MSHSAA names Diamond Softball Head Coach Kelsey Parrish Coach of the Year

DIAMOND, MO – After winning a State Championship and districts last season with the Diamond Wildcats the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) named head coach Kelsey Parrish Coach of the Year.

“Without my team working hard and getting to the postseason and getting to states, MSHSAA wouldn’t even know who Kelsey Parrish was,” Parrish says.

Growing up in Diamond, the now two-time MSHSAA Coach of the Year said ever since she was in second grade…”my dream was to come back and be a second grade teacher and a softball coach, so, here I am living my dream.”

With all her and her team’s recent success, she gives all the credit and glory to her players.

“She is always one phone call away, you can text her about anything and she is always there for us no matter what,” senior utility player Sararos Zell mentions.

“She’s not scared to push you and be hard on you but she’s always there if you need someone to talk to,” senior shortstop Lauren Turner says.

“There has never been a moment where she wasn’t there to support us and push us to work hard and that has shown through each season,” senior Kabrie Parmley adds.

Coach Parrish says the culture that has been built through her team on and off the field has been the nucleus to Diamond softball’s success.

“What they do and how hard they work for me is a coach’s dream. I have a great team of girls. I have an amazing assistant coach who buys in and has the same philosophy as me and I think those key ingredients is what laid out the success that we had last season,” coach Parrish explains.

Gearing up for a highly anticipated season in the spring, Coach Parrish and the Wildcats have already started working this offseason to repeat history in their upcoming year.

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