After three seasons as the head coach of the Lady Hurricanes softball program, Coach Monica Gordy has stepped down to take accept the head coach position at Mars Hills College. Located near Asheville, Mars Hill competes in the South Atlantic Conference on the Division II level.

Under the leadership of Gordy, the Lady 'Canes carried a combined winning record of 40-34 (08-09: 1-5) (09-10: 15-9) (10-11: 24-20). Coach Gordy worked hard with her team on the field, and placed great focus on the importance of being a student-athlete first. In 2011, Coach Gordy's efforts paid off when the Lady Hurricanes were named to the NJCAA All-Academic Teams for achieving a combined team GPA of 3.42.

The College is pleased to announce it has selected Coach Don Stopa to lead the team. Coach Stopa comes to Louisburg College from Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, where he served as the Assistant Softball Coach and Sports Information Director for three years. The Aztecs are a highly competitive program with a tradition of winning. In 2011, the Aztecs softball team finished with a record of 51-14 and the #9 ranking in the NJCAA. They also competed in the regional championship, finishing one game short of a third trip to the National Tournament in the last eight years (two national titles).



"Coach Stopa has been a head coach, and he's also been an assistant for a very successful junior college program," says Athletic Director Mike Holloman. "We are very excited about the experience he brings to the program."

With an impressive twelve-plus years of coaching collegiate ball, with three of those years as the head softball coach at Graceland University, Coach Stopa hopes to use his knowledge and experience to lead the Lady Hurricanes back to the top ranks in the NJCAA. Prior to Coach Gordy, the Hurricanes won nine straight NJCAA Region X Titles and made three trips to the NJCAA National Tournament.

Coach Stopa said, "The Hurricanes' softball program looks to add a new chapter to an institution with a great tradition of excellence and I feel that I can lead the program to success, and even to the top of the NJCAA."

Coach Stopa made a special trip from Arizona back to campus to meet with the members of his 2012 team prior to Christmas break. The team was encouraged and fired up about the plans and goals Coach Stopa has for the quickly approaching season. He and his wife look forward to moving to the Louisburg area with their son Austin.