JOHN DAY — After seven seasons on the job, the man who built the Grant Union/Prairie City softball program into a perennial powerhouse has tendered his resignation as the team’s head coach to focus on being a dad.

Zach Williams compiled a stellar 135-18 record as head coach of the Class 2A Lady Prospectors from 2017-2024, with 22 of those wins coming against 3A opponents. 

Under Williams, the Lady Pros won five High Desert League titles and notched at least 20 games in every season save for the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, in which the team finished 14-3.

Williams also led his team to a 15-4 overall record in the state tournament, including four straight appearances in the title game, with two second-place finishes before winning the state 2A/1A championship in each of the last two seasons.

To cap his career, Williams was selected the 2023-24 2A/1A softball coach of the year by the Oregon Coaches Athletic Association.

Time for a change

In his resignation letter to the Grant School Board, Williams thanked Athletic Director Andy Lusco for his scheduling and organizational support of the softball team and thanked the board for its financial support of the program, specifically for the construction of new dugouts and a new crow’s nest/locker room at the Seventh Street Sports Complex.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve these young athletes and I will miss it more than I can describe,” he said in the letter. “My children have all moved to different stages in their lives and I must be available to be a dad to them at this point.”

Williams coached both of his daughters throughout their high school softball careers, but now they’ve graduated.

Taylor, the oldest, played for her dad from 2018-2020. Despite her final season being lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, she went on to play softball at Mount Hood Community College.

Younger daughter Drew was a two-time 2A/1A pitcher of the year, sharing the honor in 2023 and claiming it outright in 2024. She graduated in June and signed a letter of intent to pitch for the College of Idaho in Caldwell.

Williams’ son, Jhett, is a multisport athlete starting his freshman year at Grant Union.

Words of Williams

Williams said he is sad to be leaving because there are still players he would love to continue coaching. That being said, he is proud of what he and the team accomplished — although there is one game he’d love to have back.

“I just need to focus on being a dad and being there for what my kids are doing in their lives right now,” he said. “As far as accomplishments, I am grateful for the teams I coached and while clearly I will always be proud of what we accomplished the last two seasons, the 2022 state title game will always be one that haunts me.”

(The Lady Pros fell 5-3 in the 2022 championship game to a Lakeview team they’d defeated twice during regular season play.)

Now that his coaching duties have concluded, Williams said he plans on spending time following Jhett’s football, baseball and basketball exploits while making periodic jaunts out to Caldwell to keep tabs on Drew’s collegiate pitching progress.

Williams added that while he’s proud of his daughter’s development as a player, her evolution doesn’t have a lot to do with him.

“I can’t take too much credit for Drew’s success because she surpassed my ability a long time ago,” he said. “Luckily we found coaches that could continue to make improvements with her.” 

Williams has left a big set of shoes for the next Lady Pro softball head coach to fill. However, he attributed much of the team’s success to his assistant coaches, highlighting the efforts of Mike Strong, Brandon Culley, Lance Zweygart, Amy Hunt, Levi Watterson, Tim Boethin and Stacy Bailey.

“I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.

The fruits of Williams’ tenure as the head coach of the Grant Union/Prairie City co-op extend beyond the team’s record and state championships. No fewer than eight former Lady Pro softball players have gone on to play college softball once their time in the black and red was finished.

Even though he’s leaving the coaching ranks, Williams said he will stay around the game of softball in one way or another. He also has high hopes for his old team’s future, considering the firepower the Lady Prospectors are bringing back this season.

“Six returning starters from back-to-back state championship teams,” he said, “is a great way to start the 2025 season!”

2017-18: 22-3 season record, state quarterfinals loss

2018-19: 22-3 season record, state quarterfinals loss

2019-20: Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

2020-21: 14-3 season record, state runners-up

2021-22: 26-2 season record, state runners-up

2022-23: 26-3 season record, state champions

2023-24: 25-4 season record, state champions