New Troy softball coach hard at work on recruiting trail

New Troy softball coach Beth Mullins has yet to find time to search for a place to live in her new hometown. Why hasn’t she taken a day to find a house? Because she is more focused on finding talent.

Less than 48 hours after accepting the offer, Mullins had Troy in her rear view mirror and was barreling up Interstate 85 to Atlanta on the recruiting trail. Mullins knows softball in the Deep South well, having grown up in Fairhope, Alabama, playing at UAB and coaching at Georgia Southern, UAB, Western Kentucky and most recently Mississippi State.

At every stop on her personal coaching carousel, Mullins has been a dynamic recruiter. She has every intention on bringing excitement back to Troy softball.

“I am beyond excited to be at Troy,” Mullins said. “From the minute I stepped on campus for my interview, I knew this is where I wanted to be. John (Hartwell, Troy athletic director) has a great vision for the future of all sports, and I am happy to be part of it.”

Trips to Birmingham and Colorado are on her itinerary in the coming weeks, with one single goal in mind: get players to Troy.

Mullins fully believes that if she can get players on campus, she can get them to fall in love with the facilities, the university and the town, much like she did earlier this year.

“Troy is a very special place,” Mullins said. “The university and town are full of amazing people, and I know that if these recruits get to interact with this amazing place, they will want to be a part of this program for four years.”

Troy finished as the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Runner-up in 2010, but has not posted a winning record in conference play since 2009. In the last five seasons, Troy has limped to 133-142-2 overall record and a dismal 43-66 mark in Sun Belt play.

Despite the lack luster record in recent seasons, Mullins said she can “easily sell Troy” to potential recruits. The Troy Softball Complex recently underwent a major renovation, including field and dugout improvements and the addition of the Dodds Center.

The Dodds Center, an 8,000 square foot facility located adjacent to the field, houses a player locker room, player lounge, athletic training room and hitting and pitching areas.

“The school in itself sells itself,” Mullins said. “This great university has a lot of diverse majors, and is fully committed to athletics and softball. The softball facilities are some of the best in the nation without a doubt. If I had children, Troy is the place I would to send them to college.”

Mullins becomes just the second Troy softball coach ever.

Former head coach Melanie Davis resigned in May. Davis compiled a 780-509-4 record over her 21 seasons at Troy and led the Trojans to a pair of conference titles and one NCAA Regional berth.

The day after being hired, Mullins met with six returning Troy players and laid the foundation on which the new era of Troy softball will be built.

“The girls I met with fired me up even more,” Mullins. “They are a hard working group that I am excited to work with. We are going to work together to get Troy back to where we want to be: competing for conference titles.”

Mullins won’t stop to rest, or go house hunting, until she has Troy winning again. If her master plan comes together, she will be doing both very soon.