Former ACA star Webster Veach takes over school's softball program

Lauren Webster Veach was a star for Alabama Christian Academy softball. She follows now in the footsteps of her former coaches Denise Ainsworth and Chris Goodman, taking over the program next season. (Tim Gayle)

Lauren Webster Veach knows a lot about the tradition of Alabama Christian Academy’s softball program. 

She helped build it.

So when the school named her the third head softball coach in the school’s history on Tuesday, Veach was ready for the obvious question of maintaining the state’s top program.

“I have experience in every aspect of the game except as a head coach,” she said. “I’ve been an assistant coach, I’ve done lessons for years, I’ve played on every level so it’s a new thing, I’ve got a lot to learn but I’m excited about it.

“I feel like I’ve always held myself to a high standard, so this won’t be any different. I’m expecting to win state next year.” 

Veach was introduced at a reception at the school on Tuesday morning, which was attended by the proud “parents” of the new coach, Denise Ainsworth and Chris Goodman. Ainsworth coached the fast pitch program from its inception, including the new coach in 2004 until Ainsworth’s move from softball coach to athletic director at the end of the 2006 season. Goodman took over in 2007, which included three years with Veach as his star pitcher, and coached until his retirement at the end of the 2021 season. 

While other programs pride themselves on their softball program, ACA stands alone at the top. No other program owns more appearances (23), wins (80) and total games (113) in the state tournament. ACA ranks second in championships with nine and second in finals appearances with 15.

“It’s a challenge to try and keep it going,” Goodman said, “and she was the type of player that loved challenges. I believe she’ll rise to this challenge. I’m ecstatic to have her, who has always been part of the family, back as the head of the family.” 

Veach never thought of herself as a softball coach. A former collegiate and professional softball pitcher -- and Ainsworth’s only Division I signee -- she worked in marketing for the PGA in Birmingham and only returned to the Capital City last year after her husband Brandon, a local dentist, opened an office in Prattville. After Goodman’s retirement, Veach’s position as a local instructor for young softball pitchers and her profile as perhaps the best softball player in this area’s history made her an obvious choice for ACA head of school Greg Glenn and other school officials. 

“If you would have told me a month ago I’d be sitting here, I probably would have told you you’re crazy,” Veach said. “This was not in my plans, but I firmly believe this is God’s plan.”

Veach made an impression with Ainsworth in her debut as a 4-year-old with Montgomery Gray and when she arrived at ACA as a seventh grader, she was promptly sent out to the circle.  

“Her work ethic is impeccable,” Ainsworth said. “Her desire to be excellent in whatever she does -- in the classroom, outside the classroom, lifting weights, as a mother -- is impeccable and unsurpassed. She loves ACA, which is important to me. Having started this program, it’s important to me that people of character follow through with it. And the character of the person is more important to me than the X’s and the O’s.”

Three years -- and three trips to the 3A state finals -- later, Veach was a sophomore pitcher on Goodman’s first team that staged one of the area’s most memorable runs in the state tournament, losing to St. James 2-1 in eight innings in the semifinals, then battling back with a pair of wins to reach the Trojans in the finals, winning 2-1 and 3-2 for the school’s seventh state championship and first as a Class 4A program.

“She was like playing a video game when you were calling pitches,” Goodman said. “She was a great player.”

She went out on a winning note as a senior, winning another state title, then earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors as a pitcher at UAB. She went on to be the Blazers’ career leader in earned run average, fewest walks allowed and strikeouts. More than that, she helped UAB to four consecutive NCAA Regionals and to its only Super Regional appearance at Florida as a senior in 2013.

She then moved on to a professional career with the Vienna Wanderers. 

“I firmly believe that no one else in the city knows more than I do about softball,” she said. “I’m still learning with the coaching thing, but we’ll do it together. I promise to give you not my best impression of Coach Goodman or Coach Ainsworth but to be Coach Veach each and every day.” 

Neither Ainsworth nor Goodman believe Veach’s lack of coaching experience is a hindrance.

“It was probably a harder adjustment for me than it will be for her because she’s been in the game of softball for so long,” Goodman said. “She’s also coached a good bit of travel ball, so it’s not like this is new to her. And she’ll probably be a lot better fundamental coach than I was.

“She’s been giving lessons in Birmingham and is giving lessons here now. I would encourage any kid that is interested in learning how to become a great pitcher to come to ACA with this type of experience as a coach.”

Ainsworth, hired to coach the Eagles’ slow pitch program, pointed out that she knew nothing about fast pitch softball while transitioning the school from a 1995 slow pitch state title to a 1996 fast pitch team. Goodman, too, was a baseball coach before he was thrown into the fire as ACA’s softball coach in 2007. 

“The sport of softball needs more women coaches,” Ainsworth noted in her reception speech. “Basketball needs more women coaches. Title IX gave a lot of men some jobs. We need to get women back into coaching and you’re going to be blessed with an unbelievable softball coach. She has more experience than Goodman and I ever had. She’s played internationally, she’s played Division I, she’s played here, she knows the game.

“She believes in the mental game the way I do, she believes in weight training the way I do and I’m very excited about that, but I’m more excited that you’re going to have an unbelievable good woman” as a coach.

Veach was equally praiseworthy of Ainsworth as a coach and role model over the years.

“One of the very first things I can remember her saying in the seventh grade was, ‘I don’t care if I’m playing my grandma in a board game, I’m going to win,’” Veach said. “She’s a big reason why I’m so competitive. As long as we have the effort and the competitiveness, we’ll be good.”

Veach’s first task as the school’s new athletic marketing coordinator will be to promote her hiring and that of new assistant Meghan Harris to the community.

“My degree is in sports marketing from UAB,” she said, “so we’ll work with Mr. Glenn and the athletic department to put us out there a little more.” 

ACA’S FAST PITCH HISTORY

1996-2006 

Denise Ainsworth -- 455-233-4 overall with 11 years in fast pitch, including 10 state tournament appearances, 9 finals, 6 championships  

2007-2021 

Chris Goodman -- 569-215-9 record in 15 years, including 13 state tournament appearances, 6 finals, 3 championships

2022 

Lauren Webster — 1st Year