Millie Gilion, Crowder College athletic director, will be the head coach for the Neosho High School softball Lady Wildcats when practice begins for the fall season in August.
Gilion will take over the team after Grant Young, who coached the past two seasons, left NHS to take the head girls basketball coach job at Purdy High School.
Gilion will remain as athletic director at Crowder College, and will coach the Lady Wildcats after her work hours.
Gilion, of course, is no stranger to the softball diamond.
Gilion’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant softball coach at Northeastern State University.
She came to Crowder in 1987 to coach the Lady Roughriders and compiled a record of 506-141 in 13 seasons, becoming just the ninth NJCAA coach to achieve 500 wins.
Gilion took her teams to three national tournaments, finishing fifth and national runners-up twice.
During the summer of 1993, Gilion coached in the Olympic Festival held in San Antonio, Texas. Missouri State University honored Gilion in 1994 by selecting her Coach of the Year Runner-Up for Southwest Missouri. In 2002, Coach Gilion was named to the NJCAA Fast-Pitch Softball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with the Neosho High School softball players and coach Melissa Clark,” Gilion said. Clark will continue her role as assistant coach of the NHS softball program. “Coach Clark has done an outstanding job working with the softball players this summer in their league, camps, and morning weight workouts.”
