Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Andrew White | Staff Writer

Coach Clark Watley’s 200th win with Maplesville High School came in the Class 1A Central Regional Tournament Final 6-3 win over Fayetteville High School.

“Well it’s great, 200 wins is great, but I’m most proud of Maplesville getting 200 wins,” said Watley. 

Watley went to work at food world out of high school where he spent 21 years. He started coaching at age 43.

“I always wanted to coach,” said Watley. “I didn’t get the opportunity till later in life, I’m real big on not being complacent and you got to be hungry if you wanna reach the top.”

Watley started his softball coaching career at Chilton County High School in 2012 where he won 71 games over three years. He was the baseball coach for the Tigers when the principal asked him to help out with softball. He had played over 30 years of men’s slow pitch, so he thought why not, and he gave coaching softball a shot. 

In 2016, he was offered by Maplesville to run the softball program as well as coach the offensive line. Watley played football and baseball in high school, and he decided to make the switch to Maplesville. 

About ten years later he earned his 200th win. In his time with the Red Devils, he has won their area nine out of the 10 years. For the last four years his team has qualified for the state tournament. In the last three years, they have won the region. In 2023, his team finished fourth in the state. 

While having an illustrious career of winning, he is steadfast in his coaching philosophy as well as who he gives credit to. 

“It ain’t all about winning it’s about building team unity, you won’t win if you don’t build team unity,” said Watley, “Don’t be complacent, shoot for the stars and land on the moon, then you’ve done a good job.”

His coaching philosophy is more about building team unity and building good citizens than winning. Watley also acknowledges that buying into this team philosophy is what helps his teams have success. 

“When I first got there we’d have three hour practices,” Watley said. “It continued on from that first class that I had in (2016) all the way to now, they set that building block… it ain’t all about me.”

Watley credits most of his success to his players and assistant coaches. Aaron Ratliff has been coaching alongside Watley for eight of the 10 years that Watley has spent at Maplesville. Watley hopes that in a couple years when he retires, Ratliff will be the person who takes over for him. 

“I’ve been lucky to spend the past eight softball seasons under the leadership of Coach Watley,” said Ratliff. “He is definitely one of a kind. He loves this sport, he loves his teams and he loves

Maplesville High School… 200 wins shows the standard he has set for Maplesville softball, and that standard is why we’ve been able to make it to the state tournament these past few years”

Watley also wanted to give lots of credit to Teresa Stewart who handles the books and helps out with logistics for Maplesville softball. In the years to come, Watley wants Maplesville to continue their success with or without him. Seeing his girls have success is what has made his long illustrious career worth it. 

“Just seeing the girls be successful,” said Watley when asked what made it all worth it. “When we won and went to the state and went to regionals that verifies to them that hard work pays off.”