Craig Pounds made it his personal mission to bring fastpitch softball to Houston High School.
In one week, his goal will become a reality.
Fastpitch softball will make its debut next Thursday when the Lady Tigers host Hartville. Pounds’ dream of bringing the sport to town will finally be realized when the first pitch is thrown at 4:30 p.m. at Chamber Field.
“At the end of the game on the 22nd, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world because that will mean this program is real,” Pounds said.
Fastpitch softball has been played in Houston during the summer for many years. Pounds has coached a team for 14 years. But the sport was never included at the school.
Pounds said many proposals were tossed aside due to the softball season conflicting with the successful volleyball team’s season. There were concerns of athletes being pulled away from volleyball. It also takes quite a bit of money to begin and support a new program.
With a daughter approaching her freshman year, Pounds decided two years ago to pursue the idea. He worked alongside then athletic director Wes Beachler and high school principal Audrey Kell to form a proposal for the school board, which ultimately agreed to allow the team to play on a two-year trial basis. The program also had to be privately funded.
It was the opening Pounds needed. He rallied financial backing from the community and paid the remaining money needed out of his own pocket.
“It seemed like an overwhelming task when you talk about raising $9,210 just to be able to have a program. You start to talk to businesses and they say, ‘Yeah, I’ll give you $25,'” Pounds said. “You start to think there’s no way.”
Pounds didn’t raise enough money. But he didn’t hesitate to pay the difference.
“I wasn’t about to not let it happen,” he said. “The same thing will happen next year if it has to.”
Through Pounds’ generosity, the door was opened for the first-ever high school team. There are 18 girls on the inaugural team, which is coached by Elizabeth Heim and Sandy Cremer.
Heim, a 25-year-old recent Missouri State University graduate, said the players are excited to be the pioneers of the program.
“That’s something we’ve talked about as a team — how important it is to get the girls another sport and that it be softball,” Heim said. “They’re really excited for the opportunity just to get out and doing something they really enjoy.”
Some of the initial concerns of the program have already been laid to rest. The spring softball season doesn’t interfere with volleyball and only three girls play other sports. Pounds said the team — comprised of eight freshmen, four sophomores and six juniors — offers an opportunity for some “at risk” students that otherwise wouldn’t play sports.
Pounds believes those factors will meet the school board’s criteria to consider softball a success. If so, it will begin funding the program in the third year.
“A win-loss record isn’t something they’re going to look at to deem whether the program is successful or not,” he said. “What they’ll look at is if it fills a need — an area that’s not being met now.”
Heim believes the point has already been proven.
“If that’s what they’re looking for, I definitely think we’ll be successful in maintaining this program,” she said.
The board is also interested in community support of the program. Pounds said several fund-raisers have been well attended and more than $1,000 has been raised to begin paying for the 2008 season. The team will host a tailgate party Tuesday to meet the public.
“They need the support,” Pounds said. “It’s a new program and we don’t want them out there by themselves.
“We want other towns with programs that have a history to come to Houston and see lawn chairs all over the hill. That’s the one thing I want more than anything