BREAKING: Laurens names new softball, volleyball coaches

Laurens High announced a pair of varsity coaching changes for the upcoming school year, involving both the volleyball and softball programs.

Former Laurens Raider Michaela Smith returns to Laurens as the new softball coach. She replaces Haley Satterfield, who was the coach last season. Smith, a Class of 2015 Laurens High graduate, is foregoing her final year of college eligibility at Anderson University to take on the job.

“You will not find a harder working and better student of the game,” former head coach Butch Clark said.

Smith helped the Raiders to a 24-6 record and Region 1-4A title in 2014, and was a two-time all-county selection. She won seven individual MVP awards from the National Softball Association during her travel ball career, and won Elite Weight Lifting Awards from 2011-13. Among her honors was also her selection as the 2014 Wendy’s Heisman winner for Outstanding Female Athlete at Laurens.

Erin Fleming will take on the head coaching role with the varsity volleyball team, replacing the now-resigned Caroline Culbertson. Fleming has been the head coach at Lake Highland Prep since 2011, and was named Coach of the Year in 2012. Lake Highland played in the 2012, 2016 and 2017 state finals, while she was named as co-captain for the Lake Highlands teams that won state championships in 2004-06. She was also the Lake Highland Female Athlete of the Year in 2007.

In her college career Fleming was a three-time SEC Volleyball Champion at the University of Florida, and was the SEC’s Honor Roll from 2007-11.