Women of Troy

EVERETT — Never underestimate the power of passion.

When Randy Smith and Mandi Johnson took over last summer as co-head coaches of the Everett Community College softball team, on a scale of 1 to 10 the program was a negative-2. Case in point: In four seasons of existence, the Trojans had won 26 games and lost a whopping 107.

Short on time but brimming with passion for the game and for the community, Smith, a 1978 graduate of Cascade High School, and Johnson (1989, Snohomish) set out to build a winner. Saddled with a losing program that returned just two players, the duo hit the recruiting trail full-speed. With barely a scrap of tradition and zero momentum to fall back on (Everett CC was coming off of a 7-25 season), Smith and Johnson sold all they could: themselves.

And a vision.

"Together, we’re very driven," said Smith, who along with Johnson took the Edmonds CC softball team to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges playoffs before coming to Everett. "We have a vision to where this program should be."

That vision is of an Everett CC program that harvests what Smith calls the local hotbed of softball talent to produce a perennial winner; a program that stresses academics and prepares students for four-year schools on and off the field; a program that fosters lasting relationships and leaves graduates bragging, "Yeah, I went to EvCC."

So how long might it take for such a grand prophecy to materialize? Five years? Maybe three or four?

Try now.

With an athletic crop of freshman – Smith and Johnson’s first recruiting class – and two wise old sophomores, Everett CC has set team records all season, including the most victories in a season (25 and counting). Most impressive of all, the Trojans will make their first-ever postseason appearance when they play Chemeketa (28-12) in the NWAACC tournament 1 p.m. Friday at Delta Park in Portland, Ore.

The turnaround is reminiscent of the one orchestrated by Everett CC baseball coach Levi Lacey, Smith’s friend. Lacey introduced Smith last year to Everett CC Athletic Director Larry Walker, who said he instantly knew that Smith and Johnson were a perfect fit.

"They went out and got the best girls in the area," Walker said. "Next year, we’ll be even better.

"They just do a great job of recruiting. And they’re softball junkies, which helps."

Smith and Johnson have been playing for and coaching local softball teams – some baseball teams, in Smith’s case – since they could pick up a bat.

"We have an enormous passion for the game," Smith said.

And that passion is focused on the local community and backyard recruits.

"It’s incredibly rewarding," Johnson said. "They all know that we’re a family."

"You have to be able to want to give back," Smith added.

The Trojans struggled in fall competition and opened the season with a string of losses. But by then Smith and Johnson had already instilled a winning mentality. Everett CC has scrapped the losers’ grumble of "Who do we have to play next?" for the winners’ boast of "Who has to play us today?"

Sarah Mouw, an Everett CC sophomore pitcher, said this year has been about getting back to basics, about getting refreshed, about eliminating bad habits, about making changes for the better. Now Mouw, a Coupeville High School graduate, is having fun again.

"Softball is a love of mine," she said. "Now this season has just been great. We’ve really meshed and we’re actually a team.

"It’s a lot of fun. I almost wish it was my first year."

Everyone bonded during the preseason, according to freshman second baseman Ashley Brasfield, a Marysville-Pilchuck High School graduate. Whether the Trojans were out bowling or working at fundraisers to upgrade their home field, they were together. The interaction paid off.

"We’re a close group of friends," said freshman third baseman Keasha Campbell, a South Whidbey High School graduate. Credit goes to Smith and Johnson, who are "really positive and encouraging. They’re not just coaches, but like friends to us."

The Everett CC turnaround reminds Campbell of a similar evolution. Campbell’s South Whidbey softball team didn’t win a single game her freshman year. But the Falcons toughed it out, playing for a better day. Last year, Campbell’s senior season, South Whidbey went undefeated in the regular season and finished second at the Class 2A state tournament.

With Smith and Johnson’s guidance, Everett CC also reached its better day, but with startling speed.

So during the next few springs if you find yourself looking at the Trojans’ home schedule, deciding which game to attend, just remember: The question is not, "Who does EvCC have to play now?" but instead "Who has to play EvCC today?"