All-County Softball: Addison's Gahn, Patterson earn co-Lenawee Coach of the Year honors
ADDISON — There is no room for egos on the Addison Panther coaching staff. Kelly Gahn and Justin Patterson have learned to be co-head coaches and have success at the same time.
“It’s all about the kids, not us,” Patterson said. “Kelly and I work well together. We both have our strengths but it’s the girls that have worked hard and performed.”
Gahn agrees.
“We had to work out a few things, but we’ve coached together a long time,” he said. “It works.”
Gahn and Patterson have been co-head coaches of the Addison varsity softball team for three seasons and have collected back-to-back district championships. For going 26-11 and getting to the Division 4 regional this season, Gahn and Patterson have won the 2023 Lenawee County Softball Coach of the Year honor.
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Few could have predicted the success Addison’s softball team has had the past couple of seasons. The program struggled for several years, then the 2020 season was canceled. That would have been Gahn and Patterson’s first year together.
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In 2019, the Addison softball team was winless. In 2022 they won the school’s first district title in years.
“That was big for us, for our confidence, for our program,” Gahn said.
This season, Addison had most of its team back from last year. The Panthers upgraded the schedule, playing teams like Toledo Notre Dame Academy, Tecumseh, Blissfield, Jonesville and Pewamo-Westphalia. They went 7-7 in the Cascades Conference and developed a pair of pitchers in senior Isabelle Patterson (14 wins) and junior Alisha Gahn (12 wins). Both are daughters of the head coaches.
Gahn and Patterson are both Addison natives and graduated from Addison High School.
The duo coached a travel team with both of their daughters, the Addison Maulers, and had a big group of current players join the squad. When the previous coach stepped down four years ago, Addison athletic director Joshua Lindeman told them both to apply.
“We both interviewed, and we already decided if he got the job, I was going to help and if I got the job, he was going to help,” Gahn said. “It ended up the AD didn’t have to choose. He picked both of us.”
Gahn is a 1991 Addison graduate. He started coaching softball 17 years ago and has filled roles such as assistant JV coach, JV head coach and varsity assistant. He also coached summer travel ball.
“I just couldn’t stop,” he said.
Patterson grew up around coaching. His grandfather, Charles Patterson, coached softball around the country.
“He has more trophies than anyone could imagine,” he said. “I grew up with it.”
Patterson’s daughter, Isabelle, will play next season at Webber International in Florida. At this point, he plans on still being around the Addison softball team.
“I plan to stay with it,” he said. “I enjoy it a lot. It’s going to be hard to walk away.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Addison's Gahn, Patterson co-Lenawee Softball Coach of the Year honors
