HUNTSVILLE – Coach Lorraine “Les” Stuedeman and her softball teams consistently deliver wins to the University of Alabama in Huntsville and thrills to their fans. Since their first season in 1996, they’ve earned impressive stats:
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1,268 wins – and no losing seasons.
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13 Gulf South Conference championships.
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4 NCAA Tournament South Region championships out of 26 tournament appearances, including a record 21 consecutive berths. (They aim to extend it to 22 in 2025.)
A couple of longtime fans – UAH President Emeritus Dr. Robert Altenkirch and his wife, Beth – have created an endowment in Stuedeman’s honor to help keep those softball victories coming to UAH.
Along with their initial lead gift, their continuing contributions and those of other donors, the endowment currently stands at $50,000. For every gift made to the Les Stuedeman Endowment between now and Dec. 13, the Altenkirchs will match it dollar for dollar up to a total of $10,000.
“Beth and I always enjoyed attending the UAH softball games at home and some on the road,” Altenkirch said. “It’s an exciting, fast-paced game. Oftentimes I watched from the dugout, and I was impressed by Coach Stuedeman’s work ethic, something she instills in the players that will serve them well in their professional lives.
“Coach Stuedeman will eventually leave a legacy of success, and we wanted her to leave a financial legacy as well. We started the endowment for softball to provide that little financial boost that can make a difference and work to grow the principal each year.”
Stuedeman, the only softball head coach in the program’s history, has garnered accolades that demonstrate her devotion to the sport, her players and the university:
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Seven-time NCAA South Region Coach of the Year.
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Ten-time GSC Coach of the Year.
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Two-time GSC Coach of the Decade – 2001-10 and 2011-20.
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National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame, 2014.
“Les is UAH softball,” said UAH Director of Athletics Dr. Cade Smith. “She has poured her heart and soul into making this program special. She is the epitome of ‘making the big time where you are’ and that is evident in the longstanding success of her program and the successes of her players both on and off the field.”
Her players’ accomplishments include 42 NFCA All-Americans, 16 Daktronics All-Americans, 41 Academic All-GSC Performers and 12 GSC Players or Pitchers of the Year – so far.
“This endowment will help to cement her legacy for years to come,” Smith said. “She has built it from the ground up, and I am so, so grateful to Dr. Altenkirch and Beth for making a huge impact on this program. I am personally grateful to him for all he did for UAH Athletics.
“The fact that he continues to do this speaks volumes and is a great example of how giving can impact young people.”
Stuedeman has long been grateful for the Altenkirchs’ support of the softball program.
“Bob and Beth were always present in person and present in philosophy,” she said of their time at UAH, fall 2011 to spring 2019. “Bob was around athletics so much that we all really got to know him. The Karrs (current UAH President Dr. Charles L. Karr and his wife, Jodie) do the same thing now. They’re everywhere, and they’re huge cheerleaders for everything UAH.”
That type of leadership, Stuedeman said, inspires outstanding efforts.
“When you have a leader who is engaged in the community, engaged on campus and especially engaged with the students, that’s powerful, and you don’t want to drop the ball, literally or figuratively,” she said. “You do not want to let them down.”
Stuedeman’s determination is a strong component of UAH’s winning softball tradition.
“I can be pushy,” she said. “I recruit athletes who are tough and want to be pushed. The more I’ve pushed them, the harder they’ve worked. I’ve been able to challenge a group of women to shoot for something really high, and we’ve always had the kind of players who’ve stepped up to that challenge.”
But, the coach emphasizes, it’s not about her.
“I wish I could say it was me, but it’s really the players,” Stuedeman said. “They’re the ones who have to swing the bat and make the plays and buy into what we’re doing. I can paint the picture of what they can be if they put everything into what they’re doing, but we’ve had some remarkable women who have believed in what I was doing here and believed in each other.
“Yes, I’ve been here the whole time, but it’s really about the players.”
Take the spring 2024 season.
“We did not meet our expectations last year,” she said. “We lost two starters to injury, but we clawed our way into the NCAA Tournament. I’m just so proud of that. To me, that is what UAH softball is about: When the going gets tough, we get going.”
And for the spring 2025 season – the 30th for UAH softball – they’ll get going with a little extra help from their fans.
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