Inside FVSU Softball Head Coach Green and his Return to The Valley

8/1/2022 1:54:00 PM

By: Chris Myers

FORT VALLEY, Ga. – A return to The Valley in a new role the Wildcats diamond director willing accepted. Stepping into the softball head coaching role on January 5th, Rufus Green improved the Fort Valley State win total and made his mark on his inaugural season leading the program.

In a short time of 29 days, Green had to learn his young team with 10 freshman and newcomers and seven sophomores of the 19 player Wildcats roster.

The new coach and his staff molded the team into a squad, which swept Clark Atlanta in the final Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season series to clinch the final East Division Tournament playoff spot. FVSU went on to fall in the SIAC Tournament opener to eventual Tourney champion Tuskegee, and it bounced back to defeat Kentucky State in extra innings, 9-8, in the next contest. The Wildcats led 1-0 for the first four-and-a-half innings, before the East Division champ Golden Rams of Albany State score five times between the fifth and sixth frames for the 5-1 win to end the spring campaign.

With the strong four victories in the final six games, Green's Wildcats posted two more wins, 14-27 overall, than for the 2021 season. The 14 wins was the most wins for FVSU since an 18-22 campaign for the 2019 season.

When the Wildcats head coaching position came open late last fall, Green was tapped to take the reins of the upcoming program. The Wildcats director returned to The Valley after he was part of the Taylor County and the Georgia Baseball and Softball Academy staff in Dacula, Ga.

With long background coaching on the softball diamond, let's get to know Rufus better as he and his coaching staff of assistant coaches Michael Youngblood and Joe Tucker are putting together an even better 2023 Wildcats roster.

First, where the FVSU coach comes from…

* Where are you originally from? Taylor County, Butler, Ga.

* What are you thankful for? God, Family, Friendships

* Tell about your family… Married to Dr. Shonda Green with three daughters – Taylor, Tori and Trinity

* What makes you smile? Seeing others smile

* What makes a good day? Becoming a better person by the end of the day than you were the day before

* Unique fact/something interesting about you? Prior military, US Army Airborne

* What drew your interest in sports and then into coaching? Loving to compete athletically at an early age, which developed into a passion and desire for coaching/mentoring student-athletes

* What things do you enjoy away from coaching? Spending time with family, reading

* Where did you go to college? Columbus State University for both a BS in Criminal Justice and a MPA

General FVSU

* How long have you been at FVSU? 6 months for softball; 2 years before for FVSU football, served 5 years as an adjunct instructor

* What brought you/interested you in this coaching opportunity at FVSU? The opportunity to be a part of a growing/improving softball program at an excellent institution

* What do you like about The Valley/what makes it unique? True family environment

Coaching

* What is your coaching background/where have you coached? 20-plus years of coaching at the high school, club and college levels at Macon County High School, Taylor County High School and FVSU

* What is your favorite part(s) of coaching? Watching student-athletes develop into productive young adults, while utilizing the skill set developed from competing in athletics at the collegiate level.
*What do you base your coaching philosophy? Excellence, Accountability, Integrity, Respect and Leadership

* What drives you and gives you the passion for what you do? Assisting your people with accomplishing their goals academically and athletically

* Do you consider yourself a players' coach? If so, how so and if not, what do you consider yourself? I consider myself a "team first" coach with a clear understanding that the players are the most important components of the team

* Most unique place you were able to successfully get a recruit from in your coaching career? Symphany

* Favorite place to eat on a team road trip? Zaxby's

* Favorite place you have seen while on a team road trip? Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, KY

Wildcats Specific

* When did you take over the program? Jan. 5, 2022

* Vision for your program? To create a culture that supports the highest achievements and levels of success

* Other than winning the SIAC title and making the NCAA playoffs, what are some team goals you have for the upcoming year? Highest team GPA and participation in at least three community service projects

* How did you feel your first year went? Successful in terms of creating a culture-centered around success

* Challenges you faced and ones you see ahead for your team? Keeping pace with the rapidly improving level of play throughout the Conference, as college softball continues to grow in popularity
*What you learned in Year 1? Our program has unlimited potential when it comes to achieving and sustaining success

* Goals you have had in recruiting the upcoming year's class? Improving depth within our pitching staff, getting more athletic in the middle infield and increasing overall team speed

* What type of team are you trying to put together? Disciplined, Hard-working, fundamentally sound and mentally tough, and a High Softball IQ

* What will make your team more successful this year? Off season preparation, player development and talent acquisition

* What are you doing yourself to be better at directing your team? Continued professional development through training, camps and clinics

* What is a message you would like alumni, families and fans to know about your team and why continued support is vital? This is a very talented, hard-working group, who is very deserving of all forms of support.

After a strong finish to the spring, Green and his staff will be ready to show the fast-improving SIAC a team its members will not want to play with its young core and a highly-talented incoming recruiting class to wear the Wildcats uniforms on the 2023 softball diamond.

-Wildcats-

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Inside FVSU Softball Head Coach Green and his Return to The Valley