PANAMA, Okla – Panama hires state champion Latta coach Missy Rogers, hoping to reinvigorate a Lady Razorbacks softball program that won an Oklahoma 2A fast pitch title in 2011.
According to principal and athletic director Jamie Hoffman, the coach’s resume and reputation stood out, with references giving the school strong recommendations for the candidate who will coach both the fast and slow pitch teams.
Prior to joining Panama, Rogers coached the Lady Panthers varsity for four years after serving as their junior high coach for the previous five. During the latter period, Latta won the 2020 Oklahoma 2A state championship, its second title in fast pitch program history, 5-3 over Dale, where she began her coaching career as an assistant.
Following four years at Cyril, Rogers coached both softball and girls basketball at Tupelo for two years before taking the Latta Junior High job. In June 2018, the former Konowa standout took over at Latta, with 17-year coach Jim Foster announcing a “sudden retirement.”
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In addition to the 2020 state championship, Latta reached the fast pitch quarterfinals in 2019 and 2021.
In slow pitch, the Lady Panthers lost 9-8 in the 2022 3A state semifinals to eventual state champion Pocola. It also reached the semifinals the previous season.
Last school year, Panama’s fast pitch team went 18-17-1 and reached regionals, while the slow pitch team finished 13-16 after losing its first two games in the 4A district playoff round. Both teams were coached by Carrie Covey, whose reason for departure was not cited by Hoffman when asked about it.
The principal looks forward to the tenure of his new coach whom he said plans to treat her players consistently and fairly, get the most out of them to achieve their goals and “on top of that, she wants them to be good kids and good daughters.”
Hoffman emphasized the importance of Rogers’ husband Chad coming on to be an assistant. Chad Rogers was a member of Latta’s baseball program that won fall and spring baseball championships in the 1992-93 school year with a combined 73-3 record as well as the fall title in Oct. 1993.
A retired fireman, Chad Rogers has also been an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator at East Central University as well as the baseball coach at Ardmore.
You can follow Bryant Roche on Twitter @BRocheSports and you can email him at BRoche@gannett.com