Courtney Elrod returns to alma mater to lead Rossview

Sometimes, to take the right steps for the future, you have to dig back in the past.

At least for Rossview High's softball program, it's hoping a blast from its past will push the program forward back into success.

Reaching back to when the Lady Hawks were a dominant program in District 10-AAA, Rossview hired former pitching star Courtney Elrod to take over the head coaching duties next spring.

"I don't know that I actually thought this would ever happen," Elrod said. "I did get into coaching but becoming the head coach at my alma mater, I can't say that I saw that in my future."

Actually, Elrod just returned to live in Clarksville the past year after spending a few years as the pitching coach at Maryville College after she graduated from Belmont. The former Lady Hawks star spoke at a Rossview softball banquet last fall and began to train softball players in the city at ACME Athletics.

"It was a hard decision for me to leave Maryville and that program," Elrod said. "But I guess it was sort of my calling to come back home."

After Rossview coach Victoria Malone decided to step down, Elrod saw an opportunity to go back where it all started.

"I came back to Clarksville just wanting to help some of the high school softball athletes in town and I came out of this whole thing as the coach at Rossview," Elrod said. "That's still kind of amazing to me."

The Lady Hawks were 6-13 this past season and near the bottom of the district standings. Elrod is hoping to dig the program out of that cellar and back to the kind of prominence she helped shape.

Elrod's sister, Ashley, was a star during the early years of the program guiding the Lady Hawks to a district and region championship as well as a state tournament appearance in 2005.

Courtney continued that success before she graduated in 2009.

Courntey Elrod was selected All-State three years in a row, helping Rossview to a 27-9-3 record her senior season while earning a 21-7 mark on the mound. She struck out 187 batters and finished with a 0.94 ERA with 10 shutouts in 2009. She also batted .382 with 42 hits, 17 doubles and seven home runs.

She ranks second all-time in school history in most of the school's pitching records, but owns several of the program's top hitting honors. Among her records when she graduated included first in most base hits in a season (95), most doubles (17), most career doubles (48), most home runs in a season (7) and career (15), most hits in a career (165), most RBIs in season (41) and career (117) and career batting average (.386).

It's those kinds of numbers that Elrod hopes to pull from players in the program. But more importantly, Elrod's career overall record was 119-31-4 in her four years as a player, including back-to-back 30-plus win seasons her sophomore and junior years and 44-5 overall mark in district games. Those are the kinds of numbers she'll push to achieve.

"I'm excited because there is a lot of potential for this team to turn it around," Elrod said. "I had an amazing time in high school. It was the most fun of my life and I want that for these girls at Rossview now."

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.