Kevin McGranahan enjoys his time on the softball field. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The winningest active coach at Coupeville High School is hitting the road.
Wolf softball guru Kevin McGranahan, who has compiled 111 wins, multiple league titles, and a very successful trip to the state tourney in 2019, has resigned effective August 15.
He and wife Justine, who was indispensable as an assistant coach and Wolf Mom, are moving to Folkston, Georgia.
With their children, CHS grads Wade Schaef and Katrina McGranahan-Rutledge, pursuing life in other areas now, the couple found themselves far away from family, helping prompt the move.
“We have been trying to move for the last few years but one thing or another has not allowed us to,” Kevin McGranahan said.
“We are the only two from either side of our families out on the West coast.
“With both of our kids now grown and building their own lives — one in Virginia and one going to Japan — we decided it’s time to go East, well Southeast.”
McGranahan has some time left to “get new uniforms ordered and clean up the loose ends for whoever the new coach may be” before they depart, then it’s a “3,500-mile trek across this great country.”
A master of in-game strategy at work. (Parker Hammons photo)
McGranahan has led the Wolf softball program for the past nine years, since he was hired in 2016.
That first team went 9-11 and showed tremendous growth. After that, Coupeville has been one of the most-successful softball programs in the region, first in 1A, then later 2B.
Coupeville went 19-5 in 2017, the most wins for the program since the 2002 team went 24-3 and finished third at the state tourney.
The 2019 squad, led by the homer-hitting duo of Veronica Crownover and Sarah Wright and freshman pitcher Izzy Wells, advanced to the 1A state tourney.
While there, the Wolves put up a strong fight against eventual state champ Montesano, destroyed Deer Park to claim the program’s first win at the big dance in nearly two decades, and came within a play of eliminating Cle Elum.
With the core of that team returning, Coupeville was primed for another run in 2020, only to lose its season to the pandemic, which erased all spring sports.
While he wasn’t able to record any wins that season, McGranahan joined with his fellow coaches to provide every opportunity possible for his players while still honoring ever-changing state health guidelines.
When softball returned to the field in 2021, CHS had moved to the 2B classification, and the Wolf sluggers went a pristine 12-0 in a shortened campaign.
The Wolves have followed that up with 16, 14, and 14 wins across the past three seasons, adding two more league crowns and not dodging anyone.
Under McGranahan, Coupeville softball has consistently played as tough a non-conference schedule as possible, with the Wolves often toppling teams from bigger classifications, such as 3A Oak Harbor.
This spring, a team that started three 8th graders, two freshmen, a sophomore, and four juniors (with no seniors on the roster) went 14-5 and was honored as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2B Team of the Month for April.
With the entire roster set to return, and another talented group moving up, McGranahan is confident the Wolves are in a good place.
“The program is poised to win the league again and make a strong run at state,” he said. “If there is a good time to walk away, it is probably now.
“I give the new coach a proven championship roster for their first season.”
Hanging out with Taylor Brotemarkle. (Bailey Thule photo)
While he’ll miss the games, the strategy, and maybe even the occasional disagreement with the umpires, it’s the people involved who have had the biggest impact on him.
“I will miss being on the field come February thru May, and most of all I will miss the young ladies I have treated as my own for the last nine years,” McGranahan said.
“It is never going to be a perfect time to step away,” he added. “The kids keep coming into high school and now even middle school, and then you get attached to them again and the clock starts over.”
But while he won’t be the one calling the shots anymore, McGranahan will still be a part of Wolf Nation.
“I will be watching from South Georgia and will be the proudest coach to see his girls carry on the program,” he said.
“I will always be a WOLF, and their biggest fan.”
Read Full Post »
Coupeville Sports 