NJCAA Featured - NJCAA Alum Named Head Coach in New Professional Softball League
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Charlotte, NC - A career that began at a small college in Carthage, Texas has come to evolve on the biggest stage in professional softball. Former NJCAA baseball alum, Howard Dobson, has been named as a head coach of the brand-new Athletes Unlimited Softball League, set to launch in 2025.
The creation of this new league is spearheaded by some of the sports' greatest influences. At the front of the operation, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman and Natasha Watley will serve as advisors to the Athletes Unlimited Softball league, AUSL. Dobson will work alongside softball legend Lisa Fernandez, the general manager of his team. He will compete against head coaches Stacey Nuveman-Deniz, Kelly Kretschman and Alisa Goler. Other general managers include Jenny Dalton-Hill, Osterman and Dana Sorensen.
Dobson holds a rich athletic background that took off at the NJCAA level. He began his college career at Panola College where he played baseball. While at Panola, Dobson became an All-Conference performer. His elite showing propelled his career further, sending him to McNeese State University where he finished his baseball career.
His experience on the diamond transformed into a passion for coaching. Following his graduation in 1997, Dobson was asked to coach a travel softball team and never looked back. His coaching career took off when he began coaching in Louisiana at the high school level. While in the Pelican State, Dobson also spent time coaching at Southeastern Louisiana University and his former school, McNeese State.
The true testament to his coaching abilities came when he took the position of assistant coach at the University of Houston. Dobson was able to transform the hitters and propel them to national rankings in offense. His impact was unparalleled, catching the eye of a college softball empire. Patty Gasso, head coach of Oklahoma University softball, saw his potential and took Dobson on as assistant coach.
Dobson spent five seasons with the Sooners. During that time, his coaching approach helped to transform the program even further, establishing the dominance of Oklahoma in the Big 12 and in the nation. He led the OU offense to new heights as they ranked in the top two in batting average his entire time at Oklahoma.
As Dobson's experience thickened, his career began to soar. In 2008, he took a head coaching job at the University of Southern Mississippi where he brought great success to the program until his departure in 2011. For the next 13 years, Dobson found his home in Baton Rouge. He worked as an assistant coach for the LSU softball team, specializing in hitting. Dobson's impact on the Tigers' program has been prevalent throughout his time at LSU. With over a decade of work, Dobson helped the Tigers excel offensively, generating the best hitters the program has ever seen.
His impact on the sport did not stop at the collegiate level. Dobson played an imperative role in Team USA Softball. From 2012-2021, he coached Team USA to a WBSC World Championship and led them to a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
Dobson's prolific career has consisted of success and triumph as he navigated through all different levels of athletics. As he begins his new role as a head coach of the AUSL, he will continue to make his mark on the diamond. Dobson embodies the goals of the NJCAA as he has used his time at Panola College to jumpstart his fruitful career that will continue to grow as he takes on new opportunities.
About Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball
Athletes Unlimited was launched in March of 2020 with their initial professional softball league. The popularity of AU Pro Softball soared as elite stars of the game began to join the league. Players like Cat Osterman, Sydney Romero, Jessi Warren and Sis Bates played at the beginning of the league's inception, skyrocketing its public acclaim.
AU Pro Softball is played in an unconventional way. Rather than multiple teams all season long, there is one roster that is split into different teams each series. Each athlete competes for individual points in an effort to climb the leaderboard and be crowned the champion of that year.
The focus of this style is shifting to a traditional route. In 2025, AU Pro Softball will begin the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, AUSL, that consists of four teams playing in a 30 – game season, 60 games in total. This will be in addition to the existing format, renaming it to the AUSL All-Star Cup that is to be played at the conclusion of the season.
Athletes Unlimited will give NJCAA athletes a greater opportunity to take their sport to the highest level as they open a larger avenue for women's sports on the professional stage.