Troy softball coach Melanie Davis picks up career win No. 850
Published 11:45 pm Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Troy softball head coach Melanie Davis earned career wins No. 850 and 851 with a doubleheader sweep of Southern Mississippi on Tuesday.
Davis, who is in her 20th season at the helm of the softball program, began her coaching career with the Trojans in 1993 and served as the volleyball coach as well.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Troy was coming off an eight-day layoff. The Trojans overcame a 7-0 deficit to score nine unanswered runs with Caitlin Ortiz’s two-run home run in the top of the eighth capping the comeback and taking the victory, 9-7.
Troy trailed in the second game of the twin bill, 4-1, but again rallied to earn a 6-4 win.
In 1995, Davis gave up her volleyball duties to focus solely on softball. She also served as Troy’s Senior Woman Administrator until 1998, when she relinquished the job to former Troy softball standout Sandy Atkins.
Davis is a member of the West Alabama Softball Hall of Fame, the Wiregrass Hall of Fame as well as the Alabama ASA Hall of Fame.
2003 was a marquee year for the Trojans softball program. Davis led Troy to a 39-23 record, the program’s 10th consecutive season of 30 or more wins. The same year, the Trojans defeated No. 28 Southern Illinois and No. 3 Nebraska, which stands as the highest ranked team Troy has ever defeated. The previous high-water mark was set in 2001 when Troy knocked off No. 17 Florida State.
Davis came to Troy after a three-year stint at Bevill State Community College where she also coached women’s basketball and volleyball. Davis inherited a team that finished 8-32 the season before, but quickly turned things around leading the squad to a 26-13 mark in her first year.
The 2013 Trojans are currently 16-19 overall and 4-4 in Sun Belt play. Troy will play host to Florida Atlantic on April 6 and 7 at the Troy Softball Complex. Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.