Taryn Gray begins her fifth season with the Jaguar softball staff as volunteer assistant coach where she oversees outfield defense and base running, while also assisting with slapper and short-game development. Â
Gray assists Jaguar head coach Becky Clark with game-day strategy and player development. She also monitors all activities for compliance with the University according to NCAA and Sun Belt Conference guidelines and logs weekly countable athletically related activities.
Among Gray’s other duties are oversight of fall scheduling, the softball social media accounts, spring tournaments and helps organize game-day details for visiting teams. She is point person on staff for softball facility grounds crew at Jaguar Field, and assists with team travel when needed.
During her time in Mobile, South Alabama has had six outfielders earn all-Sun Belt accolades with Brittani Reid and Victoria Ortiz picking up first-team honors following the 2019. Amanda Minahan (2017), Haleigh Lane (2016) and Haleigh Lowe (2016 and 2018) also earned second-team honors under Gray’s tutelage.
Reid and Ortiz led the Sun Belt in doubles (17) during the 2019 season, and set the single-season program mark in that category. Both Reid and Ortiz earned Community Coffee Player of the Week honors during the season as well.
Gray joined the program in that role prior to the start of the 2016 season. Gray lettered four years at Auburn where she was an outfielder for the Tigers from 2006-09, graduating in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in health promotion.
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Gray started 167 games at Auburn and helped the Tigers claim three NCAA Tournament berths. Gray hit a career-best .315 as a freshman in 2006 and started all 60 games as a junior, batting .277.
After graduating from Auburn, Gray served in assistant coaching roles at both Northwest Florida State and East Mississippi Community College three seasons at each stop.
During her time at EMCC, Gray assisted with every aspect of day-to-day operations and coaching responsibilities within Lion’s softball program.
Gray was instrumental in helping EMCC put together three-year composite records of 66-60 overall and 46-26 against division competition. On the heels of challenging for the 2013 MACJC North Division title before finishing as division runners-up at 24-19 overall and 17-7 within the division, the 2014 Lady Lions became the winningest club in EMCC’s fastpitch softball history with a 27-22 overall record and 16-8 division mark. Â
During Gray’s three-year association with Northwest Florida State’s softball program, she served as the team’s outfield coach while also assisting with hitting techniques and coordinating the team’s strength and conditioning efforts. Over those three years, 24 all-conference honors were earned by Lady Raider standouts.
While at NWF, the Lady Raiders put together a composite three-year record of 113-42 competing within the demanding Florida College System Activities Association. Her time at NWF included a Panhandle Conference co-championship in 2011 and runner-up league finish the year prior. In 2011 during Gray’s first season in a full-time coaching capacity, Northwest Florida State hit .356 as a team with 79 stolen bases en route to posting a 41-9 overall record, 13-3 conference mark and No. 6 national ranking in the final NJCAA poll.
Gray was born in Springfield, Ill., and grew up in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., before graduating from Vestavia Hills High School in Birmingham, Ala., in 2005. Gray led VHHS to a runner-up state finish as a senior and was a two-time all-state performer during her prep career.
