Weatherford baseball coach records 600th win

When the Weatherford College baseball team beat Hill College in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Roger Williams Ballpark, WC Head Coach Jeff Lightfoot hit a career milestone. It was Lightfoot's 600th win as a college head baseball coach.

Lightfoot is in his 19th year as a head coach. He spent four years at Eastfield College and is the only head coach in the history of WC baseball, starting the program in the 2002-03 academic year.

"We're very proud of Jeff and what he's accomplished," said Bob McKinley, WC Athletic Director. "He's built up a program here from scratch into something we can really be proud of. I'm looking forward to watching him and his players compete here for many more years and many more wins."

At the close of the deciding game Saturday, Lightfoot was surprised with an on-field presentation. Hart Hering, who played for the Coyotes in 2003-04 and threw the first pitch in school history, presented a plaque to his mentor. Hering went on to play at Texas A&M and is now the head coach at Brock High School. Joining Hering were Coach Lightfoot's wife, Misti, and their children, Cole, Grayson and Canon.

Lightfoot's Eastfield team won the NJCAA Division III World Series in 2001, the same year he won the National Coach of the Year Award.

In 15 years at Weatherford, Lightfoot's teams have qualified for the postseason eight times, sent 96 players to university-level baseball and had 30 former Coyotes play professionally.

In his more than 19 years as a head coach, Lightfoot is 600-418.