FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton coaching staff presented a segment on drills at the 2014 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday. Head softball coach Kelly Ford was also recognized for 500 collective victories at the annual event.
A popular portion of the convention was "Drills, Drills, Drills," where coaches from all levels shared their own drills on different parts of the game.
"It is easy to get inspired by being around so many innovative thinkers," Ford said. "Continuing to build leadership skills is an intricate part of our success, and we were able to reaffirm that Titans softball is on the right track. The convention was a wonderful opportunity for our own staff to team build, while networking and sharing ideas was also paramount."
The Titans coaching staff presented drill ideas in regard to pitching, hitting, catching and defense, circulating concepts and design with hundreds of other coaches among the 1,400-plus attendees.
"Coach Ford did a great job in being the architect and visionary leader of the Cal State Fullerton softball program," said NFCA President and Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle. "Her leadership in both empowering her staff while representing and branding the Big West Conference was apparent from the presentation."
A pair of Fullerton staff joined Ford in the presentation including first assistant coach Jorge Araujo and first-year assistant coach Claire Sua-Amundson.
"It was a great experience to share our thoughts while learning valuable information at the same time," Araujo said. "We received a lot of positive feedback from other coaches and attendees. This convention was a special chance for all coaches to collaborate, learn from each other, and realize that we have a lot in common."
Sua-Amundson provided direction on hitting and offensive drills at the convention.
Following a sweep of Canisius, 7-2, and UNLV, 12-4, in last season's Titan Classic on Mar. 15, Ford chalked up her 500th victory as a head coach after 455 wins at Mt. San Antonio College from 2002-10. The native of Portland, Ore., was honored as a member of the 2014 Easton Victory Club for reaching this storied milestone.
"It is an honor to be recognized for an accomplishment that I was able to achieve here as a Cal State Fullerton Titan," stated Ford. "To see some of my colleagues receive these type of awards and to be part of that continued success is a special achievement. This is a result of the years of hard work from both the coaching staffs and student-athletes that I've had the privilege to work alongside."
Cal State Fullerton opens its season on Friday, Feb. 6 tri-hosting the So Cal Collegiate Challenge Tournament and will face Purdue at 4:00 p.m. before welcoming Idaho State to Anderson Family Field at 6:30 p.m.
