Softball Coach Crump Wins No. 600

Few, if any, coaches in the history of Virginia High School League have been so closely identified with one program as Marie Crump and Powhatan softball.

So it was hardly surprising that by Tuesday evening, after the Indians finished off a season-opening 13-3 rout of visiting Goochland that ended in the fifth inning because of the mercy rule, all Crump wanted to talk about was her players.

There was Christina Boyles, who went 4 for 4 with two RBIs in her first start at catcher. How about Addi Johnson and Camryn Smith each going 3 for 4 and driving in two runs apiece, or Katelyn Garrett driving in three runs with her three hits?

When a reporter asked Crump if there was a number attached to the victory, she smiled and said “One” – meaning, it was Powhatan’s first victory of the 2011 season.

Nice try.

This wasn’t just another win. It was Crump’s 600th as Powhatan’s varsity softball coach – and whether she wanted to or not, it was a milestone worth celebrating.

“It’s about the team,” she insisted, modest as ever. “The players win the games. It takes every single one of them. We just coach them.”

What Crump didn’t acknowledge was that, other than assistant coach Linda Farmer, the only constant in Powhatan softball has been the rock-solid leadership of the Indians’ head coach.

Crump already holds the VHSL record for career wins in softball. With at least 20 more wins this season, Powhatan will have averaged 20 victories over her 31 years on the job.

“That’s unbelievable,” said Powhatan football coach and athletic director Jim Woodson, who began working at the high school in 1979 – a year before Crump took over leadership of the softball program.

“Her kids always play hard and they almost never make mental mistakes. It’s the ultimate compliment from one coach to another: her teams are always well-coached.”

Crump’s emphasis on discipline and fundamentals is the reason why Powhatan always fields a competitive squad – even in seasons like this one, when the Indians have new starters at three critical positions (catcher, shortstop and centerfield) as well as the corner infield spots.

Powhatan has had many talented players through the years. But unlike other teams, the Indians don’t rely solely on an overpowering pitcher, or one or two dominant hitters.

“She gets the most out of her players,” Woodson said. “She gets players to play to their potential and sometimes beyond that.”

Crump’s teams rely on playing the game the right way: catching the ball, putting the ball in play and not helping the opposition with self-inflicted mistakes.

Powhatan has won five state championships (1993, ’94, ’96, ’99, ’01) under Crump and finished as runner-up in two other seasons – most recently 2006, when the Indians made it to the Group AA title game before falling 3-2 to Dan River.

As Woodson noted, Crump is an “old school” coach who demands discipline from her players. But she does it without having to be a Bobby Knight-type screamer.

“A lot of it is mutual respect and a consistent demeanor,” Farmer said. “She’s the same at practice as she is at games. She’s the same if we’re up 10 or down three.”

Well, maybe not exactly the same. Crump acknowledged she has modified her approach slightly over the years because “today’s kids are definitely different.”

But while the names, faces and uniforms may change from season to season, one thing about Powhatan softball remains the same: high expectations.

Crump makes no bones about the fact that she expects her players to work as hard as it takes to reach their collective goals.

“We have the same philosophy every year,” she said. “We don’t want a rollercoaster effect – up one year, down the next. We want to be consistent so there are no surprises and the players know what to expect.”

She’s accomplished that, and so much more.