Walters State softball coach Larry Sauceman collects 1,000th career win

MORRISTOWN, TN – Larry Sauceman is a legend in every sense of the word.

A member of the TCCAA Hall of Fame and the head coach of the Walters State softball team for the past 26 years, Sauceman has accomplished too much to count.

But on Sunday, he checked off maybe his biggest accomplishment to date.

Off to one of the best starts in program history, the Walters State softball team swept a doubleheader from Motlow State on Sunday to improve to 16-0 on the season. And, with the final win of the day, Sauceman reached career win No. 1000.

Sauceman is the third coach at Walters State to achieve the 1000 career win mark. 

"We've had some really good kids come through this program that have gotten me to this accomplishment," Sauceman said. "Without them, it doesn't happen. It takes a lot of time and good kids to get here. I am just extremely thankful for all of them." 

While Sauceman started coaching Walters State 26 years ago, his ties to the college began a decade earlier. During the 1983-84 baseball season, Sauceman was a key member of a Senators team that reached the JUCO World Series and finished No. 5 in the country. 

Sauceman went to Tusculum after, where he finished out his college career. He then spent a year as head baseball coach at Tusculum before returning to Walters State to coach the softball team.

He's been there ever since. 

"Congratulations to coach Sauceman on this huge accomplishment," Walters State Athletic Director Derek Creech said. "Coach Sauceman is one of the great softball coaches, not only for winning games, but for shaping young ladies' lives. His teams always have an exceptional team GPA.  The standard he has set for Walters State softball can only be admired. I'm honored to have been given the opportunity to work alongside this Hall of Famer." 

During his time at Walters State, Sauceman has compiled a record of 1,000-367. He has coached 12 All-American and countless others that were named to the All-TCCAA teams and NJCAA Academic All-American Teams. The list of players he has coached that have gone on to play at a four-year school is endless.

The softball program under Sauceman has won three TCCAA/Region VII Regular Season and Tournament Championships and made the NJCAA National Tournament in 2013, 2016 and 2018. 

"I congratulate Coach Sauceman on the achievement of winning 1,000 games," said Dr. Tony Miksa, president of Walters State. "This is quite the milestone for a coach. However, knowing Coach Sauceman, I know that he is more proud of the academic and personal achievements of the student-athletes he has coached during his career."

Joining Sauceman on this journey for the past 12 years has been Mitch Taylor. Taylor joined Sauceman's staff as an assistant in 2011 and has been side-by-side with him to see all the hard work come to fruition. 

It's exciting," Taylor said. "It's a big accomplishment. I am happy for him. It tells a lot about the program and is something to be proud of. I have enjoyed being able to be along for the ride over the past 11-12 years. I am just really happy for him."

While all of Sauceman's accomplishments on the field are impressive, it's his impact off the field that makes the difference. Sauceman has impacted the lives of hundreds, one of those being Katie Armstrong. Armstrong played for Sauceman at Walters State before returning to the school as an assistant coach for him in 2021 and 2022.

"Playing for coach Sauceman, I never fully understood why he pushed us so hard and why he did the things he did day in and day out," Armstrong said. "After coaching alongside him and watching what he does to help players realize their full potential, I now see exactly why. He invests so much of his time and energy into this team because he cares so much about the players and this accomplishment proves that to be true." 

While 1,000 wins is a massive milestone for Sauceman, he hopes this is just the beginning and that there are plenty more wins on the way. 

Especially, throughout the next couple of months. 

"I am very excited to see what this team can do," Sauceman said. "We're off to a good start and are playing well. I hope we can continue it throughout the season. This is a special group."