LCU first-year head softball coach Stine leads by serving
Louisiana Christian University alumnus and Sports Hall of Famer Mattie Stine stepped into the role of head softball coach this season, and she said that some of the most important and lasting wins have happened off the field.
“Stepping into the head coach role at LCU has been both humbling and incredibly meaningful,” Stine said. “God often places us in new positions to grow us beyond what feels comfortable, and this season has stretched me in all the right ways.”
She said that coming back to a place that shaped her as a student-athlete makes this opportunity deeply personal, and she is grateful.
“While the title has changed, my heart has not,” Stine said. “My goal has always remained the same: to love these young women well and to keep Christ as the foundation of everything we do. Wins and losses will come and go, but building a culture rooted in faith, love for each other, and servant leadership. I want our players to know they are valued for who they are, not just what they produce on the field. I want our players to love each other well and to go out and love others well.”
Before taking on the role of head coach, Stine was associate head coach from 2023-2025, assistant coach from 2021-2022, and hitting instructor during the 2019-2020 season.
Stine’s love of softball began when she was just 5 years old.
“Some of my favorite early memories are going with my dad to our local recreation field when I was probably 10 or 11, and he would let me play on his coed slow-pitch team with all the adults,” she said. “That’s really where my love for the game grew. It was fun, competitive, and something we shared together. Those moments sparked a passion that has stayed with me ever since.”
As she got older, the game turned into a deeper commitment. Stine played travel ball from age 8 through high school, and she said those years challenged her work ethic and discipline.
In high school, she played for Hackberry High School, where she was part of four state championship teams.
“Competing at that level taught me resilience, teamwork and what it means to pursue excellence while staying grounded,” Stine said.
Softball went from being part of her identity to becoming her ministry at LCU, she said.
“It was here that I realized the game was about more than wins and statistics,” Stine said. “The relationships I built with my teammates became one of the greatest gifts of my time as a student athlete. They taught me how to love well, how to show up for one another, and how to value people beyond performance. I carry pieces of what I learned from each of them into my adult life and into the way I now lead.”
As a student, Stine thrived on the field and in the classroom, collecting All-ASC Second Team, All-Louisiana Honorable Mention, and NFCA Second Team All-West Region accolades in addition to being an ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor recipient. Stine closed out her tenure by fronting LCU in batting average (.412), slugging (.5 55), on-base percentage (.507), total bases (66), RBIs (26), hits (49), walks (20), and doubles (12).
She graduated in 2018 with a degree in social studies education and is now pursuing a master’s degree in sports ministry through Liberty University.
Stine, who was inducted into the LCU Sports Hall of Fame in 2024, said it’s incredibly special to be coaching where she was once a player.
“LCU isn’t just a workplace for me,” Stine said. “It is a major part of what made me who I am today. The professors, coaches and mentors here invested in me not just as an athlete, but as a person. That foundation shaped the way I lead today.”
In particular, she said the late coach Jay Barber had a tremendous impact on her life.
Barber was the assistant coach for three of Stine’s years on the softball team.
“He showed me what it looks like to put Christ first in a program,” she said. “Loving his players well was always a priority. Even recently, he would text me to let me know he was praying for me and that he loved me. That consistency of faith and encouragement meant more than he probably knew. His investment didn’t stop when I graduated; he continued to pour into my life as I stepped into coaching.”
Stine credited Barber with building the foundation of what the LCU program is today. Barber, a member of the Louisiana Softball Coaches Hall of Fame, died on Jan. 6.
“Since his passing, I’ve reflected even more on the example he set,” she said. “I carry that foundation with me every day. My hope is that the way I lead honors the investment he
made in me and reflects the love, faithfulness and standard he helped establish here for LCU softball.”
Her own faith is the foundation of how she coaches.
“I don’t see leadership as a position of authority, but as an opportunity to serve,” Stine said. “Christ modeled servant leadership, and that’s the example I strive to follow. The higher up we go in leadership, the more we should serve. That’s something I believe deeply. I often think about the moment in Scripture when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. The Son of God chose to kneel and serve. That picture of humility reshapes how I view leadership. If He was willing to serve in that way, then I should be leading with the same heart.”
Stine said she spends time with her team discussing things that have nothing to do with softball. She wants them to know what it means to be a servant and to lead with humility and how to love people.
“Each week, we spend time reading and discussing Bob Goff’s Everybody, Always. It’s not a softball book, and that’s intentional,” Stine said. “It pushes us to consider what it looks like to love people consistently, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. Those conversations stretch us in ways that go far beyond the field.
“Softball becomes the setting, but the greater goal is shaping servant-hearted leaders. If our players leave this program understanding how to serve, extend grace, and love others well, then we’ve accomplished something far more meaningful than a win.
This season, the team’s current record is 8-9, but 10 of those 17 games have been against nationally ranked opponents. The team has picked up wins over William Carey, Freed-Hardeman and #24-ranked Rio Grande.
“Our strength of schedule is very difficult, and the girls have been battle-tested to this point,” Stine said.
But the real winning happens in quieter times off the field, she said.
“I love the daily relationships. The conversations in the locker room, the moments after a tough loss, the quiet prayers before a big game, those are the things that matter most to me. Softball gives us a platform, but it’s the opportunity to pour into their lives that makes this job meaningful, Stine said.
“There’s something special about watching a player believe in herself a little more than she did the day before,” Stine said. “It is our job as coaches to pull out of them who they are meant to become. That’s my favorite part of this role. Yes, we develop skills and compete to win, but the greater responsibility is helping our players see the potential God has placed inside of them.”
Softball player Katelyn Carpenter said Stine leads the team with selflessness and humility, always putting the team’s needs above her own.
“Coach never shies away from helping us both on and off the field,” Carpenter said. “She has become someone we can go to when we need advice or need a safe space to talk about our frustrations. She always listens with open ears and tells us what we need to hear. Because of Coach Stine, I feel more confident on the mound and understand that failure is part of the process. I have learned not to dwell on past failures and to visualize new success with every pitch.”
Another team member, Lexi Broussard, echoed these sentiments.
“She has always been a role model to everyone, including me,” she said. “Her coaching style has been different than other coaches. Of course, she is wanting us to win and is pushing us to be better, but she makes sure we are having fun while playing.”
LCU President Dr. Mark Johnson said Stine epitomizes a servant-leader.
“At Louisiana Christian University, we believe that athletics is not only about competition but about formation, shaping leaders who will impact the world for Christ,” he said. “Her heart for God, her love for our student-athletes, and her understanding that leadership begins with service reflect the very values that define LCU. We are grateful not only for her leadership but also for the incredible work of her staff. Coach Stine reminds us that when Christ is the foundation, the impact of a program reaches far beyond the field.”
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Media Release | March 13, 2026 | Pineville, Louisiana
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth B. Clarke, Director of University Communications | Elizabeth.clarke@lcuniversity.edu