West Port softball head coach William Brewington captures a special 100th win

West Port softball coach William Brewington didn’t always see his leadership taking him to the diamond. When his career started, he groomed junior varsity football players for roles on the varsity squad, guided high school bowlers, and worked as an assistant with middle school softball.

Yet, seven years after getting a call from his athletic director to take over the Wolf Pack program, he recently won his 100th game as a head coach. With his team 6-0 to start the season, he's on a collision course to be one of West Port's most successful coaches in its 24 years in existence.

“It’s an honor to be at a school that trusts in what you're doing and what you’re trying to build and has the confidence to keep you around as a coach,” Brewington said. “So when you hit a milestone like 100 as that first milestone and many more after that, it’s a testament to my administration for believing what I do but also a testament to all the young ladies who have played for me.”

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Since Brewington took over, West Port softball has created a legacy. When he started, schools were lining up to take them on during senior night. Now, no one asks, and the Wolf Pack welcomes one of its biggest challenges on their senior night.

The transformation wasn't easy. Brewington won two games in his inaugural season and nine the next. West Port's softball program was still finding its identity, and without a winning record in 17 seasons, Brewington didn’t have a road map to fall back on.

Upstart jobs like these can be seen as uphill battles filled with cultural and character development needs that could take years to steer in the right direction. It's not an inviting situation for most coaches, but Brewington ran into the task head first.

“When I put my names on something, it’s a stamp that I want it better than when I received it,” Brewington said. “If I left tomorrow, I know the program is better than I got. It didn’t matter if I went to any other school if they were a defending state champion; I want them better than what I got.”

While Brewington's mindset gave him a strong platform, he couldn't help but question whether he was the right person for the job. As the trust grew between him, his staff, and his team, he could see his “you can buy in or you can buy out” nature starts to take hold.

By year three, Brewington delivered West Port’s first winning season, sparking a seven-year run of double-digit winning seasons. Through six games this season, they’re undefeated and ready to test their mettle against a four-team gauntlet at the Doc4Life tournament.

“It might be the best player on your team or the worst player on your team during that season, but the biggest thing is if you don’t have trust in every aspect of your team, you’re not going to win games,” Brewington said. “That's what I had to build not only for myself but to give to the girls, and they trust in what I’m doing and in me trusting in everyone around me.”

Brewington and his team had found their groove before the 2020 season was suspended due to the pandemic. Coaches around the state and locally, like Belleview's Gary Greer, also took notice. Their encouraging words helped him push the Wolf Pack to their current level.

While Brewington doesn't like to sit on his accomplishments too long, they have come his way. Last year, he was the assistant coach for the FACA all-star game. This year, he'll act as head coach for some of the best seniors in the state.

The 100th win means more than both of those marks. It's an accomplishment that not only highlights his success as a coach but the turnaround and growth of so many athletes who have matriculated through his program, and that makes the long hours worth every second.

“It was to make a difference in the lives of young ladies to better them going forward in their next chapter in college or in the workforce,” Brewington said. “As a teacher and a coach, you’re trying to do that for every student you interact with on a daily basis.”

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: How William Brewington helped turned West Port into a top softball program