MARIA WINN-RATLIFF
COUGAR SOFTBALL HEAD COACH

What a job that WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff has done with the softball program on and off the field. Winn-Ratliff has guided the Cougar program to Region IX championships in the last three seasons. The first championship came in 2008 when the team went 54-10 and was ranked as high as No. 11 in the pre-season polls. Then, just last May, the Cougars captured their second regional title in dramatic fashion. That team finished the season at 43-21 and competed at the national tournament in St. George, Utah.

Winn-Ratliff definitely has made the softball program one of the most feared in the Region, let alone the nation. She took a team that at one time won just three games (before she was coach) and moved the program into a winning direction.

But what stands out about the softball program is that the team is one of the top teams academically. The Cougars have been the top academic team at the college five of the last six seasons, as well as many of the players earning All-Region IX or NJCAA academic honors. Three players from last year team -- Adena Hagen, Taylor Anderson and Stephanie Townsend -- earned NJCAA academic All-American honors.

In her six seasons at WNCC, Winn-Ratliff has become one of the top coaches in the region as well as a respected instructor, and community member. She currently has a 225-125 career record. When she came to WNCC she helped revamp a run-down softball field into one of the finest softball fields in the Panhandle, including a scoreboard, press box, locker room storage shed and an outfield relaxation area. It is now known as Volunteer Field.

All this turning around the program goes to the coach. She is the main reason why this program is succeeding. And, it all starts with the coach (and with a name like Winn, how can you not win). Winn-Ratliff came to WNCC in August 2004 with high credentials having played at Columbia College in Missouri. Most recently before landing her first head coaching job, she was an assistant at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. Winn-Ratliff also served as an assistant coach at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga., and Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minn.

Winn-Ratliff has also helped coach a traveling summer ball team in Colorado, sponsored by Triple Crown Sports.  She spends and extensive amount of her time recruiting and has attended the Canada Cup in British Columbia, various tourneys in Colorado, Utah, Las Vegas and California. She also has helped out with many camps over the summers and fall seasons in various parts of Colorado and the United States. 

Winn-Ratliff resides in Scottsbluff with her husband Ed and their two dogs Summitt and Duke.

Career record: 225-125 (6 years)
NJCAA All-Americans: 4
NJCAA Academic All-Americans: 10
NFCA All-Americans:  4
NFCA Academic All-Americans: 6
Region IX All-Region: 37
Region IX Academic All-Region: 30