New coach hired to lead Tuscola softball

Aug. 12—Lindsay Markos will be Tuscola High School's new head softball coach in 2022-23. The hiring was made official Monday, Aug. 8, at a Haywood County Schools Board of Education meeting.

Markos is a former collegiate softball player whose passion for the game drove her to apply for the position.

"[Tuscola softball] needed someone who had the fire, passion and the will to put the work in, not just for Tuscola softball but for the younger girls who will be at Tuscola, because they deserve it as much as anyone," Markos said. "I saw the need for the girls, let alone the community, and making sure that someone was going to step into the role that knows the game and has the love for the game. I think that's a huge aspect."

The hiring is a promotion for Markos, who was an assistant coach under Amy Brown during the 2021-22 season.

After Brown resigned March 15, Markos and Bronson Cook, then both assistants, were named co-head coaches.

Under their guidance, the softball team went 12-6 (5-5), good for fifth in the Mountain 7 Conference and a playoff berth.

Cook will continue to work as assistant, which Markos said is invaluable.

"He is so knowledgeable. He's been coaching for 15 years, whether it's little league or travel ball," Markos said.

She said Cook is a student of the game, and he is constantly learning from other teams and coaches and brings those ideas to the Tuscola squad.

Clifford Mills will continue as junior varsity head coach, but will also contribute as an assistant on varsity.

"He's been a part of Tuscola longer than Bronson and me," Markos said. "The girls adore him. He will be a great help with practices."

Originally from Wisconsin, Markos graduated from Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on a softball scholarship as a right fielder.

While at UW-Whitewater, Markos played under Brenda Volk, who began coaching there in 1999 and earned her 700th career win in 2022, becoming the 10th active coach in NCAA Division III to achieve the milestone, according to the UW-Whitewater website.

Linday Markos is married to Alan Markos, who works for Bank of America and is a former personal trainer. The couple has five children.

Nearly a decade ago, the family visited North Carolina and fell in love with the region, promising each other they would move to the state one day.

"We visited and wanted to live here. That was our dream. We said, 'Why are we going to wait until we retire? We're going to move down here sooner.' We've been here for just over six years," Markos said.

Before the COVID pandemic, Markos worked as a licensed massage therapist, but now focuses on raising her children and coaching.

Coaching style

Markos believes she channels Volk when coaching her players.

"There are times when Brenda comes out for sure. I think when it comes to how I was taught and how things were run, things were very particular. Warm up was throwing in unison, stretching and counting together," she said.

During practices, Markos believes "everyone should always be moving and everyone should have a spot."

She also intends to exemplify the mental side of the game.

"I had an assistant coach in college who was adamant about the mental side of the game. Part of our practices were going through the mental game: 'What are you thinking when the pitch is coming to you?'" Markos said.

She asked her players a similar question last season: "How do you prepare the night before the game?"

"They looked at us like we were silly," Markos said, but she pushed one of her senior leaders, Delany Buchanan, to explain.

Buchanan said: "I visualize my swing, I visualize how I'm going to hit the ball and I visualize the ball going over the fence."

Markos said that was exactly what the girls should be doing, and she intends to continue to incorporate aspects of the mental side of the game this season.

"I'm hoping that I can broaden their knowledge where it's not just instruction. There's way more to softball and life than just the game," she said.

"I know Bronson is on the same page with that. We always talk about how it's great to be a Mountaineer, but there's more than you're playing for as well. I hope we're teaching a lot of life lessons," Markos said.

Another thing she intends to improve is the college recruiting for her players. Having graduated UW-Whitewater in 2008, Markos isn't too far removed from the recruiting process and intends to help build the word-of-mouth for her players.

"It hasn't changed that much since I was recruited. Coaches talk and will reach out to each other. You don't see a lot of college coaches showing up to games, but it's a lot of camps. If they want to get recruited, you have to go to softball camps and get your name out there," she said.

Markos said Tuscola administrators are trying to expand the school's injury prevention program by bringing in weightlifting coaches to help athletic teams.

"[Tuscola administration] asked us if we would be interested in having weightlifting coaches write up workouts to prevent injuries," Markos explained.

She intends to take advantage of the opportunity.

"I'm excited to use all that Tuscola has to offer with these people that have that background," she said.

Fall ball

Markos is planning to host "fall ball" at Tuscola this season, which would invite area teams to come and play a few games per week, similar to what the baseball team does.

"We came in saying we want these freshmen to get their feet wet, to know what it's like to play at a high level. You're out there playing, but it's relaxed. It's going to be competitive and we want them to learn and grow, and they will," Markos said.

She said one challenge will be the 10 or so girls on the softball teamwho also play volleyball, tennis and cheer in the fall.

"It will be challenging to work around those schedules. We have to see who shows up," Markos said.

Community impact

Markos also intends for her players to positively affect the local community. Just a few weeks ago, some of the juniors and seniors on the team helped run a camp for Mountaineer Little League.

Beyond giving advice and instruction to the younger players, Markos said it showed how dedicated the girls are to being good people.

"A lot of these girls were coming from tennis or volleyball practice, and the camp ran from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m," Markos said. The group was tired and hungry, she said, but they didn't let it stop them from participating.

Markos said when she was a freshman in high school, she was put on the varsity team.

"I was scared to death. I know I worked hard, but those girls were really good. I watched every move these girls were making. There was one athlete who went on to play for the University of Minnesota, who was a very, very good ball player. I would just watch how she was batting, stepping into the box, everything," Markos said.

She said it's important the younger girls get to have someone to look up to, and she hopes it can be her players.

"Those girls don't realize how much these little girls look up to them," Markos said. "I tell them, 'It doesn't matter if you're a freshman or a senior, you're all called to lead.' I will hold them accountable for that."

Markos said this year's senior class is going to be special, and she wants to help them succeed, especially after what they've endured the past couple of seasons.

"Those girls have worked so hard, but they have been through so much because of COVID. We have at least two girls who will be definitely playing college ball, but there could be more. They deserve coaches who want to put in the work for recruiting, drills and learning from other people," she said.