By Donell Maxie, MVSU Communications Director
No coach in America would turn down the opportunity of coaching a group of players who love each other, work well together, hold each other accountable, perform their roles, and play with passion.
Mississippi Valley State University Softball Coach Lee Smith has had the pleasure to coach hundreds of players over his 19-year coaching tenure at the school. But, there is one team with all of the talent, passion, accountability, and tenacity, and that group still hold\s a special place in his heart.
The 2004 season was a magical time for the Delta Devilettes Softball team. The experience for Smith and the women who played for him is solidified in the history books. For Black History Month, Smith and former players reflect on how impactful their Cinderella story was.
When Natasha McFadden stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning against the University of Missouri Lady Tigers in May of 2004, no one knew history was about to be made. Her three-run homer lifted MVSU to a 4-3 victory over the Lady Tigers. It marked the first time in South-Western Athletic Conference History that a softball team won a game in the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.
After making history in the morning with the first-ever SWAC victory, MVSU eliminated its second opponent of the day and advanced to the Regional Semifinals with a 6-0 victory over Cornell. That win made Valley the first SWAC team in any sport to win multiple games in an NCAA tournament. The Delta Devilettes concluded that season with a 33-17 record.
At that time, Coach Smith said, "we are letting everyone know that we play great softball at MVSU and that we can play on a national level." We're not just trying to win a conference championship, but we want to compete on the national stage and win on a national level."
During that tournament, MVSU competed in such a way that it laid the foundation for the quality of softball expected at the university for years to come.
Smith, who currently still serves as the softball coach, and associate athletic director at MVSU, shared his thoughts on that fantastic run and the sensational group of athletes he had the honor of coaching.
"The experience was unbelievable, and to coach that 2004 team is something that any coach would dream of," said Smith. It's the little things like flying to Los Angeles, California and playing the nation's second rank team. The same team that had just played for the National Championship a year before," Smith added.
MVSU lost the tournament's opening game to the UCLA Lady Bruins, which placed them in the loser's bracket to face Missouri.
Smith said the first game was challenging, but his group was resilient, and that was one of the characteristics that made the 2004 team so special.
"The majority of our team was from Mississippi and Arkansas, so going to California was huge for us. Our players love playing on the big stage, and they wanted to prove to the world that we know how to play softball at MVSU and in the south," Smith said.
Cristal Holmes, who finished at MVSU in 2007 with a degree in Mathematics and played first base on the squad, shared her thoughts and memories on the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
"The experience of being the first SWAC team to not only play in an NCAA tournament but win two games will forever be one of my most memorable college experiences," said Holmes. When we first made our appearance, all we heard was, 'who sent their high school team here by mistake?' The chitter-chatter was only fuel to our fire. We were a young team full of bulls. We ate, breathed, slept softball," Holmes added.
"We are known for being the first SWAC team to ever win a game in the NCAA; however, I will forever remember holding UCLA, who went on to win the World Series that year, to scoring zero runs until the seventh inning. We ended up losing 7-0, but who would have ever guessed that little ole' Mississippi Valley State would have held the number one team in the country to zero runs to the seventh inning," Holmes added.
Balencia Young-Ellington, who played in right field from 2002-06, shared how much joy and excitement she and her teammates felt to compete against the country's best softball teams.
"Facing elite softball players was one of the best feelings in the world. Walking on to the field knowing we were representing the SWAC and having our swag about it was indescribable," Ellington said.
"We already knew and felt like we were the best and would go toe to toe with any team. We didn't care who they were. After the first win, I believe we shocked many people, but we expected it because we knew our team was exceptional. The second win allowed us a chance to show that this little team from Itta Bena, Mississippi was something special," she added.
Ellington explained that one of the most impressive factors about the 2004 MVSU Softball team was that it was a family.
"We were the true definition of a team. We did everything together, from skipping practices to having team dinners and attending church together on Sundays without being forced. The group of girls on that team all were special individually, but a monster when we stepped on the field together," she added.
Holmes echoed Ellington's feelings on the team's closeness.
"It was an honor to be a part of that family. Today, we are still just that. Many of us are still in contact with each other. We have been there for weddings, funerals, and baby showers. I guarantee Coach Lee will tell you that no other team after us had the bond our team had," said Holmes.
"We used to host our team meetings where he hashed out our differences instead of them being open to the public. We held each other accountable in everything, and you better believe if one got in trouble, we all went down together," Holmes explained.
The other team members included: Tamara Phillips, McFadden, Valerie Nicholson, Erica Davis, Holmes, Dionne Tate, Antoinette Craig, Alicia Roland, Thaunica Johnson, Teanna Rembert, Balencia Young, Jennifer Guess, Deanna Baker, Nicole Imbert, Amanda Dankins, Nakeyla Morgane, Tonya Johns, Nicole Henderson, Letecha Smith, Danielle Burns, Constance Haggie, Tiffany T. Williams, Queydreka Shumbert, and Denita Quinn.
