McKnight tapped to lead Trojan Softball
May 1—Northeast Lauderdale's softball program is welcoming a new face to campus as Beverly McKnight was announced as the new head softball coach Wednesday.
An assistant coach at West Lauderdale for the past three years, McKnight brings a total of seven years of coaching experience to the team, and helped lead the Knights to the 2023 4A state championship.
"I'm very excited about the future. I've been at West Lauderdale for the past three years, and I've had a great experience working with those girls, and I'm excited to be over here at Northeast and get to know the girls here, and I'm just ready to get started," she said.
McKnight will replace coach Hayley Stevens, who left to coach the softball program at Union High School for the upcoming year. Stevens, she said, did a lot of great work with the Northeast team, and she looks to continue that momentum.
"I'm very excited to take over where Coach Stevens left off. I think she's done a fantastic job," McKnight said. "I know in the past three years since I've been in the county, I've seen a lot of tremendous improvements here at Northeast, and I'm excited to take over that."
Northeast plays in District 4A, which includes softball powerhouses like West Lauderdale and Newton County. McKnight said the district is definitely a tough one, and she is looking forward to building a program that can compete at that level.
To be successful, players have to work as a team and understand that their efforts contribute to the team's performance. Winning or losing isn't about one person, she said, it's the team that wins or the team that loses.
McKnight said she plans to finish out the year at West Lauderdale before transitioning to Northeast over the summer.
Contact Thomas Howard at thoward@themeridianstar.com
