Palma named assistant softball coach

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Ashley Palma has joined the coaching staff at TVCC.

Ashley Palma is the newest addition to the coaching staff at Trinity Valley Community College. She will serve as assistant coach for the Lady Cardinals softball program.

Palma, who spent the last four years at Ranger Junior College as assistant softball coach, was hired after an extensive search by Head Coach Ashley Johnston. Johnston said the choice was obvious.

“I am very excited to bring Ashley on staff here,” Johnston said. “She was an outstanding player (in high school and college) and an even better coach.

“She has helped Ranger improve so much the last four years and I am looking forward to see what she is going to bring to this program.”

While at Ranger, Palma helped the Lady Rangers qualify for their conference’s postseason tournament for the first time in 10 years in 2009.

In addition to coaching softball, Palma also coached volleyball and basketball at Ranger. She also served as student activities director and a dorm director.

Palma is a native of Pasadena, where she was an all-star softball player at Sam Rayburn High School. She was a first-team all-district selection at third base all four years. Sam Rayburn reached the regional quarterfinals in 2001 and Palma was selected to a state all-star team.

She played on the collegiate level at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Tech University. At Louisiana-Monroe, she was selected a team captain as a freshman.

Palma graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise studies from Tarleton State University. She plans to start on her master’s degree later this year.

“I am very excited to be here,” Palma said. “I plan on helping future Lady Cardinals to become well-round student-athletes and successful young ladies.

“As a coach, my goal is to make the below-average players average, the average players good and the good players great. Acknowledging the fact that most of these younger ladies will not be going pro, I will highly stress academics, but also not depleting the importance and fun in winning.

“My goal as a first-year coach in this program is to do nothing less than help take these Lady Cardinals to their first conference tournament.”

The Lady Cardinals went 19-32 in the 2010 spring season and narrowly missed reaching the postseason tournament with an 8-16 conference record.