When Dot Richardson took over the Liberty University softball program in July 2013, the coaches’ offices, locker room and training room were located in double-wide trailers.
“We had a rec field,” recalled Richardson, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. “The previous staff had built the dugouts with cinder blocks and painted them blue. It was like a hobbit dugout. It was perfect for me, but everyone else had to bend down to get in it. Humble beginnings.”
Those sparse roots are part of the reason last weekend’s upset of NCAA Division I tournament No. 1 seed Texas A&M is so remarkable. It gave the Flames a program-record 50 wins, saddled the Aggies with the dubious distinction of being the first top seed to fall short in the regional round and — most significantly — put Liberty in a super regional for the first time in program history.
“We just played with so much to prove and a chip on our shoulder, knowing we could do it and that we believed in each other,” said outfielder Paige Doerr. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.”
Richardson’s team won 11 games in 2014, her first season at the campus in Lynchburg, Virginia. A year later, Liberty opened a new state-of-the-art stadium and notched 29 victories. By 2018, Richardson had the Flames in the NCAA regionals.