Louisiana Christian University alumnus and Sports Hall of Famer Mattie Stine stepped into the role of head softball coach this season, and she said the most important wins have happened off the field.
“While the title has changed, my heart has not,” Stine said. “My goal has always remained the same: to love these young women well and to keep Christ as the foundation of everything we do.”
Before taking the head role, Stine served as associate head coach from 2023–2025, assistant coach from 2021–2022, and hitting instructor during the 2019–2020 season. At Hackberry High School, she was part of four state championship teams, and as an LCU student-athlete she earned multiple regional and conference honors while leading the team in batting average (.412), hits (49), and RBIs (26). She graduated in 2018 with a degree in social studies education and is now pursuing a master’s in sports ministry through Liberty University.
Stine, inducted into the LCU Sports Hall of Fame in 2024, credits the late coach Jay Barber — who died Jan. 6 — with establishing the program’s faith-centered foundation.
“He showed me what it looks like to put Christ first in a program,” she said. “I carry that foundation with me every day.”
Each week, the team reads and discusses Bob Goff’s Everybody, Always — intentionally not a softball book.
“Softball becomes the setting, but the greater goal is shaping servant-hearted leaders,” Stine said. “If our players leave this program understanding how to serve, extend grace, and love others well, then we’ve accomplished something far more meaningful than a win.”
The team currently sits at 8–9, with 10 of 17 games against nationally ranked opponents, including a win over No. 24-ranked Rio Grande.
Player Katelyn Carpenter said Stine’s influence extends well beyond the diamond. “Because of Coach Stine, I feel more confident on the mound and understand that failure is part of the process.”
LCU President Dr. Mark Johnson called Stine a true servant-leader. “Her heart for God, her love for our student-athletes, and her understanding that leadership begins with service reflect the very values that define LCU,” he said.