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Softball: Abrupt change
Kevin Foote, The Advertiser, February 9, 2013 In some ways, very little was different at UL’s Lamson Park on Friday afternoon. The Ragin’ Cajun softball team was hitting in the batting cages as it normally would in preparation for today’s 4:30 p.m. season opener against Lipscomb in the Hilton Plaza Classic in Houston. And standing right next to those cages observing was coach Michael Lotief, as he typically does. Standing next to him was new UL coach and former Cajun player Megan Granger. Also at practice was new assistant coach Joshua Johnson. In so many other ways, though, there was nothing normal about Friday afternoon. Lotief had spent most of the day in meetings with UL’s administration amidst circulating rumors that he was resigning as UL’s softball coach and leaving the program. As he oversaw batting practice, it wasn’t in the same capacity. The result of those talks with Athletic Director Scott Farmer and UL president Dr. Joseph Savoie is that Lotief is no longer the head softball coach at UL. Lotief will remain with the program as a volunteer assistant. Granger takes over as the interim head coach. Johnson’s status as an assistant coach doesn’t change. First things first, Lotief said he’ll be accompanying the team and contributing to it as a coach just as he’s done since joining as a volunteer assistant in 2001. "I’m all in," said Lotief, who said there was never a time that he didn’t plan on joining the team to Houston this weekend. "We’re ready to go." Lotief described his discussions with Savoie and Farmer as "constructive dialogue." "What’s wrong with having continued dialogue about the future of the program?" Lotief said. "All of us are committed to continuing in those discussions to figure out what’s in the best interest of the university we all love. Our motives are pure. We may have different ideas and have different proposals on how to accomplish it, but everyone agrees on the goal." Lotief said the reorganizing of the UL softball coaching staff that shifted his title from head coach to volunteer assistant was "my decision," forfeiting his pay for the rest of the school year.
In Lotief’s mind, Friday’s upheaval was "a lot of fuss about nothing," suggesting that very little will change on the field. "People just like to create drama," he said. "There has to be a division of responsibilities. It has to be a collaboration. It’s a team effort." Lotief said he joined the program as a volunteer assistant and the only reason he was listed as a co-head coach for a decade is that a state law on nepotism prevented a spouse from being a superior. "We were technically listed as co-head coaches all of those years, but in reality Stef was the head coach," said Lotief, who helped to mold 10 All-Americans and 14 All-American selections during his coaching tenure at UL. He praised the UL administration for approving the shift in the coaching staff. "I think it says a lot for the vision of the university," said Lotief, who was also pleased personally about the change. "To pursue excellence at the level we want to pursue it (as a full-time head coach) and try to have a family and try to have quality of life, it’s just not possible," Lotief said. "At least, it’s not possible for me." Lotief also explained the timing of the decision, saying it’s not as peculiar as some are suggesting with the season opening today. "People see it differently than me," he said. "In my mind, I’ve fulfilled my duties as the head coach." Lotief checked off a long list of the staff’s accomplished duties since the school year began — from recruiting to getting the freshmen in class to scheduling to addressing mid-term transfers to travel plans to fundraising to the fall season to preseason scrimmages, etc. "To me, it’s the perfect time," he said. "About 98 percent of what needs to be done has already been done." Lotief said he’s excited about Granger being the new interim coach, referring to it as a triumph for gender equity. "In reality, there’s always been a female head coach of this program," said Lotief, who is a 1985 UL graduate and later earned a law degree at LSU in 1988. Lotief said Granger knows the system after playing under him for the past three seasons. The athletic director agrees that will smooth the transition.
"I have confidence in Megan’s ability to lead the program this season," Farmer said. "Her experience playing in the program the last four years will allow her to teach the system that the team has always used and her familiarity with the players gives her the insight needed to make decisions and work with the squad." Several of Granger’s former teammates said the news won’t deter their focus for the upcoming season. "Labels don’t matter," senior shortstop Nerissa Myers said. "We’re here to fight. "This is a team of fighters. We’re going to pull together. Megan is part of our sisterhood. We all know the system. We all know how to play." Senior first baseman Matte Haack said the focus and preparation for the upcoming season doesn’t change. "Our preparation hasn’t changed at all," Haack said. "We’re together as a team. We’re going to continue to work hard. "We know Megan and how hard she works. We all respect Megan." During his tenure as UL’s co-head coach along with his wife, Stefni, Lotief accumulated an overall record of 500-122 with a 173-36 mark in Sun Belt play. During that stretch, UL participated in two College World Series and three Super Regionals. As a hitting coach, the Cajuns finished in the top five nationally in home runs four times during that stretch. Stefni Lotief left the program to coach at Ascension Episcopal in Youngsville shortly after the Cajuns lost to Arizona State in the Super Regional in late May. "Stef and I are still on this journey," Lotief said. "We’re still part of this program until the boss tell us otherwise. We’re Ragin’ Cajuns to the core, to our very core, until death do us part."
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