The Eastern Mennonite University softball team swept a doubleheader from host Shenandoah Wednesday, earning Coach J.D. McCurdy his 300th career win.
In his 14th season with the Royals, McCurdy holds a career mark of 301-213-1, and has the most wins of any Eastern Mennonite coach in any sport. A three-time ODAC Coach of the Year, McCurdy has eight seasons of 20 or more wins, including last year when the Royals set the program record for wins with a record of 31-14.
McCurdy turned around the direction of the EMU softball program when he arrived in 2004, increasing the team’s win total by six wins in each of his first three seasons. He now has eight 20-win seasons to his credit. Two of those years the team won at least 30 games, including 2016, when the Royals finished 31-14 for the best record in the program’s 37 seasons.
He has been named the ODAC Coach of the Year three times, including in 2010 when the Royals became the first No. 8 seed in any sport to win the ODAC Tournament. They also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
This year, JMcCurdy has coached a young team to the program’s best start ever, winning their first 12 games of the season.
After today’s games, he now has a career record of 301 wins, 213 losses, and 1 tie.
McCurdy’s approach to coaching is focused on developing the student-athlete. He says he recruits athletes to come to Eastern Mennonite University to study and prepare themselves for life after college. Softball, he says, can be a important part of that valuable experience.
“This has been a great place to be,” he said. “My first question to athletes is ‘What do you want to do after college?’ and I tell them about the school and its fine academic programs and where that degree can get them. And yes, we have softball, but you won’t do that for the rest of your life. What you gain from this university is far more than that.”
McCurdy played collegiate baseball at Bridgewater College as both a pitcher and first baseman, where he earned a degree in health and physical education. He also played two years in the Valley Baseball League and 13 years in the Rockingham County Baseball League, and was inducted into the RCBL Hall of Fame in 2015.
McCurdy began coaching softball at Turner Ashby High School as the assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach in 1998-99, guiding the Knights to a 36-3 JV record. He took over the varsity head coaching position in 2000 and began a run of four consecutive Valley District Titles. He won Valley District Coach of the Year all four years, accumulated a 90-6-1 overall record, and took his 2000 squad to the state championship game. In the fall of 2010, J.D. was also inducted in the Turner Ashby High School Hall of Fame.