Lady Eagles Softball Coaches
Head Coach: Laurie Adkins (3rd season)
Email: ladkins@ozarks.edu
Laurie Adkins begins her third season at the University of the Ozarks. Adkins has softball experience ranging from the NCAA I college ranks to high-level summer travel teams. Adkins, a native of Farmington, spent the 1998 and 1999 seasons at the University of Arkansas as a volunteer assistant and then went to Northwest Community College to serve as the head coach of their club team. From 2001-2002, Adkins was the head coach at Fayetteville High School where she quickly turned the program into a winner, leading the Lady Bulldogs to back-to-back state tournaments. Adkins, who never experienced a losing season as a high school head coach, was instrumental in the development of fastpitch softball in Arkansas. She has been a head coach of travel teams, given private softball lessons and taught at a number of regional softball clinics for more than a decade.
"I'm excited about selling the University of the Ozarks,” said Adkins. “The campus is beautiful and the school has a lot to offer academically. I think the fact that we have such a diverse academic offering is appealing to recruits. The 13:1 faculty/student ratio is also a selling point. The faculty here are top-notch, too. Every building I walked into had positive aspects. I really like the landscape of the Clarksville area. The proximity to the outdoors is a selling point.”
Adkins believes all aspects of the game must be in place in order to develop a winning program.
"I want to have all the pieces to the puzzle,” said Adkins. “I believe if you don’t have every aspect of the game covered you have a chink in your armor. We are fortunate that we play in such a strong conference. We know where we need to be. We don’t have to go far away to get good competition. We are in building mode and we will be a young team next season, but the girls here are eager to learn. My expectations for the season are to start the building process and have a winning season. We have a long way to go, but we’ll get there with some dedication.”
Adkins received her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from University of Arkansas in 1999. She earned her master’s degree in kinesiology from Texas Women’s University. She is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and is a four-star coach with the NFCA. Adkins has four children: Annie, Madi, Ben and Jake.
Assistant Coach: Monty Littlefield (2nd season)
Email: mlittlefield@ozarks.edu
Monty Littlefield begins his second season as the assistant softball coach. Littlefield brings a wealth of experience from highly competitive summer travel softball teams in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Littlefield has been a coach in Oklahoma since 1996, including stints with the Oklahoma Velocity and Oklahoma Energizers. In 2008, he was named the head coach of the Arkansas Phenix Gold, the most competitive summer travel team in Arkansas. Littlefield was instrumental in developing the Phenix into a nationally-ranked team by the triple crown, ASA and USAsports. His Phenix team has produced over 100 collegiate players during his tenure. His vast summer team experience includes coaching in nationally recognized ASA tournaments, including the Colorado Fireworks in Denver and the Ronald McDonald Showcase in Houston. Littlefield was a member of the volunteer coaching staff at the NCAA YES clinic in Oklahoma City for the college world series. Additionally, Littlefield has assisted Lori Castelanno at the All-American Softball Instruction in Tulsa for 15 years. Littlefield and his wife, Christie, are the parents of Reagan.
Assistant Coach: Russell Ogle (2nd season)