JV softball coach tapped to lead varsity Mustangs

LAKEWOOD RANCH — From the dugout, Tony Cummins watches softballs float across the field as the sounds of high school banter echo in the air.

Cummins pauses and takes a moment to reflect before heading out to get the day’s conditioning regimen under way. Being surrounded by 40 high school girls for several hours on a daily basis is enough to test the patience of even the calmest of individuals; but with four daughters of his own, the Lakewood Ranch High softball coach can’t suppress a smile when he talks about his team.

“These are the most dedicated and hardworking kids you’ll ever meet,” Cummins said. “The atmosphere in high school is only second to the atmosphere in college. It kind of keeps you young.”

After spending the past two years as Lakewood’s JV coach, Cummins will have a new spot in the dugout this spring after being named the Lady Mustangs’ new varsity coach.

“The whole Lakewood Ranch area the last four years has produced some of the strongest talent we’ve seen,” Cummins said. “To get the opportunity to coach a predominantly junior and senior staff is very exciting.”

Cummins replaces former coach Joe Dowling, who resigned last summer. Dowling, who led Lakewood to the regional finals two years ago, announced his resignation after deciding he had taken the Lady Mustangs as far as he could.

“I’ve been coaching for the last eight years, and this is something I’ve wanted to do,” Cummins said. “I’ve had the opportunity to get to the know the program, and it’s second to none. Joe did a great job, and he’ll absolutely be missed.

“Because this program has been a winning program, there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that,” he said. “There’s pressure to maintain the integrity of the program.”

A native of Iowa, Cummins had aspirations of becoming a coach and a teacher. But after earning bachelor’s degrees in business and criminal justice from the University of Iowa, Cummins spent several years working as a capital homicide investigator for the public defender’s office.

During that time, Cummins returned to school and earned his master’s degree in education from the University of South Florida. Cummins spent three years teaching in Hillsborough County, developing the law academy at Armwood High, and four years teaching in Sarasota before moving to Lakewood this fall.

A four-sport athlete in high school, Cummins knew next to nothing about softball until 10 years ago, when his daughter, Kristen, a senior as Sarasota High, brought home a flyer for Miss Sarasota Softball.

Interested in becoming involved in the sport for Kristen and his other daughters, Noelle, Riana and Morgan, Cummins began attending softball coaching camps and training sessions across the country with the blessing of his wife, Stacy.

“My wife is definitely a softball mom,” said Cummins, who also coaches the Sarasota Heat’s 16U travel team. “She is the head coach of this whole thing.”

Now with eight years of coaching experience under his ball cap, Cummins is hoping to elevate his players’ game to the next level.

Last season, the Lady Mustangs won a district title and advanced to the regional semifinals before falling to Braden River. Now, Lakewood finds itself in a new district, and Cummins is looking forward to watching his girls return to the regional tournament and beyond.

“I have one of the best teams in the state,” Cummins said. “The talent at Lakewood Ranch has been incredible. It’s my coaching, but the kids are what make this whole thing tick. I just orchestrate it.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].