Baker named new Seahawks head softball coach

July 16, 2024

Gerry L. Dickert, dickertgl@lamarpa.edu

LSCPA names Baker new softball head coach

As interim head coach of the Lamar State College Port Arthur softball program, Brittany Baker had a sense that every decision was a make-or-break moment in her career. “It felt like I was under a microscope,” she said. “Everything I did was critical to my future.”

Obviously, she made the right decisions as LSCPA Director of Athletics Scott Street announced Monday that Baker would lose the “interim” title to become the Seahawks new head coach. She is only the second person to hold that position in the history of the program.

“Brittany was a natural choice,” Street said. “She has been with us since the 2017 season and during that time, she has proven herself an accomplished and talented coach. I’m very happy with her decision to take on the head coaching duties.”

Baker assisted longtime Seahawks Head Coach Vance Edwards for six seasons before Edwards announced his retirement just ahead of the 2023-2024 season. 

“Having spent a year as interim head coach has really given me the confidence to step in now and take the program in a new direction,” Baker said. “This is a new beginning, a fresh start. Last year was a great start in our plans to make Lamar State College Port Arthur a conference contender every year.”

With Baker as assistant, the Seahawks reached their deepest run into the Region 14 conference tournament, making the championship game in the 2020-2021 season.

“There’s a freedom now to build the team in my vision,” Baker said. “Removing the ‘interim’ part of the title is very exciting. There’s a new mindset now, from the coaching staff to the players. This is the start of something we know can be really great.”

Baker, who spent her high school and college years in Ohio, found her way to Southeast Texas as a graduate assistant for the Lamar University softball team. When the position of assistant coach came open this season at LSCPA, she knew right away she wanted to head to Port Arthur.

“I had a great experience at Lamar University and the people in this region are really great, they’re great softball fans,” Baker said. “I knew the two assistant coaches here at Lamar State and they let me know that Port Arthur is a great place to be.”

A graduate of Springboro High School in Ohio, Baker spent four years setting softball records at Bluffton University, a Division III school located in northwest Ohio. Her name is still scattered through the Beavers’ record book. During her time there, she had the most hits in a game, most runs batted in during a game and led her team in batting average during the 2014-15 campaign with a .330 mark. During her time at Bluffton, the Beavers had a 95-68 record over four seasons.

She is a two-time Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honoree, earning first team honors in 2014. She was a four-time HCAC all-academic honoree.