LONGVIEW, Texas -- Longtime LeTourneau head softball coach Stan Wells announced his plans to retire, effective at the end of the 2024 season, and LeTourneau Vice President for Athletics Dr. Tim Sceggel announced that current assistant coach Macey Mize will take over as head coach of the YellowJackets.

"I'm so thankful for the work that Stan has done on campus over the last 10-plus years," Sceggel said. "He has led the program to new heights, and sought to love his teams and Jesus well. We will miss his joyful presence on the field and on campus."

Wells, in his eighth year as the head coach and 11th overall with the program, is the longest tenured head coach in program history. Wells is also the winningest coach in program history with 124 victories in his eight-plus seasons as the head man. He's led the YellowJackets to four ASC Tournament appearances and two 20-win seasons.

"I never in my wildest dreams planned on being a collegiate softball coach when I was younger but, having experienced this opportunity I couldn't imagine not having this enlightening opportunity to impact lives in a way that I was taught," said Wells. "You can teach a ton of life lessons between two white lines and I pray that I made an impact in the lives of young student-athletes."

Wells first came to LeTourneau as an assistant coach for then-head coach Kate Bell-Keierleber in 2014. In 2017, Wells was elevated to head coach and in his eight years has continued to improve the program. 

His program put together its best season in 2023. The YellowJackets won a program-record 28 games, compiled a .636 winning percentage, and set multiple team and individual season records. Wells became the program's winningest coach during the season and eclipsed 100 career wins in the process. The YellowJackets garnered a spot in the NCAA region rankings twice, topping out at No. 6, and also were under consideration for the NFCA Top 25. The team had four wins over top 25 opponents, including a sweep of No. 23 Hardin-Simmons, while eight players earned All-ASC honors.

In his career as the head coach, Wells has guided 34 All-ASC selections -- including five first-team honorees -- two ASC Newcomer of the Year award winners, and 84 ASC Academic All-Conference team members.

"LeTourneau is for sure a special place and when you spend as much time, sweat equity, and joy working with the fantastic staff in the athletics department as I have over the last 11 years, you have to take a step back and reflect how impactful it has been on my life," added Wells.

Continued Wells, "I really just take pride in hoping that I was impactful enough to leave the program in a better place than I found it."

Mize named next head coach

A familiar face in a new role for LeTourneau as Macey Mize will assume the position of Head Softball Coach at the conclusion of the 2024 season. She will be the eighth head coach in the program's history.

Mize has served the past year as the program's full-time assistant for Wells and spent four seasons as a volunteer or graduate assistant for LeTourneau after finishing her playing career in 2019.

"When I was still at my last institution I had Macey on my list of coaches that I thought would be great head coach candidates," said Sceggel. "After arriving in Longview, I was thrilled to get to know Macey better and see first-hand how gifted she was in discipleship and in her knowledge of softball. Consequently, I could not be more excited to see her become the head coach of the program at the conclusion of the season."

"I am very excited to take on my new role as the LeTourneau softball head coach," said Mize. "I look forward to applying the experience and knowledge I have gained as a LETU player, graduate assistant, and assistant coach. I am thankful for all the support from Dr. Sceggel and Coach Wells in helping me prepare for this position."

Mize was a two-time All-ASC selection in her career at LeTourneau, earning first team in 2019 and third team in 2018, while she batted .349 with 151 hits in her four years. She ranks in the top-10 in several program career records including batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs, runs scored, and slugging percentage. In 2019, she hit .421 with a program-record-tying 10 home runs as she earned first team All-ASC to lead the YellowJackets to a then-program record 24 wins.

Mize was on staff in 2023 as LeTourneau had its best season in program history. The YellowJackets went 28-16 to set program records for wins and winning percentage in a season. LeTourneau had eight All-ASC selections and also set program records for stolen bases individually and as a team.

"LeTourneau athletics' mission statement is 'Cultivating Disciples and Pursuing Excellence' and I will do both by using my coaching platform to share Christ with the players I coach while pursuing a culture of excellence both on and off the softball field," added Mize.

Originally from Waco, Texas, Mize graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2019. In addition to her coaching roles at LeTourneau, Mize spent two years as a third grade math teacher at Hallsville North Elementary.

She earned her Master's of Education degree with a specialization in Teacher Leadership from LeTourneau in 2021.

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