-2) and Central Oklahoma (4-1).
The team went 34-16 overall and 25-8 in the GAC in 2015 and finished second in the regular-season standing before upsetting Henderson State for the GAC tournament title. The season was filled with awards and honors that was topped by Taylor Davis earning NFCA All-America Second Team and Daktronics All-America Third Team honors. Davis was also named to both the NFCA and Daktronics All-Central Region teams, an All-GAC First Team and GAC All-Tournament Team selection.
Autumn Suydam was also highly honored for her contributions on and off the field, as the schools fourth representative on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team. Suydam was also a NFCA Central Region, GAC All-Tournament and All-GAC Honorable Mention.
The duo are two of seven players that were honored by the league, with Jordynn VanPelt and Marissa Shaffer being named to the All-GAC First Team, Samantha McGraw to the second team, and Lacey Paulk and Kalie Marcum honorable mentions.
The Tigers finished the 2014 season with a 33-25 overall record and a 22-18 mark in a very tight Great American Conference race. Seven players from the 2014 roster earned spots on the All-GAC teams, with senior Gina Mengwasser taking the top honor as the All-GAC First Team pick. Four other players were named to the All-GAC Second Team (Sydney Dow, Samantha McGraw, Leah Tigert and Autumn Suydam), while two others were All-GAC Honorable Mention selections (Jordynn VanPelt and Kaile Marcum).
Anderson reached the 200-win milestone in her career during the 2014 season, recording her 200th win March 21, 2014 in the 4-2 win at Southern Nazarene.
The 2013 season was the best performance by the Tigers under Anderson’s lead, finishing with a 42-13 overall record. ECU also finished second in the GAC standings, with a 23-7 mark.
The Tigers earned several postseason honors, including senior Shelby Simmons being named to the Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention team, Daktronics All-Region First Team, GAC Player of the Year and All-GAC First Team. ECU also saw freshman Lacey Paulk named the GAC Freshman of the Year and claim All-GAC First Team honors. Junior Gina Mengwasser also earned All-GAC First Team and Daktronics All-Region Honorable Mention honors.
Anderson led the Tigers to their first winning season, under her direction, in 2010 as they went 34-21 and landed a berth in the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship game, before falling to nationally-ranked Angelo State.
In 2011, Anderson’s ECU squad went 38-16 and reached the LSC Tournament finals again before falling to West Texas A&M.
Then in 2012, the Tigers finished 27-18-1 and took third in the new GAC regular season while coaching GAC Player of the Year Emily Kennemer, who also picked up a Daktronics All-Region award and a Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-America honor.
Anderson has a career 282-255-1 record as ECU head coach. She is only the second head coach in program’s history, replacing Ron Miller, who retired in July of 2006.
Anderson, a native of Minco, had an impressive run from 2003-06 as the head softball coach at Canyon High School (Texas), where she guided the squad to a 72-33 record in three seasons, including the school’s first two district titles and regional appearances in the program’s history.
Prior to coaching at Canyon, Anderson served as graduate assistant coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where she performed numerous tasks such as developing an off-season strength and conditioning program, conducting individual workouts for pitchers and catchers and organizing team practices to name a few.
Anderson is a 2001 graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University where she garnered several awards and set numerous school records. She was inducted into the OBU Athletic Hall of Fame in November of 2009.
She was named OBU’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 2001 and served as captain of the Lady Bison softball team.
Anderson holds OBU career records for most strikeouts (473) as a pitcher, hits as a batter (213), RBIs (146), runs scored (133) and doubles (49).
Also, she owns Lady Bison season records for doubles (15), walks as a batter (28), games pitched (42), complete games (31), innings pitched (229) and strikeouts (210).
Anderson has also served as a softball camp counselor since 1997 and has conducted individual pitching lessons from 1996 to present.
She received her bachelors of science in sports medicine degree from OBU with a minor in psychology. She also has a masters of education in health and physical education degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Anderson’s Career Coaching Record
Year School Record
2007 East Central 11-29
2008 East Central 21-34
2009 East Central 12-23
2010 East Central 34-21
2011 East Central 38-16
2012 East Central 27-18-1
2013 East Central 42-13
2014 East Central 33-25
2015 East Central 34-16
2016 East Central 25-31
2017 East Central 31-26
2018 East Central 23-30-1
2019 East Central 26-25
2020 East Central 4-15
2021 East Central 17-22
2022 East Central 13-31
2023 East Central 21-27
2024 East Central 21-27
2025 East Central 21-27
Total 450-456-2 (19 Years)
