Natalie Poole is in the midst of her seventh season as the University of Memphis softball coach and has 30 wins — the most since becoming head coach in 2012. These 30 wins also mark the best record since the Tigers joined the American Athletic Conference in 2013, which was Poole’s second season with the Tigers.
The Tigers’ best season in program history was in 2011, when they earned 36 wins and reached the postseason. With 12 games left before heading to the AAC tournament, Poole’s team this season could tie or surpass the 2011 team’s record.
Growing up, Poole was a multi-sport athlete, but softball was where she shined most.
“When I started this route in softball, it was just a sport I excelled in pretty quickly,” Poole said.
In high school, Poole played on a competitive team travel.
“Early on, I felt like that there could be a possible future in being able to play softball at another level,” Poole said.
Poole’s sister is 13 months younger than her, and they both enjoyed softball. They realized early in high school that if they focused on their sport, they could help pay for their college education.
“I really don’t know how that comes from a young kid, especially in a day in age where younger kids weren’t recruited,” Poole said. “So it was a pretty hefty commitment to talk about at a young age, early in high school years. Both of us really committed to our school work and also our softball competitiveness.”
Poole earned both academic and athletics scholarships that paid for her entire education. She was a catcher for McNeese State University from 1994 to 1997. She was part of the Cowgirls’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1997 and was named Most Valuable Player.
Her degree from McNeese is in art with a concentration in painting. While she does not use painting on the softball field, each year, her seniors receive a portrait painted by their coach.
She thought she would become an art professor after graduation, but when she coached a high school team near her college, she realized she enjoyed coaching.
She became a graduate assistant at McNeese in 1998 and became an assistant coach after two years. She served as a full-time assistant 2001.
“Pretty much as soon as I stepped on the field, I knew that was what I wanted to do,” Poole said.
She applied for a job at Northwestern State. She did not receive an offer because at 24 years old, the athletic director thought Poole was too young. However, he later mentioned Poole to the athletic director at Georgia Southern, and when the softball head coach position opened for the Eagles, Poole became a head coach at 25 years old.
“I felt like at the time, I was being prepared to be a head coach, so that was the route I took,” she said.
In her first season, she went 25-29 and was recognized as the Southern Conference Coach of the Year.
“It took a little while for that team to get on the track and the path that I wanted to see it go,” she said. “I think that was a good learning experience for me … I continued to build and work and stay the course, and finally we were able to reap the benefits in those last few years I wanted to see as far as success for the team.”
At Georgia Southern, the program set 15 school records. They reached post season in 2006 after winning the Southern Conference Tournament. She coached the Eagles for seven seasons and earned a 212-215 overall record.
She said during her time with the Eagles, she learned many lessons as a new head coach that she took with her to other programs.
“Coaching can be very humbling,” she said. “It is one job that doesn’t allow your ego to get out of control. It helps you understand the game is bigger than just you.”
Leaving Georgia State was not an easy decision. The Eagles’ starters were all-conference players, and the Player of the Year in the conference was returning the following season.
She returned to McNeese in 2009 as head coach of her alma mater. When Poole arrived, the Cowgirls were sixth in the Southland Conference out of 11 teams. In Poole’s first season, the Cowgirls finished second in the Southland Conference, and she was named the conference Coach of the Year. She led the team to 31-28, their first winning record in 11 years. In 2010, the team went to regionals. In her last season at McNeese, they barely missed postseason. Poole went 100-84 in three seasons at her alma mater.
“It was nice to be back at a place I competed at,” Poole said. “I took a lot of pride in that. It’s a great community, and then after my third year of doing well there, this opportunity presented itself here at Memphis.”
Poole came to Memphis as just the second head coach of the program since the program’s beginning in 2006. Memphis was then a part of Conference USA. The conference was sixth in the nation in RPI and multiple teams reached postseason.
“To me, from the outside looking in there were a lot of things this program had going on that I wanted to be a part of,” she said.
Her first season, the best pitcher returned but suffered an injury. Their power hitters graduated, and Poole had to face some challenges and certain limitations with her new team. She said struggled to make certain changes that she would have liked to see.
When Poole arrived to Memphis, there was not a practice facility on campus and said she had never had a practice facility like the Tigers now have.
“For me to be able to be here from the ground level all the way to now, I’m here and able to enjoy the benefits of this facility is unbelievable,” she said. “There’s no doubt that something like this makes a difference in recruiting. It makes a difference in the student-athlete experience and them feeling valued.”
When Athletic Director Tom Bowen arrived to Memphis, the designs were in the early stages, and Bowen encouraged the process along.
“It means a lot to see support for female athletics, and he has supported me in many ways,” Poole said. “He has proven to me that he does care about female athletics and he wants to see us thrive.”
Four seniors who Poole recruited and coached all four years graduated last spring. Poole has seven seniors on the team’s roster this season.
“It means a lot to be able to work with somebody for multiple years and to see them go from a place where they are feeling things out and they feel a little bit intimidated in their environment and go through some struggles to being able to have perspective and mature as a person and in our sport and see them excel,” Poole said.
Poole said she hopes that she gives more than just athletic guidance to her student-athletes.
“My hope is that I provided some positive direction during this time in their life,” Poole said. “That’s what I’m striving for.”
Coach Natalie Poole gives instructions to catcher Regan Hadley during a Tigers game last season. Poole has led the team to 30 wins in her seventh season as head coach.
