Longtime head coach Judy Shaubach of Madera has been selected as the 2016 State Softball Coach of the Year. She also has won more than 500 games. Photo: madera.k12.ca.us.
Her teams have won two straight CIF Central Section championships and she’s approaching 600 all-time wins since 1989. Add it all up and Madera’s Judy Shaubach gets the nod as the State Softball Coach of the Year. She’s also the first from her section to earn this honor since 1981.
For more on this year’s Medium Schools & Small Schools State Softball Coaches of the Year, CLICK HERE.
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It’s a good thing that Madera High sophomore Aaliyah Cuevas felt she had the freedom to run through a stop sign by her head coach in the bottom of the eighth inning of last month’s CIF Central Section Division II championship.
If Cuevas had stopped at third base instead of trying to score and Madera had gone on to lose that game to Monache of Porterville, then it’s certain that Madera head coach Judy Shaubach wouldn’t have been considered as a State Coach of the Year candidate.
Instead, Cuevas scored on what was ruled an inside-the-park homer, Madera won its second straight section title with a 4-3 triumph over Monache and its longtime coach could then be put into the coaching honors mix.
Madera players celebrate after winning 2nd straight section title. Photo: madera.k12.ca.us.
And now, after reviewing the career and season resumes of those top candidates, Shaubach isn’t just a candidate to be State Coach of the Year. She is indeed the 2016 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year.
Shaubach is not the first from CIF Central Section to be State Coach of the Year, but the only other one on the all-time list is Hanford’s Leslie Steffens for 1981. The section also has several other current coaches higher than Shaubach on the all-time state career wins list, but she along with Mike D’Amato (Bakersfield Garces) and Mike Noel (Clovis) are all among the top 20 in state history.
Madera also captured its third section title in program history with the dramatic win over Monache. It was also the second time in the last three years that the Coyotes have won at least 26 games, which is their high mark for wins in a season since 2007-08 when Shaubach’s girls went 31-4-1.
“I had the stop sign up, but she said she saw something I didn’t see, so hey, if you can win a Valley championship, you can forgive them (running through) the stop sign,” Shaubach told the Fresno Bee of Cuevas’ game-winning dash.
Shaubach began coaching at Madera not long after she played for four seasons from 1981 to 1984 as an outfielder at Fresno State under her maiden name Judy Tucker. By 1989, the Coyotes also not only had the coach they’d have for nearly three decades (so far) but they’d also already have their first section title.
Our honoree from last season had a team this year that finished unbeaten. Photo: paracletehs.org.
All-Time List Cal-Hi Sports
State Softball Coaches Of The Year
2016 — Judy Shaubach, Madera (26-7)
2015 — Margaret Neill, Lancaster Paraclete (27-4)
2014 — Margaret Mauro, San Diego Cathedral Catholic (29-3)
2013 — Mike Smith, Chino (26-2)
2012 — Rick Robinson, Norco (30-2)
2011 — Scott Smith, Hollister San Benito (29-1)
2010 — Teri Johnson, Union City James Logan (25-5)
2009 — Tony Dobra, San Pedro (28-4)
2008 — Duane Zauner, Lake of the Pines Bear River (29-3)
2007 — Mary Jo Truesdale, Sacramento Sheldon
(29-1)
2006 — John Perez, Corona Santiago (26-5)
2005 — Art Banks, Roseville Woodcreek (28-6)
2004 — Pete Ackermann, Westlake Village Oaks Christian (34-1)
2003 — Rob Weil, Garden Grove Pacifica (31-2)
2002 — Brad Griffith, San Diego Mira Mesa (35-1)
2001 — Gary Walin, Thousand Oaks (24-5)
2000 — Jo Ann Byrd, Corona (28-4)
1999 — Jim Liggett, Belmont Carlmont (35-4)
1998 — Joe Given, Salinas Notre Dame (30-2-1)
1997 — Alan Dugard, Irvine Woodbridge (34-2)
1996 — Nancy Acerrio, Chula Vista Hilltop (27-2)
1995 — Marie Dean, Fremont Washington (27-0)
1994 — Joe Gonzalez, Tustin Foothill (25-7)
1993 — Jill Matyuch, Covina Charter Oak (29-0-1)
1992 — Jeff Carlovsky, Escondido (26-2)
1991 — Kevin Newman, San Jose Gunderson (33-2)
1990 — Susie Calderon, Huntington Beach Marina (28-5)
1989 — Sharon Coggins, Ventura Buena (28-2)
1988 — Rich Kerr, San Lorenzo Arroyo (29-1)
1987 — Bob Regpala, Stockton Lincoln (30-0)
1986 — Dick Barnes, El Monte Arroyo (22-1)
1985 — Neils Ludlow, Woodland Hills El Camino Real (19-0)
1984 — Aaron Ishikawa, Stockton Lincoln (37-1)
1983 — Carol Hamilton, San Diego Madison (23-1)
1982 — Rich Spiekerman, Lodi (29-3)
1981 — Leslie Steffen, Hanford (20-4)
1980 — Bob Bush, Santa Maria Righetti (29-0)
1979 — Barbara Weding, Santa Rosa Montgomery (26-1)
1978 — Peggy Linville, Fairfield Armijo (23-0)
1977 — Betsy Ward, Huntington Beach Marina (17-0)
1976 — Janet Balsley, Chula Vista Hilltop (17-0)
1975 — Sally Carmen, Downey Warren (19-1)
1974 — Sandi Behrmann, El Segundo (undefeated)
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