Ramsey steps up for NW

Published 12:40 am Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Northwest Whitfield athletic director Mike Falleur didn�t have to go far to find a successor to softball coach Tammy Lambert, who resigned last month after leading the Lady Bruins to another appearance in the postseason.

He had been at her side for three years.

Shane Ramsey, who for the past three years served as Lambert�s assistant, has been named the Lady Bruins� coach after Lambert decided to step down after five seasons on the job.

�Other folks out there might have made us a great softball coach,� Falleur said. �But having a guy like Shane in the program who has prepared himself, worked hard, has the leadership ability necessary and the knowledge of the game, I was just zoned in on him. Right from the time Tammy told me she was going to do something else, Shane was the guy I wanted.�

Lambert, who resigned on April 14, will teach physical education at Cedar Ridge Elementary School in the fall and plans to �take a break� from coaching for an unspecified period of time.

Despite a 2-11 start to the 2008 season, Lambert directed the Lady Bruins to a 22-15-1 record. Their season ended with a 1-0 loss to Madison County, one win from earning a spot in the Class 4A state tournament semifinals.

Northwest also appeared in the state tournament in 2006 and 2007 by putting up 17-13-1 and 19-16 records, respectively. And Lady Bruins standout Callie Thomas garnered The Daily Citizen�s All-Area Softball Player of the Year honors the past two seasons.

Ramsey, 36, realizes he is under pressure to keep the Lady Bruins� program competing at a high level in Region 7-4A in his first venture as a head coach � at any level.

�Tammy did a great job with the team, but I�m ready to do this,� Ramsey said. �We�ve got the talent and resources to get the program to the next levels. I know the girls will work hard and I�m going to do my part.�

Ramsey � who has already met with players, boosters and parents � attended Southeast High School and earned a baseball scholarship to Truett-McConnell College, a two-year Baptist-affiliated school on the other side of the state in Cleveland. Ramsey has been an assistant coach on baseball coach Todd Middleton�s staff since his arrival at Northwest in 2005.

Middleton will serve as Ramsey�s assistant coach with the softball team. Middleton was the school�s softball coach prior to Lambert.

�Being Todd�s assistant has been a great experience,� Ramsey said. �I�ve seen how (head coaching) is done the right way while working with Todd. I feel I�m ready to be a head coach. I�ve very much wanted to be a head coach.

�I enjoy the practices, the games and I enjoy the camaraderie with the team and I look forward to helping make the girls better. There�s a lot of passion and intensity with softball and I enjoy that as well.�

The enthusiasm Ramsey brings to coaching didn�t escape Falleur.

�I watched Shane as an assistant to Tammy and in baseball with Todd,� Falleur said. �I really like that about him, and his work ethic as well. The kids respond well to him. I know Shane, believe in him, trust him and I know he�ll do a good job with the girls. To me it was a no-brainer.�

With cuts projected throughout the Whitfield County school system due to the tough economy, Falleur�s hiring from within made the transition from Lambert to Ramsey less complicated.

�Sure, that made it more simple than going outside and trying to fit a teaching position we might or might not have open to a softball coach,� Falleur said. �It�s probably harder to find people willing to move.

�But the big thing about hiring from within is that coaches in other sports will see that if we believe in them and they have a desire to be a head coach, they can use that as motivation to take that next step. They know if they do the things they need to do and be loyal to the head coach, when an opportunity at our school becomes available we might reward them by moving them up.�