LOUISVILLE, Ky. \u2014 The NFCA is pleased to announce that Pfeiffer University assistant coach Vada Blue Sherrill is the inaugural recipient of the Association\u2019s Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship, which was created in partnership with the Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF) and the Glasco family.<\/p>\n
Each year, the scholarship is awarded to one female assistant coach in the first five years of her career at the collegiate level. The scholarship covers costs associated with attendance to the NFCA National Convention in December, including registration fees, travel, and rooming costs. It is dedicated to remembering the aspiring coach and elite former student-athlete, who lost her life in a multi-vehicle accident on Jan. 24 in Lafayette, La.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m incredibly thankful for the honor,\u201d Sherrill said. \u201cI\u2019m so stoked about it. I never personally knew Geri Ann, but just know her impact. It\u2019s not just softball.\u201d<\/p>\n
The star shortstop was a two-time NFCA All-American and a finalist this past season for the Schutt Sports\/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year award. She completed her Falcon career as the school leader in every major offensive category and became the only person in NCAA history, regardless of division, to reach 200 hits (251), runs scored (255), RBI (200), and stolen bases (201).<\/p>\n
Sherrill was initially planning to become a teacher, but coaching combines teaching with her other love: softball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI graduated in May, and the (assistant) job was open and I didn\u2019t want to step away from (softball) just yet. I love the sport,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe program is something I take pride in. I wanted to invest in the players.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scholarship also allows her to attend this year\u2019s Convention on Dec. 4-7 in Atlantic City, N.J., with her dad, Monte, a longtime high school and college coach, and her coach throughout her playing career.<\/p>\n
\u201cVada is very deserving of the scholarship,\u201d Monte Sherrill said. \u201cShe has been a coach on the field for her entire career, but is moving to the real<\/em> coaching ranks, and I am trying to get her off to productive start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have been unable to attend the Convention for the last several years, due to my Pfeiffer budget. The only way Vada would be able to go to the Convention is with this scholarship. She will be a superstar coach in a few years and I want her to see how the NFCA works.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though they have vastly different levels of coaching experience \u2014 her dad has more than 800 wins, and she is just getting started \u2014 Vada sees both of them benefiting from this opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cDad has been my only softball guru, so it\u2019s definitely a great opportunity to branch out and hear (other perspectives),\u201d she said. \u201cI got giddy just looking at the schedule. As a new coach, I\u2019m going to be a sponge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love the diversity of it. There\u2019s something for everyone. It\u2019s good for him, too. You want to get one percent better every day. I want to be better every day as a coach. I want to be as good as I can be for the players and for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Sherrill said it has been a dream of theirs to coach together someday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had always talked and fantasized about that,\u201d she said. \u201cMe and dad, we\u2019ve been doing this together for so long. Softball, it\u2019s kind of our niche. It\u2019s a good opportunity and I\u2019m grateful I get to share it with him.\u201d<\/p>\n ABOUT GERI ANN GLASCO<\/strong><\/p>\n The four-time NFCA All-Region honoree played at Georgia in 2013-14 and Oregon in 2015-16, had a passion for the game of softball and a love for the softball community. She was just weeks away from joining her father and Louisiana head coach, Gerry Glasco, in the Ragin\u2019 Cajuns\u2019 dugout as a volunteer assistant coach. <\/p>\n ABOUT THE NATASHA WATLEY FOUNDATION<\/strong><\/p>\n The Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF) was founded by two-time Olympic medalist Natasha Watley to create opportunities for girls in under-served communities to learn and play the game of softball. NWF uses the medium of sport to inspire young women to reach their full potential while fostering character development and awareness of social issues that affect women.<\/p>\n