​Courter eager to lead Grain Valley softball program

by Michael Smith


Flip Courter has been involved in fast pitch softball for as long as he can remember.

He’s coached, participated in, umpired, and even been a radio broadcast announcer for the sport.

“I grew up playing softball in northwest Missouri,” Courter said. “We played fast pitch and I was at a small school that didn’t have enough kids to play football. When I was playing in the mid 90s, there was probably 25 to 30 boys fast pitch teams."

“I grew up watching my brother play in the 80s.”

Now, he’s going to take another step in his career.

Courter, who transitioned to Grain Valley High School last year as a teacher and coach so he could work from the same city he lives in, will take over as head coach of the softball team after just one year as an assistant to former head coach Garrett Ogle.

Ogle stepped down as head coach to take an activities director position at Odessa Middle School. The year 2023 will be Courter’s sixth as a head coach and seven years as an assistant. He spent five years as a head coach combined at Marionville, Mercer and Crest Ridge.

His longest stop as coach was at William Chrisman, where he spent six years.

“I haven’t led a softball program in about 10 years, but I don’t think it’s changed a whole lot,” Courter said. “For Grain Valley, you would consistently pencil them in for 20 wins and some conference championships."

“We haven’t gotten over the hump to make the final four. We happen to be in a tough area for softball. But I am fortunate that the administration put their trust in me and the coaches we have assembled to lead this program.”

The veteran coach said he is a player’s coach, one that can relate to the girls on the team.

“I have a good, positive relationship with them,” Courter said. “I think we have good communication with each other because I used to play, too.”

Courter will have a challenge on his hands in Year 1 as the Eagles graduated eight seniors from a team that finished 24-8 last season. Two of the players lost to graduation include Grain Valley’s two starting pitchers – Hailey Hemme and Amanda Brown.

The Eagles will likely be depending on quite a few underclassman to contribute to the varsity team this season. Courter expects a sizable turnout for tryouts in August, which will give him plenty of options to fill the voids left by the 2022 squad.

“We’re going to be very young,” Courter said. “We are losing some pretty key contributors. We also have McKenah Sears out with a knee injury. But we get Emma Jane Ogle back this year. We are also going to get a couple of girls who didn’t play last year, that will help us out this year. We have a lot of freshmen coming in. I think about 25 have expressed interest in coming in."
​
“I am expecting about 40 to try out in August, the numbers will be there.”

Grain Valley head coach Flip Courter will enter his first season leading the Grain Valley softball program in 2023 after spending one year as the assistant in 2022. Top photo: File photo. Bottom photo/photo credit: Michael Smith