Tharptown Wildcat softball was stung this summer after the abrupt resignation of softball coach Brooklyn Clark.  Clark, a UNA All-American, had a coronavirus-shortened season with the Wildcats. This summer she was offered a job in Athens that fit with her sports management major – an opportunity she said she couldn’t pass up.

So Tharptown immediately went to work to find a new softball coach to excite the program and pick up where Clark left off. The Wildcats went back to the team that produced Clark and picked up Carmen Whitfield, a former Lion catcher.

Whitfield has been at Shoals Christian for the past three season and experienced the same shortened season everyone else in the state did. She said she is excited to take over the Wildcat program and will teach history at the school.

“We are very excited to have Coach Whitfield join our school and our softball program,” said Tharptown Principal Ann Scott. “She has a great background, and I think our kids will love her enthusiasm and love for the game of softball.”

Whitfield said she was looking to move from the private school setting to the public schools and knew immediately that Tharptown was fit.

“I’m beyond excited and blessed to have this opportunity,” said Whitfield. “I’m so excited to meet my players and students.”

Whitfield said her first goal is to meet with her players and establish a relationship with them. “I want to connect with my players and let them know I care about them and have high expectations of them.”

Whitfield said her time at UNA playing for Coach Ashley Cozart have been an asset to her and how she guides her program.

“It was one of the best years of my life,” explained Whitfield. “I owe Coach Cozart a lot. I consider her one of my best friends today. I learned so much from her during my two years there.

“I can always rely on her to give me honest advice on how to handle a situation,” Whitfield added. “Her coaching style is unique but demands hard work and dedication.”