Root for the home team
New coaches take reins of revived athletics at Northwest-Shoals Story and photos by ALISON JAMES
B
udget cuts were the name of the game 10 years ago when Northwest-Shoals Community College found it necessary to suspend its athletic programs – but that wasn’t the end of the story when it comes to sports at Northwest-Shoals. It was in October 2021 that the college announced the reinstatement of baseball and softball teams. The Patriots are back in action. The exhibition season is scheduled to begin in September 2022, with conference play beginning in March 2023. Both teams will compete against opponents within the Alabama Community College Conference, National Junior College Athletic Association and National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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Their fearless leaders, head coaches David Langston for baseball and Angel Brown for softball, were welcomed to the school in March, and the two have wasted no time getting things in gear for their inaugural season – because really, there is no time to lose. “There’s a lot of moving parts, and everyone has jobs to do,” said Langston, “and as coaches, we have to be patient with that.” New athletic director Taylor Franks agreed – time is of the essence, and time is the challenge. Timing also played a big role in bringing both Langston and Brown to the Shoals to take on these new roles. Langston, 49, is a familiar name and face to Franklin County, or at least to Russellville, having worked the past several years as an assistant coach on the Golden
Tiger baseball team. He’s also no stranger to his new program at Northwest-Shoals. “I played here on the first team they had on the Shoals campus in ’93,” Langston said. “That first year we were 39-8, so from the beginning it was a very successful program.” His success as a Patriot was just the first step in what has been a long career in athletics. After two years at Northwest, Langston continued to Birmingham Southern College, playing for the famed Coach Brian Shoop and working with pitching coaches Butch Thompson, now head coach at Auburn University, and Daron Schoenrock, now head coach at the University of Memphis. “I was very fortunate, as a player, with who I was able to be around, and I’m very thankful for those opportunities,” Langston said.
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