T. J. Webster is new head coach of Sparkman softball team

HARVEST- In a surprise move, there is a new head coach of the Sparkman High softball program and they are no stranger to the Harvest-based school campus. T. J. Webster, a 2019 graduate of Sparkman, is now the head coach after being an assistant coach the past two seasons.

Webster replaces another former product of Sparkman High Macie Morris who served as head coach for three seasons. Morris is a 2008 graduate of the Class 7A school and decided to leave her position going through a divorce and deciding stay home with her three children, ages 16, 10 and six. She will remain as a teacher at Sparkman, but no longer coach after school hours.

Webster was an All-State softball and basketball player at Sparkman and earned a scholarship to Western Kentucky to play softball and achieved star status for her play by being named First-Team All-Conference USA, NFCA Third-Team All-Region honors and in 2024, named the first conference USA Defensive Player of the Year at her position of shortstop. She was also named to the President’s List, Dean’s List and numerous Honor Roll accolades in the classroom. She earned her degree in exercise science and then a master’s degree in recreational sports administration. She’s currently pursuing her teacher’s certificate at Athens State University and will teach physical science at Sparkman.

After college, Webster played for the professional softball team Chattanooga Steam in 2024 before taking on the duties as an assistant coach at Sparkman in 2025 taking care of the infield and hitting. She has coached alongside Ashley Cornwell, a graduate of UAH, who handled coaching duties of hitting and the outfield.

“Coach Morris was very transparent with her duties as head coach as she gave us a rundown of everything she was doing,” said Webster, who will turn 25 in July. “I learned you have to have a support system and all see the same vision. I learned a good team will build on what we need and also good at. As head coach, I will have to help our girls as they are students, first.”

Taking over the realm as head coach has already surprised Webster, who began playing sports at age four at Phillips Park in Monrovia, a mile from Sparkman High, both located on Jeff Road in Harvest. She said of her new job, which began less than a month ago, “I want to continue the tradition of winning here at Sparkman. We finished third in the state in my first year as an assistant while this past season we did not make it out of the Regional. Finishing with a 24-19 record.”

She has her team for 2027 already making plans to return to the State Tournament through an array of off-season workouts as Webster has eight returning players set to go in the next school year.

“As head coach, my teams will play aggressive, fast and free,” she said. “We will not play our opponent’s style, we will make them come to us as we will do exactly what we want to do.”