Behind the leadership of head coach Jayne Clem, the Wallace State Lady Lions fast pitch softball program is a national champion on the field and in the classroom, winning the 2008 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Championship.  

During the school's dominant three-year run to the NJCAA Division I title game (2008-10), Wallace State softball compiled a 193-27 record (68-8 in 2008, 63-10 in 2009 and 62-9 in 2010), captured three ACCC championships and produced six combined NJCAA 1st-Team All-Americans, including pitcher Kelsey Dennis, who now pitches at Texas Tech.

During the 2011 season, Wallace State continued to prove its worth as one of the top teams in the state, finishing with a 52-14 record. The Lady Lions won their sixth straight Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC)/Region 22 Northern Division championship and were a couple of wins shy of claiming a fifth straight ACCC/Region 22 tournament championship, falling in the semifinals of the conference tournament in early May.

NJCAA 3rd-team All-American and All-ACCC/Region 22 performer Cortney McNett led the way offensively, clubbing nine homers and collecting 58 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Heather Parker and infielder/DH Megan Christensen were also All-ACCC/Region 22 selections. Parker finished the season with a 22-7 record, a 1.88 ERA and tossed 18 complete games, while Christensen hit a team-best .439 average with six homers and 42 RBIs. Courtney Bailey and Katie Pierce were named to the All-ACCC/Region 22 second team.

Fast pitch softball at Wallace State dates back to 1997 and has been led by Coach Clem since 1999. Clem is committed to a winning tradition at Wallace State, and that drive is evident in her teams' accomplishments.

Clem surpassed the 600-win milestone in 2011 and maintains a 602-153 (.797 winning percentage) career record after her 11 seasons with the program. She has been named ACCC Coach of the Year nine times (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002) and has helped the school win six conference championships (2010-2007, 2005, 2003) in addition to its 2008 national crown.

Clem and assistant coach Tracy Grindrod were named the NFCA NJCAA Division I Coaching Staff of the Year in 2010 and 2008.

Clem, a native of Athens, was also named the Karen L. Sykes Outstanding Coach of the National Tournament in 2008.

Wallace State's softball team has excelled academically as well. The team finished with a 3.68 grade point average for the 2009-10 academic year after posting a 3.72 GPA as the 2008-09 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.

For more information, contact Coach Clem at 256-352-8355 or email at Jayne.Clem@WallaceState.edu.