The awards just keep on rolling in for Eupora native Trae Embry.
Embry just finished his sixth season at Neshoba Central since leaving Eupora. In that time, Embry has compiled a 183-13 record with the Lady Rockets and six Class 5A state championships in fast-pitch softball. He has also won six slow-pitch state championships.
“You could never envision what we have done,” Embry said. “Coming in, you really don’t know what to expect. There was talent here but it was young talent. When we got to Neshoba, the kids were so hungry to win. They were so hungry to work and get better and they did. Our thing has been to outwork everybody and let’s see what we can do with really hard work.”
That philosophy has carried Embry and the Lady Rockets to the pinnacle of high school softball as they finished the season with a 33-0 record and were rated as the No. 1 team in the nation by USA Today.
For his efforts, Embry has received multiple coach of the year awards. He was recently named The Meridian Star’s Premier Preps of East Mississippi Softball Coach of the Year. He was then named the Clarion-Ledger Softball Coach of the year and was named the 2018 National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year. Embry is the first coach from Mississippi to be named the NHSCA’s National Coach of the Year.
Embry is also one of eight finalists for the the National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in softball. Embry will attend a June 27 banquet as part of the association’s national convention in Sioux Falls, S.D. Embry was nominated for the award by the Mississippi Association of Coaches.
“To start with, those awards are great,” Embry said. “This is not all about me. If you don’t have the players when you load the buses, none of that is possible. You have to surround yourself with good players and good people. These awards are just a testament to our team. Without them, I don’t get those awards. And without those teams leading up to all of this, none of this is possible.”
Embry said he can see the similarities between Eupora and Neshoba Central.
“We were talented at both places,” Embry said. “Both schools have great parental support and kids that love the game. There are a lot of similarities between the two schools. They are both hard-working kids. They are good players who aren’t afraid to work and have that bullseye on your chest. It was an easy transition for us coming to Neshoba. The hardest thing for them to do was getting them to believe they could win.”
Embry points to his childhood as an influence on his adult coaching.
“I was taught to love the game of baseball by my daddy,” Embry said. “I have not lost my love of the game. Softball became my baseball. There are things that I have changed in the last 10 years but so much of it is similar to what I took from my high school coaches. I student taught under Ricky Woods at Ackerman and saw the success he had. The kids love him and want to play for him. I wanted to be a players coach and feel like I am. We get along with all of our players and treat our players fair.”
Embry’s mother, Kathy Embry, still lives in Eupora.
