LOUISVILLE, Ky. – State champion Washington High School (Mo.) was voted by its peers as the 2023-24 ATEC/NFCA High School National Coaching Staff of the Year, the Association announced on Thursday.
Under the guidance of head coach Grant Young, Washington captured the 2023 Class 4 state championship in dominant fashion. The Blue Jay outscored their opposition 73-2 over six games in the MSHSAA playoffs, not allowing an earned run and registering an OPS of 1.300.
Ranked third nationally in the final 2023 NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll, Washington posted an undefeated mark against all Missouri teams, which included triumphs over Class 3 & 5 state titlists Fatima and Francis Howell, respectively. Young, along with assistant coaches Tim Zumsteg, Logan Schamerloh and Craig Vonder Haar mentored four NFCA All-Region selections, 11 All-District honorees and six, all-state recipients, including four on the first team.
Representing each of the NFCA’s 10 High School regions, Washington along with, Guthrie High School (Okla.), Delta High School (Alaska), Providence High School (Calif.), Antioch High School (Ill.), Calvary Baptist Academy (La.), Silverdale Baptist Academy (Tenn.), Austintown Fitch High School (Ohio), Mount Saint Dominic Academy (N.J.) and Mardela High School (Md.) took home regional plaudits for the 2023-24 season.
Fall Region Winners | Spring Region Winners
Young, Zumsteg, Schamerloh and Vonder Haars will be recognized at the NFCA Awards Brunch on Dec. 7 at the 2024 NFCA Convention in Dallas, Texas.
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Coaching Staff of the Year awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and a National Convention.
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